Culled from The Daily Observer
Beran
US Democrat takes African leaders to task
by Ibrahim JT Brown
A two-day conference by the US-based Alliance for Democracy in Africa began
at the Senegambia Beach Hotel Wednesday afternoon.
In his address, the National Endowment for Democracy, director for Africa
Programme, Mr Dave Peterson, said "African democratically elected leaders,
such as Charles Taylor behave very repressively, and many others such as
Lansana Conteh of Guinea, Sassou Nguesso of Congo-Brazaville or Idris Deby
of Chad, maintain only a pretence of democracy, holding sham elections and
repressing serious dissent."
He also pointed to what he termed common cases of flawed democracies such as
Nigeria and Sierra Leone, where the political class indulge in corrupt, and
sometime violent behaviour, to gain or maintain power, and proceed to govern
poorly and corruptly once in control. He said he had noticed that the
situation on the ground was far from stagnant. "Certainly democracy is not
inevitable or automatic. Nor is economic development, for that matter," he
said.
institutions, holding free and fair elections, and finding enlightened
leaders. Rather, it required conscious efforts by individuals, almost always
organised in civil society, to push the process forward, to demand change,
to raise awareness, to protest wrongs and assert rights and freedom. "If
such efforts are absent or repressed, then democratic transition is
unlikely," adding that if consumers, farmers, workers and businessmen do not
demand economic freedom and strive to protect it, then state control,
inefficiency, corruption and economic decline, were the likely outcomes.
Democracy, he said, should provide the political space for individuals to
assert their economic rights free from fear of state control and corruption.
Peterson observed that in Nigeria, the political class is generally a
disappointing lot, prone to corruption and scheming, and in the opinion of
most Nigerians, not very effective at delivering results in the form of
economic development. In the Niger Delta region of the country, recent local
government elections within the People's Democratic Party -PDP- were marred
by considerable violence and thuggery. "Most of the politicians are
hold-overs from the military dictatorship," with the former military
dictator Ibrahim Babangida assumed to have bankrolled most of the political
parties.
Mr Peterson further said that Liberia presents a grim picture. He said an
armed rebel movement is creating insecurity and forcing tens of thousands of
refugees and internally displaced persons to flee for their lives. President
Charles Taylor has reverted to his warlord style of governance using his
indisciplined security forces to arrest people and abuse human rights
activists and journalists, and terrorising ordinary citizens.
He said the political parties are weak, and most of the opposition leaders
have fled into exile. "The International Community has imposed sanctions on
Liberia and the economy is in shambles. Liberia might be another hopeless,
failed state, but it is not because of the civil society," he said.
Sierra Leone presents a much more optimistic scenario after one of the
world's most gruesome conflicts.
"In Guinea, by contrast, one cannot help but associate the authoritarian
character of the state with the weakness of civil society," said Mr
Peterson.
"There is no sign of a democratic transition --- and the economy in Guinea
is evidently mired in corruption" while Liberia is clearly a disaster.
Democracy, Mr. Peterson said, might bring greater transparency and reduce
state intervention and the accompanying corruption that has plagued much of
Africa.
The conference being hosted by the Alliance for Democracy in Africa, at the
Senegambia Beach Hotel ended Wednesday, August 7.
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