NationalMirror Challenges, opportunities of emerging democracies GEORGE OJI June 25, 2013 Expectedly, the former Ghanaian President, Flt. Lt. Jerry Rawlings, was the cynosure of all eyes at the opening session of the two-day international conference, which was put together by Nigeria’s National Institute for Legislative Studies, NILS, with support from the European Parliamentarians with African and the Parliamentary Centre, Canada. Rawlings came to the conference with very intimidating resume. While for instance, the late President Kwameh Nkrumah was reputed to have laid the foundation for Ghana’s current economic and political development and advancement, Rawlings has all the credits for fast-tracking and driving the process with a unique revolutionary force, to the point that Ghana is today the envy and pride of many African countries. Rawlings had emerged in the late 1980 / early 1990s as a young air force officer to sanitise the Ghanaian society of corrupt military and political leadership and paved the way for the rapid democratic leadership, which the country has provided for the entire continent of Africa today. So, the participants had looked forward to hearing from the former Ghanaian President firsthand about what inspired his revolution of the 90s, which engineered the total turnaround and transformation that Ghana has witnessed today. Instead, in his lead paper presentation, Rawlings rather opted to “disappoint,” by focusing on the general experiences of societies in emerging democracies worldwide and Africa in particular. Somehow, his lead topic: “Emerging Democracies in Africa: Challenges and Opportunities,” implicitly did not require him to do otherwise. The nine-page paper, which opened with an attempt to define the concept of democracy, after reviewing all the classical definitions of democracy, including that of the late America President, Abraham Lincoln, came to the conclusion that, “A true democracy is the process where every individual is involved and convinced that his opinion has been factored into the decision-making as far as the management of his society is concerned.” In his opinion, a government, irrespective of its mode of appointment, which gives ear to the people and approaches decision-making and policy implementation from a human-centred and continued consultative process is close to democracy than a duly elected government that fails to consult and also treats the opinion of the legislature – elected representatives of the people as of little value. Rawlings opined that no true democratic arrangement can be successful if the institutions that are meant to serve as checks and balances are not properly structured and equipped to operate at optimum. These institutions, according to Rawlings, include independent judiciary, security services, the electoral machinery, a well and independent media as well as a vibrant and non-partisan civil society. He said the major factor required to get these institutions operational is to have a well-firmed constitution that is not lacking in definition and also protects adequately the independence of these institutions. He was of the opinion that our institutions are weak because we do not strengthen and protect them adequately in our constitutions. According to him, “while the legislature can enact laws that empower institutions, constitutional entrenchment of such provisions would ensure that political parties with majority control within legislative assemblies do no manipulate the powers of these institutions.” Citing the case of Ghana, Rawlings noted that soon after his country underwent political transformation in the 1990s, many people concluded that Ghana had embraced democracy. He said he disagreed and explained that Ghana had throughout the period of the revolution been practicing democracy because the grassroots participation in local and national affairs was heightened throughout the period. He described the transition in his country in 1992 as rather a transition to constitutional rule. This led him into remarking that constitutional rule is not necessarily synonymous with democracy. Back to the conference theme, Rawlings defined emerging democracies as countries with governments that have emanated out of a perceived legitimate democratic electoral process but are still saddled with complexities of dominant political parties and poorly applied rule of law. He stated that against the background of the foregoing definition, most of the countries of Africa fall under the definition of emerging democracies. Rawlings observed that the primary challenge for emerging democracies in Africa is the failure of Western democracy to acknowledge its inherent flaws and encourage a system of democracy in our continent that is dynamic, home-grown and imbued with socio-cultural backgrounds of individual African states. He further stated that the biggest misconception in embracing democracies, particularly in Africa is the argument that it (democracy) comes with economic progress. He regretted that the Western sponsors of democracy and their allied institutions such as the IMF and the World Bank offer democratic prescriptions with the promise of financial support for socioeconomic development usually present such arguments. The former President noted that democracy should be made to provide the