PROMOTING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT THROUGH DEMOCRACY
By Che Didian Anye (PEN NAME: SPORO)
SUMMARY
Today the world faces many problems like global warming, poverty in africa, terrorism, HIV/IADS, malaria and many others.All these problems are linked to Africa in some way or the other.That is why we think that for the world to at peace the African continent needs to be regarded as important as otehr continents. In this article we shall see that when democracy is mess-up, development is mess-up.The resuld of all these is voilent conflcist and wars.Sustainable development can only be sure when the principles of democracy are strickly follwed.
INTRODUCTION
‘Democracy is the worst form of government except all the other forms which have been tried from time-time.’ Winston Churchill.
Democracy is a word used to explain the types and methods of governing. It is the most dynamic experiment in politics in this new era, which must go with creativity, discussion and general acceptance. Democracy becomes aggressive when it is not generally accepted no matter the noble objectives of the government, modern civilization will not permit a government were the people rights are forcefully abused because of democratization.
According to Abraham Lincoln democracy ‘is the government of the people by the people and for the people.’ Joseph Proudhon put the term democracy in this way; “is a fictive word which signifies love of the people, love of the children not government of the people’. Democracy, which puts the interest of the people and the children and which is based on love because autocratic and dictatorial when outsiders govern these same people. There is no democracy without a government except in a case where political powers are given to civil society organizations which also could be a fictive’
Moussovinni believed that” democracy is a regime nominally without a king but is ruled by many kings more absolute, tyrannical and ruinous than a sole king even though a tyrant”
With all these definitions of democracy, many are made to understand that democracy is the best form of government, which can exist anywhere in the world. Many governments have democracy, they use democracy, others do not even have democracy, some have democracy, and pretend to practice democracy while some prefers to practice democracy aggressively living behind no opportunity for democracy to be fully implanted. This is where most African states belong and some world leaders. It is very difficult to analyze objectively African political process without looking at the peoples participation in politics nationally and internationally, the roles of the political parties and its leaders, the role of the press, and so on and so forth. Have these groups contributed in developing the continent or in destroying it. Development of the African countries is assured when these groups and the civil society is actively involed in the democratization of the African continent. This is were
the continent can conveniently move from developing to developed and from develop to perfect industrialization. In Africa you would find leaders who take the risk, that is the difference between rights and wrong, the gift of aggression, the power of being in a littler way a king, and as long as they know and practice this type of democracy, they will dictate not only in their countries but where ever there are weak classes of people. Some forget about their domestic affairs only to chase and threaten the peaceful atmosphere, which exists in the neighboring countries and in other far off countries. Therefore, abusing the gift of aggression. Those who suffer from this aggression unfortunately are reduced to a confused majority. In such countries the dream of a better tomorrow by these people changes first from emotional, then to impatience, then to frustration and then finally they are angered.
Indeed, if you will really want to know what God thinks about these dictators, just turn around and look at the faces of those who suffer from their own democracy in one time Zaire (presently the Democratic Republic of Congo) , Ivory Coast, Liberia, Somalia and Iraq and the list continues in other parts of the world where there are dictators.
