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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
African Politics, A Mockery to Democracy. Printable Version PRINTABLE VERSION
by Anthony Lukwesa, Zambia Jul 27, 2010
Globalization , Human Rights , Peace & Conflict   Opinions

  

It's very highly unlikely that we the Africans really Understand what democracy is all about. The simple definition of Democracy as rule by the people and for the people seems to be very difficult to understand.
I say this because many Africans today, well with an exception of South Africa, have leaders who think are kings and will only be removed from been a president when they die. Even worse, rigging of elections is AT THE EPITOME of their leadership.
Clearly, our leaders have lost their integrity in the name of amassing wealth to themselves, relatives and children at the expense of the electorates. They would rather eat and move in expensive vehicles while the people who voted them in office are starving.
To many African nations like Congo, Guinea, Darfur region, the word PEACE has never even existed in their vocabulary. War has ravaged their countries since time in memorial all because of the few selfish and tyrannical leaders.
Poverty, diseases, HIV/ AIDS, and so many are few among many tales that African people like me can write about. With so many resources at our disposal, our leaders have chosen to dump us and have concentrated on trivial things that benefits very few people. What’s wrong with us Africans or what’s wrong with our leaders?

In this era of democratic dispensation, we expect people to be laughing, enjoying their freedom and smiling all the way, but in Africa, people are ever sobbing and tears are soon too run dry.
What’s worse is that, even societies and people have been divided, no one to fight for one another, it’s like," God for us all but each one for himself or herself. Corruption is something we can’t even talk about, it’s ever flying in our African air like oxygen gas that we can’t leave without. Prisons are for the poor, the rich go free, what a joke!!! It’s high time we stop feeling sorry for ourselves, sober up, tied ourselves and pretend our tears have run dry and hold these so called our leaders by their jackets and hold them accountable for all the plunder and injustices in our societies. As long as we keep feeling sorry for ourselves and waiting for Jesus to come, we shall forever be shedding our tears because even Jesus helps those who help themselves. How I pray that our scornful tears could just run dry.
Maybe that’s the time we should wait for, the time the tears will run dry, maybe and just maybe, that’s when our eyes will open up. Probably at this time, African people won’t confuse docility to peace and will hold their leaders to ransom, pursue them for all the tyrannical behaviour and abuse of offices. Am also hoping at that time, Africans will hold their leaders accountable and start revolutionaries in order to propel justice, corrupt free societies and increased GDPs among others.

It’s high time we become selfless; it’s high time we hold our leaders accountable. We have the voice and the power, let no one trample on our God given rights; To be free, pursue happiness and to be equal in every aspect of life...let’s change our politics especially us the youths. We are not the youths of tomorrow but of today...The way African politics are conducted today is indeed a mockery on true democracy.

Democracy has been taken for a ride in Africa. I think it has being misinterpreted to something tyrannical societies with a bit of freedom which they enjoy while languishing in poverty. How can the word democracy even be mentioned in societies where there's so much injustice, political rhetoric, intimidation, 80% of the people are impoverished, poor health service (while the politicians take themselves for medical treatment), election rigging of election results( How can a leader agree to share power with the opposition after the elections if they know they never rigged), poor infrastructure and investment opportunities for the locals, constitutions which are targeted at certain individuals, unemployment and so on and so forth....Let us not lie to ourselves that we have democracy in Africa it is just a word to us and not a concept or model that we use....a pure mockery to the founding fathers and propellers of democracy.





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Anthony Lukwesa


Name; Anthony Lukwesa,
Country: Zambia
Email: alukwesa@gmail.com
Comments


power hanger.
Nyeko Bosco | Sep 15th, 2010
in line with what my brother from zambia wrote in his artical, the problem with african politic is all being power greedy and hungry.the all government it become like one man organisation.thanks . no good dream for all country or the people.

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