political stability for development. He stressed that “a practicing democracy that cannot create the climate to correct economic ills and corruption cannot and will not be a democracy. A democracy that cannot protect the sanctity of its electoral process is engaging in a fraudulent coup d’etat.” Commenting on the issue of corruption, particularly among developing democracies, Rawlings noted that we cannot continue to pay lip service to the strengthening, empowerment and independent management of our multiple anti-corruption institutions and regretted that we live in countries where poor, petty thieves get imprisoned for several years while businessmen who evade taxes in millions of dollars or politicians who misappropriate millions of state funds escape punishment. Nigeria’s Senate President, David Mark, identified Africa, Asia and Latin America as continents where their style of democracies could aptly be described as emerging democracies. Such democracies he further noted are relatively young and need time to develop and mature. According to him, a common feature of emerging democracies is that democratic experiments have remained episodic, while the executive arm of government continue to be overbearing. Also, the institutions of democracy such as parliament, the judiciary and political parties are weak, while civil society remains incapacitated in playing its role as a watchdog. Consequently, in most emerging democracies, vertical and horizontal institutions and structures for mutual checks and balances, and for making the state accountable to citizens are either weak or not functioning. Another unfortunate nature of emerging democracies in Africa, the Senate President noted, was that over time, there is the tendency of the leadership to want to relapse into authoritarian or totalitarian rule. Also flowing from the above, Mark said another critical challenge facing emerging democracies in Africa is how to dispel the myth that authoritarian rule, rather than democracy, fosters greater economic development. He challenged democratic African leaders to ensure that economic growth is made more inclusive, and that it translates to tangible progress capable of substantially improving the living conditions of our various people, otherwise, the social combustion that extreme poverty can trigger is capable of wiping out the modest gains democracy has made in Africa, and could lead to instability and pervasive insecurity. He listed such countries that have tilted towards this type of tendency in the recent times to include Mali, Mauritania, Guinea, Guinea Bissau and Niger. He stated that in the entire African continent only a few countries like Botswana, Cape Verde, Mauritius, Zimbabwe, Namibia, South Africa and Tunisia have not had military incursions into the polity. Mark stated that a critical prognosis for overcoming the foregoing challenges in emerging democracies, particularly in Africa, is for African democracies to develop strong and vibrant institutions to foster the legitimacy of elected governments. The best way to achieve this, he said, is that African democracy must not compromise the eternal, indispensable and universal democratic values and tenets, which include the rule of law, separation of powers, periodic elections, multiparty system, fundamental human rights, civil and political liberties, an independent judiciary, a free press, complemented by a dynamic civil society. Secondly, he talked about the need for the cultivation of certain supportive attitudes and values among the leaders and the followership, stressing that, “Where leaders and citizens fail to internalise these attitudes and values, such as the rules of political competition, tolerance for opposition and dissent, and the use of negotiation, dialogue and consensus building as means of handling conflicts and grievances, democracy can hardly flourish and endure.” On the role of opposition in such democracies, the Senate President said that opposition must not insist that they must always have their ways or claim that they are the only ones who have solutions to the problems or the only ones who are patriotic only because they are in the opposition. He said the most important thing is that tolerance is required on both sides. While reacting to the recent controversy surrounding the election of two different chairmen for the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, NGF, Mark described that development as a national embarrassment. He regretted that if only 36 persons could not conduct a free, fair, credible and indisputable election among themselves, then it means that the country has a long way to go in getting its electoral processes right. According to the Senate President, “What is happening with the Nigerian Governors’ Forum is very embarrassing. Is it that 36 Nigerians cannot sit down together and decide who should lead them? I think that this is a national embarrassment. I believe that sooner than later, things will be sorted out among them.” Mark observed that in the last 30 years, many African countries embraced democracy, but argued that endemic conflicts rooted in deep ethnic, religious, communal and regional divisions are tearing at the fabric of national unity and undermining democracy. These conflicts are often stoked and manipulated by the political elite in the