Responsible Western Foreign Policy for Democracy in Africa
Special focus on notorious regimes of President Yahya Jammeh and Robert Mugabe
By: - Abdoukarim Sanneh
The British Prime Minister stance not to share the same summit atmosphere with the evil regime of Robert Mugabe at EU/Africa gathering in some few weeks time in Portugal, is the show case example of responsible foreign policy. This should be extended to other Africans with autocratic and dictatorial regimes like Yahya Jammeh of Gambia, Paul Biya of Cameroon, Alasan Conte of Guinea Conakry, etc, etc…
It is almost centuries after what Noam Chomsky called year 501 and also two hundred years since the abolition of slavery. It is the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus which led to the birth of capitalism. Even with the fact that writers of capitalist economic outlook have humanist feelings in the process, Chomsky with his radical view stated that year 501 was the beginning of present forms of modern dehumanisation such as slavery, colonialism, neo-colonialism, lack of democracy, and human rights violation in the world. In the life time of Chomsky I hope he will also witness autocratic and dictatorial regimes using Pan Africanism in racist and outdated fashion of African liberation while subjecting their citizens to despotism against the universal value of human rights declaration claims. Western democracies need to take a more responsible foreign policy towards notorious regimes, be it in Burma, Zimbabwe, Gambia and the like, than looking into preferential
foreign treatment in areas called Western values -- that is free speech, freedom of association, human rights and so on.
Freedom and all the liberal values of democracy are universal for all the people of the planet. The struggle for restoration of democracy in many small nations like Gambia has been neglected or overshadowed by Western media focus on Zimbabwe. It is time for these governments and their corporate media to realise that failed nations like Gambia and Zimbabwe are a magnet or a replica for all forms of extremism, be it sectarian or not, but most of which have no regard for civil liberty. Finance for these regimes on bilateral, unilateral and multilateral agreements through development aid or cooperation ends up in private bank accounts. Demagogic leaders use such funds to undermine the spread of democracy and civil liberties and fostering human rights violation or crimes against humanity. A show case example of this is Taiwan’s Cheque book diplomacy in the Gambia under Yahya Jammeh.
For the Gambian situation, in many instance apart from United States Government which comes with annual State Department report about human rights situation as part of its development partnership with developing countries to determine its development aid initiatives such Millennium Development Fund based on ethical issues attach conditions for access to funds, is a litmus test to spread democracy and human rights. I have seen nothing wrong with Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s stand not to share the same summit environment with Robert Mugabe and I hope European Union through Lome Conventional agreement will extend the same principle to quasi- democratic and despotic regimes in ACP countries.UK stance should be extended by EU Government to other African dictators. By tolerating to sit in the same table with Mugabe and Yahya Jammeh, gives suggestion that they are condoning human rights abuse in Africa, the poverty and degradation of our people and the unacceptable behaviour of
our leaders.
It is unfortunate that United Kingdom Government with its proclaimed ethical foreign policy under labour government has neglected Gambian struggle for democracy while concentrating more efforts and resources on Zimbabwe as if it is the only country in the Common Wealth engulfed in a dictatorship. UK government failed to realise that people in the Gambia have another Mugabe; brutal, mad, corrupt, and manipulative and has blood on his hands likewise Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe. The only difference between the Gambia and Zimbabwe is that the former does not have white farmers and secondly it is not a strategic interest of the Western based market driven neoliberal economic foreign policy. The similarity is that the modus operatus of the regimes in question are the same. There are extra judicial killings, detentions without trial, riggings of election, violation of court orders, support and financing of militia groups, demolition of human settlements, murder and torture of
opponents, corruption and other economic crimes…
With both Governments signing the Harare Declaration as members of the Commonwealth, the basic fundamentals of which is observance of rule of law, democracy and good governance, I wander why the struggle for restoration of democracy in Gambia is not given the same priority like that of Zimbabwe. Where is the ethical foreign policy which New Labour government under Blair and now Brown has been preaching to enhance the spread of democracy and development in Africa? Few years ago many Gambians feel let down by UK Government after restoring military and security aid to the APRC Government without proper risk assessment of its implications of such decision to efforts for democratisation and human rights.
A small country like Gambia has well documented cases regarding erosion of human rights from 1994 till today. Among them are the killings of Former Finance Minister Ousman Koro Ceesay, Journalist Deyda Hydara, Omar Barrow, Former MP Foday Makalo, Former NIA Director General Daba Marena, 12 student demonstrators, and a countable number of security personnel.
Looking into past and recent crimes and the rigging of the past two elections, with issuing of voter cards to Non-Gambians, and also lack of level playing field by denying opposition parties access to National Radio and Television, in order to restore viable democracy and rule of law in that country, Western Democracies need to come with responsible foreign policy engagement to catalyze democratisation. Refinancing autocratic regimes through foreign aid, which does not filter to poor and marginalise citizens, is unethical and irresponsible. It is a fact that it is only Gambian people who can effect a political change but it is also a moral responsibility for Western democracies to act in a manner that will enhance peace and social justice through diplomatic advocacy.
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