---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: "John Ashworth" <[email protected]> Date: 15 Jun 2015 07:24 Subject: [sudans-john-ashworth] Sitting in Antwerp, saving Africa To: "Group" <[email protected]> Cc:
Sitting in Antwerp, saving Africa... I want a job like that too! By Frederick Golooba-Mutebi The EastAfrican Posted Saturday, June 13 2015 at 13:51 As countries in the Great Lakes region and its neighbourhood prepare for elections that will renew or end the mandates of sitting presidents, and as internal debates over who should or should not be candidates intensify, some foreign actors have also decisively entered the fray in disturbing ways. It is not only governments in far-flung places or their local representatives that are opposing, querying, or warning about this or that process in this or that country. Advocacy groups with headquarters in the same places are also pronouncing themselves on what they dislike about what is going on in whatever country they choose to scrutinise. Media outlets, too, some relying on individuals who buzz in and out like bees, others on experts with dated expertise and others on self-promoting activists of this or that kind, are churning out reports purporting to explain what which leader is up to, and offering speculative interpretations of what he would have meant when he made which statement. Dire predictions are being made and warnings issues about future prospects should sitting governments not respect this or that law or process. Recently someone sent me a copy of an open letter from a young European researcher who counts “political transitions, power sharing and post-conflict state-building” among his areas of interest, to a European diplomat in a regional capital. He was berating him for stating that whatever happens in the country where he is currently based in terms of whom the people there choose as president, is not his business, but that of its citizens. The contents of the letter suggest that the researcher would have preferred that the diplomat condemn what he is convinced, goodness knows on what basis, is going to be a flawed process. He was writing from faraway Antwerp in Belgium. It is hardly far-fetched to surmise he knows much less than the diplomat about what is happening inside the country in question. In my experience, this particular diplomat is one of the most thoughtful, measured, and knowledgeable I have met. He never forgets the history and evolution of his own country and that of Europe at large whenever he analyses situations in Africa. Social media, too, is bursting with “expert” views, some coming from individuals whose “Africa expertise” derives from spending a few weeks or months “travelling” or volunteering for this or that humanitarian organisation. These are the kinds of people who will repeat mantras such as “Africa needs strong institutions, not strong men,” or “terms limits are good for democracy and good governance,” and that removing them from a constitution, whatever the method used presumably, “is inconsistent with democratic principles.” Strong institutions are good for every country, of course. Those who repeat Barack Obama’s mantra of “strong institutions, not strong men,” however, fall short of outlining how the said institutions come into being. Certainly they do not fall from heaven. Nor are they switched on like light bulbs. If anything, world history shows that strong institutions have usually been the creations of strong men. A robust debate is required as to whether Africa, with its notoriously weak institutions, can or should be an exception, and what that would imply in practical terms. Certainly, presidential term limits are good for democracy. However, democracy is possible without them. It all depends on context. Which is why holding them up as a pre-condition for democracy to thrive, is nonsense. One thing that has struck me in all the warnings, condemnations and finger wagging is the absence of commentary or pressure coming from outside Western Europe and the United States of America. It makes one wonder: Why do Western actors feel it is their place to get involved? It is tempting to think that it is about rich countries, emboldened by their wealth, throwing their weight around. That, however, would be a little too simple. Wealthy, and in some cases wealthier, non-Western countries are keeping their views to themselves. Japan, South Korea, Russia, and China, are conspicuously quiet. So are their nationals, whatever “Africa expertise” they may feel they possess. One could also imagine that it is about mature democracies offering lessons, that non-Western dictatorships cannot begin to wag fingers at anyone about democracy and things such as “good governance.” Again, neither Japan nor South Korea, nor even India, feature among the countries usually labelled “dictatorships.” So why are they saying nothing? This staking out of positions publicly by Western actors on issues in Africa that in their own countries would be considered purely internal, and the reluctance by even influential non-Western counterparts to be heard is worth reflecting on. And so is the fact that those that won’t venture opinions have been adept at picking and choosing which aspects of Western evolution to appropriate for their own purposes, and which to reject. Frederick Golooba-Mutebi is a Kampala- and Kigali-based researcher and writer on politics and public affairs. E-mail: [email protected] http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/OpEd/comment/Sitting-in-Antwerp--saving-Africa/-/434750/2750474/-/gxnwdwz/-/index.html END ______________________ John Ashworth Sudan, South Sudan Advisor [email protected] +254 725 926 297 (Kenya mobile) +211 919 695 362 (South Sudan mobile) +27 79 832 8834 (South Africa mobile) +44 750 364 2508 (UK/international) +88 216 4334 0735 (Thuraya satphone) PO Box 52662 - 00100, Nairobi, Kenya This is a personal e-mail address and the contents do not necessarily reflect the views of any organisation -- -- The content of this message does not necessarily reflect John Ashworth's views. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, John Ashworth is not the author of the content and the source is always cited. You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "sudan-john-ashworth" group. 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