African leaders need to detach themselves from being invective to the nitty-gritty. They have to face the realities in their countries. Africans have to see Africa through the eyes of their leaders and the world through the eyes of world leaders. I strongly believe that a leader who draws a line between God and man is nothing but a dictator. God the author of man and the creator of heaven and earth who knows all the thought of men should e able to inspire these leaders by the Christian doctrine and leadership. And most often these leaders hate to be called dictators and prefer a more Christian name...democrats…but they continue to be the world on top of the world. The sole reason that there are millions of Africans who still feed from the left-over of the rich countries shows that Africa still a long way to go to be self-sustainable in their livelihoods. African leaders should use this as a measuring rod to know how well God has inspired them and how well they have done the
assignments God gave them. The leaders of this world have the responsibilities to save these poor souls. The world, which is the eye of God, is watching as they lead and the number of lives they saved or killed innocently will judge these abusers of state power and human rights. They African leaders will be making fool of themselves if they spend money to buy war ammunitions to import into their countries. They will be inviting war and more hunger into a land where even trees have grown pale under the watchful eyes of frustrated animals. These African leaders must not learn from totalitarians and absolutists that have existed in the world. Totalitarians like Hitler in their time, were masters of their imaginations but slaves to their memories. One time American secretary of State Magdeleine Albright said in her speech to NATO forces to emphasized the importance of history, ‘we must learn from history not repeat it, and we must never forget that the destinies of Europe and
America are inseparable.’ Taking from this statement we will, of course be made to understand that the destinies of Africa is in the hands of Africans themselves and in the friends they make. Others are making good collective decision-making and collective action. Where then does democracy come in play in a divide people living in a divided world? Does democracy and totalitarianism match together successively. The respond is a total no. In the case of Africa where totalitarians have reduced the continent to a poverty line where some people cannot effort a days food. Poverty has confused the African youths population. These youths ‘yesterday’ where chasing their colonial masters away using many harsh ways. These same youths ‘today’ because of poverty they are migrating legally and illegally to the actual houses of these colonial masters as if they are asking for forgiveness in return for protection, food, clothing and shelter in a process I call ‘auto-recolonisation.’ It is
time to make new and real friends in the midst of this political confusion, which threatens world peace.
Indeed, the individual is supreme and any good leader should learn to love the individuals who make up the state. In Africa most of the cultures show and emphasizes the love of the individual and promote love and friendship. Africans should not go against their cultures and follow the Western way of doing things. Africans have their own ways of doing things. If Africans should learn from these Western cultures, like learning how some great leaders in the Western countries have succeeded in implanted fruitful democracy because of their love for the individual as we can see from this discussion of Mother Theresa; ‘I have found the paradox that if I love until it hurts, then there is no hurt but only more love. As I held and fed a morsel of life that was an aborted baby, as I held the hand of a man dying from cancer and felt his trust and gratitude, I could feel and touch God’s love which has existed from the beginning.”
These are a perfect example of a leader who emphasized the love for the individual and care for the poor. There can hardly be any successful democratization process without love for the individual. To love is divine and these goes with creativity at all levels.
To learn again from history, African leaders should take from the example of a statement written by Whitman: ‘And I know that the hand of God is the elder hand of my own, and I know that the spirit of God is the eldest brother of my own and that all men ever born are also my brothers, and the women my sisters and lovers and that the foundation of creation is love.’
These were Western leaders, who have succeeded amongst others like Martin Luther King Jr., Mahamat Ghandi, Nelson Mandela, Julius Nyerere, Krumah, Kennedy, and Bill Clinton just because of their love for mankind which they relate to the people they were called to lead. There are others who my hold that because dictators had existed and done good in the absence of democracy means their era in which democracy was still not known also constitutes an important part of history, which must be learnt from. I believe other leaders may have succeeded in politics but using harsh means and neglecting the love of the individual as we see from this statement taken from Willian L.Shirer’s book on Ghandi memoir, ‘ I would see Hitler wildly acclaimed by a mass of 2.000.000 Germans at the Nuremberg party Rally. But that meeting was staged, the audience captives.
The great crowds all over India that came on their own to hail Ghandi were unorganized and therefore sometimes disorderly, milling about in their excitement at merely being in the presence of the Mahama. The Germans I saw in nazi times were deeply moved by the masterful oratory of Hitler.Ghandi was not an orator, he scarcely raised his voice and made no gestures.’ Therefore, in a situation were there is love and hate love always triumph because love brings happiness. You cannot be happy or make others happy by hating many people because of their race, language, religion, dance, dressing habit or government types.
