It has been a while since I have commented on politics in Africa beyond the borders of the federal republic. In the early days of this blog, I did make a couple of comments on Madagascar and one on Angola.
I was tempted to comment after the initial reaction of African governments and the African Union to the overthrow of Madagascar's Ravalomanana administration and its replacement with the Rajoelina adminitration, but decided not to. Too many interesting things happening in Nigeria.
But this article in The East African reminded me once more of something I have wanted to say for a while now. The article discusses efforts by Uganda, to get the United Nations Security Council to condemn "the resurgence of coups in Africa". Uganda is seemingly one of three African non-permament members on the Security Council, and their push for this resolution against coups was backed by the two other African non-permanent UNSC members, Libya and Burkina Faso.
Look at that list.
Uganda, Libya and Burkina Faso.
Three countries where the ruling political forces REFUSE to allow anyone else to DEMOCRATICALLY challenge for power. Three countries where the political leadership will use the power of the state as well as the blunt force of thuggery, violence and intimidation to crush any attempt at DEMOCRATIC CHANGE OF GOVERNMENT. They refuse to let democracy happen. Refuse to let the people choose the leadership. Impose themselves on their countries whether the citizens want them or not.
And then complain about coups.
Are you kidding me?
For the record ..... I DO NOT SUPPORT COUPS. In Africa, coups are no different from rigged elections. The winners and losers are exactly the same, govern the same way, and pursue the same policies. The quarrel among themselves, sometimes kill themselves and other times get we the people to kill each other on their behalf, but either way the outcomes of coups and "elections" are to replace one man with another man where both men are the same (except for their names, faces and sometimes ethnicities) and where the polital, social and economic system remains unchanged.
But that is not the point.
Take Madagascar for example. There was a lot of criticism of the Andriy Rajoelina regime from the African Union, and from some of those powerful governments outside Africa that call themselves "the international community". They all said that Rajoelina's putsch was a blow to Madagascar democracy. But what "democracy" are they talking about? The man they are trying to restore to office, Marc Ravalomanana came into office EXACTLY THE SAME WAY AS RAJOELINA.
Marc Ravalomanana was the Mayor of Antananarivo, and a man of relatively great personal wealth (in a poor country like Madagascar) and he led street protests in the capital city that eventually toppled the Didier Ratsiraka administration, after Ratsiraka refused to allow for the possibility of democratic change of government. A few years later, the coin flipped, and it was Andriy Rajelina, also Mayor of Antananarivo, also a man of relatively great wealth (in a poor country like Madagascar) who led street protests that brought down Ravalomanana! This is how they change governments in Madagascar, abi?
In Guinea, soldiers seized control of the government after the death of erstwhile President Lansana Conte. Again there were cries of democracy being harmed by a coup, and again I ask, what democracy? There was no democracy under Sekou Toure, and none under Lansana Conte, either. Supposedly the constitution called for power to transfer to the head of the Guinean National Assembly, but this man (and the rest of the Assembly) are the same people responsible for the lack of democracy to begin with, so why would anyone expect them to reform the system?
Guinea is in the trap Cote d'Ivoire has been struggling to escape ever since the death of Le Vieux, Felix Houphouet-Boigny. There was no democracy under Boigny, who (whatever else they say about him) was an authoritarian autocrat. Frankly, he was a dictator, albeit pursuing policies that raised the national income. The problem after his death, was ALL of his potential successors were men-of-the-system (much like the politicians in Guinea), who wanted the system to continue, except with themselves enjoying the unchecked, unquestioned power that Boigny had wielded. And I am NOT saying Guinea's soldiers are the solution to the dilemma, because their Ivoirien military counterparts (most notably the late General Robert Guei, but others as well) were just as keen on continuing the system, but with themselves atop it.
Which brings me to the point I want to make. What we need in Africa is a fight FOR DEMOCRACY. That is all we need. Until we have democracy, real and substantive, all other considerations are unimportant. There is no point to taking a position on unconstitutional changes of government if there is no democracy to defend.
If you declare coups to be unacceptable in countries where coup is the only way to change the government, then you are effectively declaring your support for life-Presidents -- like Uganda's Museveni, Burkina Faso's Campaore, and Libya's Ghadhafi.
On the other hand, if you declare coups to be appropriate in countries that have no democracy, you are effectively declaring your support for life-Presidents -- like Museveni, Campaore and Ghadhafi, who all came to power through coups.
If there is no democracy, then there is nothing to fight for or to fight against. I would go so far as to argue that citizens of African countries NEVER rise up to defend a sitting government against a coup, because they never wanted that sitting government in the first place. Mind you, they don't want the new government either, so they just adopt a hands-off apathy toward the outgowing and incoming administrations, which in and of itself is a problem, because no government's policies (no matter how wise and sensible) will succeed if the people are basically uninvolved, disinterested and apathetic.
To make a long story short, if these African presidents are so opposed to coups, maybe they should deliver some real democracy first.
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