bid for leverage and ascendancy. Despite the challenges confronting emerging democracies, Mark was of the view that citizens from such democracies should just continue to hang on there because with time the challenges will be overcome. According to him, “It should be clear to us by now that even though democracy may not solve all of our problems, yet none of our major problems will be solved without democracy.” Speaker of Nigeria’s House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, in a two-page remark at the opening session of the conference, noted that Nigeria and indeed a number of other African countries may have been under democratic rule, but expressed concerns that if not properly managed, such democracies may give birth to oppression, segregation, widening inequality, disdain of power and disunity, if the democracies failed to work hard enough to strengthen the structures and institutions and processes of those democracies. Tambuwal worried that many countries in Africa have failed to institutionalise transparent and objective political processes that can provide good governance. This he said has resulted in conflict, poverty and social disarray “plaguing our countries in Africa, creating a vicious circle of instability that inhibits economic development.” He tasked African leaders to resolve to create the political will to re-engineer governance through institution-building, peace-building and enthronement of transparency and equitable justice. Former Head of Interim National Government (ING), Chief Ernest Shonekan, stated that the fact that African countries have settled for democracy as the basis for their governance and for their socio-economic development is in itself a measure of progress for the continent. He said the adoption of democracy and the concomitant improved governance, better economic decision-making and the political accountability that followed it have brought in their wake political stability, reduced poverty and improvement in economic growth of many countries across Africa. He remarked that notwithstanding these improvements, it must be noted that, “Democracy does not thrive on empty stomach.” He stressed that democracy in Africa will succeed more if it improves the conditions of living of the people, if physical and social infrastructure are improved upon, particularly if there is improvement in the healthcare delivery and if there are job opportunities for the teeming unemployed youths across the continent. Shonekan was of the opinion that one of the major challenges affecting democracy in the continent of Africa and indeed Nigeria, is corruption. He noted that corruption debars progress and discourages foreign investors from investing in any country where there is pervasive corruption. The next he identified as religious fundamentalism, which he regretted is posing serious threat to democracy in parts of the continent, particularly in West Africa, North Africa and the Horn of Africa. In addition, Shonekan singled out lack of internal discipline and democracy in our political parties. He said a situation where people cannot voice out their opinions within their political parties or where leaders of the political parties cannot be criticized by members of the same political parties is not good for our democracy. In conclusion, Shonekan noted that unlike advanced economies, democracy is still young and fragile in many African countries and the tendency for winners at elections to take all must be checked while losers should lose gallantly and prepare for the next election in the interest of their countries. Speaker of the Gombe State House of Assembly and the Chairman of the Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria, Hon. Inuwa Garba, in a goodwill message voted for democracy as the best system of government. According to him, “Ultimately, democracy as a system of government should ensure good governance that further ensures protection of fundamental human rights, egalitarian society, stability, peaceful transition of governments, security, welfare of citizenry etc.” He stated that when citizens are being denied one or more of these opportunities, the system is no longer democratic. Garba also commented on the issue of internal party discipline and democracy and described it as the foundation upon which the party’s activities should be carried out. According to him, “If this essential ingredient is however lacking, the system cannot also be democratic.” Nigeria’s Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Finance Minister, Dr. (Mrs.) Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who was one of the discussants at the conference, cautioned African leaders on the need to provide good governance for the people. She warned that leadership must gain the confidence of the citizenry through the provision of basic necessities of life and transparence in the use of public resources. She cautioned that African leaders must pay attention to the youth, particularly in the creation of jobs and employment for them. She stated that at the moment, the situation is not a cheery one. The minister put the unemployment rate in Africa at present at 60 per cent and urged that African leaders must strive to reduce the rate drastically to avert any negative consequences. One way of addressing the unemployment problem, according to her, was for African heads of states to ensure that entrepreneurial studies are included in secondary schools curriculum with a view to helping the youth to create jobs for themselves upon leaving schools. The minister also used the occasion to showcase the progress made by the President Goodluck Jonathan administration in its Transformation Agenda. Okonjo- Iweala said by 2035, Nigeria’s workforce would exceed what obtains in any other country including China, adding that the country only needs to massively invest in education. Okonjo-Iweala said the government had put several measures in place to address youth unemployment. In this light, she revealed that government has concluded the first phase of youth scheme employment through which she said a total of 1,000 youths successfully shortlisted from 24,000 initially invited for examination obtained between N1m to 10 million grants to set up various businesses. According to her, the output of the move has been cheering with 15,000 jobs created so far from the adventure, adding that the second round of the scheme which is essentially for women had been launched. The Deputy President of Nigeria’s senate and chairman of the governing board of NILS, the organisers of the conference, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, in a welcome address, explained that the conference was informed by the institute’s desire to catalyse a coordinated effort towards realising the potential of emerging democracies in a world that is constantly remaking itself. Ekweremadu noted that in Africa, important new obstacles faced by existing or emerging democracies as well as democratic forces in countries in transition include challenges to their democratic process through the powers of multilateral institutions and terms and conditions of capital flows or technological choices, in addition to the excessive fragmentation of political groupings. Other challenges, he further noted, are one party dominance, overbearing powers of the executive, low level observance of the rule of law, endemic ethno-religious conflicts, poverty, youth unemployment, egregious violation of human rights, infrastructural deficits and weak institutional capacities, amongst many others. Some of the other special participants at the conference were former Nigerian Senate President, Senator Ken Nnamani, Hon Emeka Ihedioha, Rt. Hon. Mathurin Coffi Nago, Dr. Okwesileze Nwodo, Prof. J.I. Elaigwu, Amb. Eqeviome Eloho Etobo, Prof. John Adair, Dianne Abbott MP, Prof. O. Nnoli, Prof. Festus Iyayi, Sen (Prof) O. Osunbor, Aminu Bello Masari, Mr. Jean- Paul, Ms Kim Phan, Mr. Dotun Ajayi, Dr. Bello Ghaji, Rt. Hon. Margaret Nantongo Zziwa, Ghali Umar Na’abba, Prof. Donald Cunnigen, Ade Mamonyane Lekoeje and Mrs. Saudatu Mahadi. At the end of the conference, it was generally agreed by the participants that the following were the challenges confronting emerging democracies: deep rooted corruption within the body polity, lack of internal democracy in governance institutions, weak financial capacity of state institutions, burgeoning youth population without access to employment, recurring conflicts resulting from ethnic, religious and political tensions and inconsistent and often duplicative job creation policies. Others are weak oversight role of parliaments over the executive, violation of Okonjo-Iweala human rights, endemic poverty, weak educational and technological base, infrastructure deficit which serve as disincentive to investment, lack of clear and effective policies on political party funding, poor leadership and often recurring conflict between the executive and the legislature. Consequently, the conference recognised the following opportunities of emerging democracies in Africa, general commitment to democratic development as demonstrated in various peaceful transitions across the continent, growing intra-African investment, untapped human and natural resources, increasing integration as evidenced by mutual support during crisis, well informed citizens with expanded and ever-increasing access to information and increasingly assertive media, civil society and judiciary. A communiqué issued at the end of the conference noted that the participants recognised the need to strengthen the institutions of democracy such as the judiciary, the legislature, security services, the electoral machinery and free press, as prerequisites for sustainable development in Africa. In the same vein, the participants confirmed that despite the pitfalls of democracy, it remains the best option of governance open to Africa, and therefore urge Africans to deepen democratic processes within the context of national systems and structures. The communiqué said the participants applauded African countries that have embarked on successful democratic reforms, while noting the prevailing need for sustained efforts to address recurrent pockets of instability and poor governance in the region. Finally, the participants urged governments to link democratic governance with the provision of basic needs of citizens, and thus ensure that democracy yields maximum dividends by combating corruption and promoting equitable, transparent, stable, inclusive and accountable governance.
Posted on: Tue, 25 Jun 2013 07:40:27 +0000
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