What is the role-played by political parties in politics in Africa ? Do they help shape or destroy in a broader sense the political process. Do they help in the promotion of democracy or in the extinction of democracy? And to be replaced by what? Most people particularly NGO managers and some opposion leaders hold that political parties in Africa are experiencing a decline, which is terminal and that in Africa one does not need to belong to a political party to succeed in politics. These are the proponents who believe that these people who establish a closer link with the masses and emphasize the love for the individual and emphasized the supreme authority of the man who is God. They hold that governments in Africa could function using its resources and structures effectively in contemporary circumstances without political parties. For example, in Cameroon between the period of 1945 to 1960, Cameroon was characterized by rapid economic, social and increasing political
development because of multiparty politic which was practiced in Cameroon and which hardly was existing in other African countries. There were hardly any NGOs at that time but foreign companies. Political parties at that time under late president Ahidjo were switching to the government side in order to enjoy some benefits of independence and finally late Ahidjo succeeded in creating a one-party Cameroon in 1966 by forming the Union Nationale Camerounaise (UNC) which involved parties both from the French part and the English part of the country. Many other African countries were experiencing these same changes were opposition parties were moving to the side parties who had political power. Ahidjo succeeded to introduce multiparty politics in Cameroon under the UNC until 1982 when his successor Paul Biya took over and changed the UNC into the Cameroon Peoples Democratic Movement (CPDM) in 1984 in Bamenda , North West of Cameroon . Cameroon since then has experience a one-party
system in which the country developed both in the social sphere, economic sphere and political sphere until in 1990 which brought in another ‘wind of change’ in the country with the creation of the Social Democratic Front (SDF) and other political parties like the UNDP. Cameroon in 2001 have exactly 164 political parties with only two or three which are very active and of course with the ruling party having no clear opponent out of the number of parties and even those in the parliament.
Since then Cameroon and other African countries have witnessed the rise of many false prophets in the name of opposition leaders. They are confused; the people are being suffocated in the political air that reigns in the continent. They hear that their leaders have this or that programs of action but they do not see democratic touch or feeling or experience. The peoples opinion are neglected in elections and even in the NGOs and worse still, some go further to violating the rights of opinion of these people and these Non-Governmental Organization. During elections these politicians come with unfulfilled promises. They make the people believe power to be a relationship with slogans like’ man of the people’ the peoples party’,’ power to the people’, ‘equal opportunities’, ‘the right choice’, ‘unity-development-progress,’etc. they capture the admiration of the electorate. Once voted, these leaders see political power as an entity and must belong to the king whose the sole ruler
of the land and must have to do whatever he pleases to whomever he pleases. Their programs of action are nothing less or more than market list with priorities listed on it following the economic principle of opportunity cost. Everything has been designed to serve the politicians than to serve the people. Indeed, the masses are the real cost forgone.
Some of these political sycophants even go as far as to say ‘in politics only the strong survive’…. I believe this statement was meant to encourage individuals to work harder for success if they are to survive in a world were many people do not have food, cloth, shelter and a majority are exposed to health hazards while a majority of these sycophants forcefully enjoy a luxurious lifestyle uncommon to other great leaders of ‘yesterday’ and of ‘today’. Indeed, if ever any statement has been illegitimately dealt with, this one has. By almost universal consent, politicians have turned from the real meaning and made it to mean what it does not say, just to justify their gerrymandering and stomach politics. But these are uncommon to some political leaders and NGO managers in the African continent as descent as they are working for the common good for their people and making friends.
