Dear G-L,

     I have been following the debates unfolding on this forum and found
     most of them to be very interesting and educative.

     People have been yearning for democracy for so long but in the end
     democracy has been used to perpetuated power and embezelled public
     funds by a few over the sufferings of the majority.

     The problem in africa is not democracy but CONSTITUTIONS. We must have
     a constitution made by the people and for the people. For
     constitutions are documents that set out the rules and regulations of
     any country and put a limit to excessive abuse of offices. America
     succeeded to be democratic because of respect for the constitution
     which puts a limit to the three powers of government.

     African leaders are afraid of rewriting their constitutions by going
     to the people because they feel that they would loose some of their
     powers as enshrined in their constitutions. This is the case now in
     Kenya and Zimbabwe.

     A good constitution accepted by all is certainly the best solution to
     africa's problems. Constitutions are as undemocratic as democracy, if
     they are not in the interest of the majority for which it is meant to
     serve.

     In fact, definitions are interpretations and expression according to
     which the word defined is understood by author. The word democracy as
     we are taught is been defined by the Greeks to mean in short
     government of the people, for the people and by the people. But the
     question now arises, what makes a government of the people, for the
     people and by the people? In my opinion is to have a constitution that
     guaranttee equal rights for both the government and the governed.

     What do you think?

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