Indeed, opposition parties exist to check government in power, challenge them and share political power in all the arm of government, the executive, judiciary and legislative in an African context. The African continent unfortunately have so many opposition parties which hardly aim at controlling political; power which is the goal of all political parties in the world. Unfortunately, some use the means available to announce their presence. They oppose everything they hear or see about the government without any justification or alternative. Increasingly, this seems the smoothest or clearest definition of an opposition party in Africa today. Oppose everything!!!….They oppose even achievements. They forget to know that for any objective [politician, whether an opposition leader or a member of government like ministers his/her goal should be to move the country forward and make the economy of the country stronger or strongest in his own way to other countries in their community
of states. Again, these leaders should know that for any intellect6ual or scholar, whose zenith is achievement, love for the people is supreme and he/she must also love the efforts, which he/she must apply to achieve this noble objectives. These opposition leaders instead of spending time promising a healthy and wealthy ‘tomorrow’ for all the masses, when the health and wealth of ‘today’ is even worse than it were ‘ yesterday’, they have the obligation to see how they can join efforts to improve the living standards of the masses. I believe that a politician who controls his political enemy only exercises power; to control his economy is to have power in abundance. Those who have power in abundance can influence political decisions by determining to exercise power or to chose those who can best exercise political power and most often this is done democratically as is in some civilized societies like the United States of America and Great Britain . In these countries political
power is seen as a means of satisfying the masses who voted them into office, Political power is not an end, it is what that power does to the powerless. If political power is a means, then power and sharing are opposed to each other. Political power should force us to consider the needs of others, postponing or giving up selfish desires. Of course, it can be seen that these very so-called big politicians whose only desire is to get rich as quickly as possible are always frustrated if election results turn out in their disfavor. Some go back to their villages to carry on family responsibilities during that period of holidays, some remain to keep opposing the government achievements, and the most objective remain to see how they can ideas with those who control political power. Indeed, I strongly believe that political victory should not only be at the expense of someone be him an active politician or an observer. For not all-political victory should result to another’s
defeat. Where there is true patriotism and democracy the victory of one party or leader is the happiness of the other. This is what obtains in USA and Europe as Henry Ford puts it, ‘failure is the opportunity to begin again, more intelligently.’ Those politicians who spend precious time criticizing those who hold political power are always the first to join the government’s side with no clear agenda. They hold further that in politics crossing carpets is just an exhibition of ones professionalism of the game. I believe that these politicians have the freedom to change parties but they cannot change themselves. I believe an opposition party can be trusted while still in the ‘cold’ or without political power. Because they are in the opposing side they make themselves to be righteous, the peaceful ones and the best. They must learn how to work together not only with those who hold political power but with other Non-governmental Organizations.
African leaders who hold political power on their part should be ready to work with the masses, and the opposition leaders in forming coalition governments and making sure that the press obtains its own liberty to speak and write.freely. For any government no matter the type to meets its objectives there must be a free flow of information within the country. I believe that any leader who wants to know what filters in his country from the boarders, within the palace where he recedes should first observe and respect the rights of free flow of information. For Africans are living through the terrible experience of the treats treats ton their small freedoms and individual liberties even at the level of ‘njangi’ houses. Every human being created by God is the sole owner of his or her rights, which the state must protect as stated in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948 and in the African Banjul Charter of 1986. To protect is not to restrict, hence they
must have the plenary powers to use this liberties as they please, which I am convince make living an essence. There is no democracy without peoples right to live and enjoy living. If the state is coming in to restrict these rights it should be for the benefit of the general and not the particular aggressive individuals and dictators. The liberty of the press is also one of the remedies for the political cramp of any society. But where the press sky-jumps its functions of informing, and landing on the floor of persuading in a style equal to them, the result is that the society suffers from a political pandemic. Paul Biya Mbi Nvodo of Cameroon is on record when he said in his Millennium speech to the world that, ‘ Criticism is necessary because it is a factor of progress.’ He stressed that criticism should be just and founded for as he continued, ‘ we do not lack givers of lessons.’ Whatever that means, the lesson should not be to cause more harm than good as is common with
African leaders who control the military at the detriment of their people and democracy. Democracy should not frighten objective journalism. Indeed, Journalists, reporters and those in the print media are needed at all time for an effective democraticisation process particularly in Africa where their democracy is still in the stage of consolidation and in other parts of the world like Middle East where a new kind of democracy is refusing to be born. Come to think of what usually happens during presidential elections in African states the journalist and other independent individuals and organizations can help to inform the world what really was the level of democratization. How consolidating or advance is the level of democracy all depends on how the rights of the masses are protected. Africa is seen as a place where politicians all over the world need to visit at least once in a year to learn new models and theories of election fraud. In most African countries they actually
exist ‘three round’ voting system though not evident. For example, during presidential elections the first round some political opponents are eliminated prematurely using the judiciary, which have to be independent…. During the ‘second round’ those who are left compete with the incumbent do not even have the finance to sponsor political campaigns and their focus is on ministerial positions. Without efficient state sponsoring these opponents graciously accept any verdict at any price…. The ‘third round’ is a myth. A drama acted by the incumbent who always remains successful with his absolute majority. These leaders forget to know that sometimes in life to be the best winner ‘tomorrow’ you must be willing to be the bet loser ‘today.’
While in developed countries, justice is obtain from uncountable legal agencies which protect the rights of the individual’s no matter their family history in Africa justice is got from offices of prominent political figure sadly at the expense of justice. Here you see that freedom is awarded and rewarded to those who are considered ‘ good supporters’ of the incumbent, some rewarded and awarded sluggishly to not so good supporters and of course no reward or award to the bad supporters of the incumbents allowing some noble freedom promoters to fight democratically for freedoms at all levels alone. A shame to democracy in this era.
This problem of electoral fraud put the credibility of constitutions of these countries in question. Are they good? For I believe that a good constitution should not only give the so called ‘big supporters’ of the incumbent the right to do many different thing at many different times but should also specify simply and clearly things which limit their ‘bigness’, I mean those things which these politicians should not do at all. These put the interest of the masses first. That is what obtains in some developed countries and these countries stand a better chance to be perfectly industrialized while these poor countries keep on retarding development and their development. When the right people decide the constitution of their people, their people, majority shall feel protected because of the confidence built in these particular people. This is like a constitutional election which most people know but are trying to avoid. For example, during elections they come up with a programme
of action. They debate on them and disagree about what is good for their people in the long run but they are always able and willing to agree on what is good for their masses for the moment. At the end their programme of action is generally accepted. Thus we see that tension is reduced in the system. Even after the election the losing party or political leader knows that he or she will get another chance in the next election but unfortunately in Africa , the loser either joins the existing dynasty or goes on retirement, for any post-election law only comes to strengthen the prince’s power and tenure in office. They always will remain rhetoric’s; they will make laws and will never allow them play. They appoint their mates today in government positions and disappoint them tomorrow with dismissal in case of divergence of ideas however good they may be. For once they are in the soft chair in the presidential mansion, powers remain sweet. And no matter what the neighbors or
advisers may want to say is just seen by the prince as a group of jealous snoopers who will not want to eat their own pie quietly. When the chair becomes very hot the king seeing that he can be touched, takes refuge only into the once jealous neighbors land and of course shamefully disturbing the peacefulness and quietness of that leadership who had wanted to help by preaching the gospel of peace and tolerance to no avail. There in a foreign land, some unfortunately die and are buried there.
However, to be a democrat does not only mean that the will of the masses should prevail. C certainly every one of us has felt in some time that a policy, which does not enjoy popular support now, could be of such great benefit that people would certainly approve of it once it was in effect. This is when creative democracy comes into play. It is a polite way of saying that the masses though with inalienable rights must be persuaded to believe and to belong into things and actions that they do not really want now but will like once they get them. In Africa where there is political ignorance creative democracy is an option to hypocrisy, sycophancy, demagogy which all encourages aggressive democracy.
CHE DIDIAN ANYE
ADMISTRATIVE DELEGATE/BOARD CHAIRMAN
COPPREA NGO
P.O.BOX.877.LIMBE
FAKO DIVISION
SOUTH WEST PROVINCE
CAMEROON
TEL:+237-75148010
FAX:+237-33332938
E-MAIL:sporoche@yahoo.co.uk
Website:www.freetocharities.org.uk/copprea
