Zim Online
by Patricia Mpofu Friday 04 January 2008
HARARE – President
Thabo Mbeki has been asked to directly intervene to break
the impasse
between Zimbabwe’s ruling ZANU PF party and the opposition over
a new
constitution and a date for elections this year, ZimOnline has
learnt.
Mbeki was last March appointed by Southern African Development
Community
leaders to lead efforts to end Zimbabwe’s political and economic
crisis by
facilitating dialogue between ZANU PF (the party of President
Robert Mugabe)
and the main opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC)
party.
A key objective of the talks is to ensure Zimbabwe’s joint
presidential and
parliamentary elections this year are free and fair. Talks
have however hit
deadlock over demands by the MDC that a new constitution
drafted by
negotiators be enacted before elections and that the polls be
pushed back to
June.
Sources privy to the negotiations said that
talks were “hanging in the
balance” with everything now dependent on whether
Mbeki is able to find a
way to narrow the differences between ZANU PF and
the MDC over the new
constitution and the date for polls.
“The major
sticking points are the issue of the constitution and the date
for elections
but there are other issues also threatening the dialogue
process,” said a
one source, closely involved in the negotiations.
“For example, the MDC
wants SADC to monitor and supervise implementation of
any agreement between
it and ZANU PF before and after the elections . . .
but ZANU PF is totally
against foreign supervision and monitoring,” added
the
source.
Mbeki’s spokesman Mukoni Ratshintanga was not immediately
available for
comment on the matter with several direct phone calls to his
office going
unanswered.
Nelson Chamisa, spokesman for the larger
faction of the MDC that is led by
Morgan Tsvangirai, confirmed talks were
stalled and that the matter had been
referred to Mbeki. But he refused to
disclose further details because
parties to the dialogue are sworn to total
secrecy.
“There is a deadlock. The issue has been referred to SADC via
the
facilitator President Mbeki,” said Chamisa.
Gabriel Chaibva, the
spokesman of the Arthur Mutambara-led MDC faction
referred ZimOnline to
secretary general Welshman Ncube, who was not
immediately available for
comment.
ZANU PF leader in the talks Patrick Chinamasa was also not
available to take
questions on the matter.
Zimbabwe is in the grip of
a debilitating political and economic crisis that
is marked by
hyperinflation, a rapidly contracting GDP, the fastest for a
country not at
war according to the World Bank and shortages of foreign
currency, food and
fuel.
Analysts say truly democratic elections next year are vital to any
attempt
to resuscitate Zimbabwe’s comatose economy. - ZimOnline
Zim Online
by Simplicious Chirinda Friday 04 January
2008
HARARE - A Harare lawyer on Thursday accused a senior
ruling ZANU PF
official of seeking to seize a white-owned farm in Chegutu
that is at the
centre of a bitter dispute between the farmer and the
government.
The lawyer, David Drury of Gollop and Blank law firm, claimed
Nathan
Shamuyarira, the ZANU PF secretary for information and publicity, was
waiting in the wings to take over William Michael Campbell’s farm in
Chegutu.
Drury represented Campbell during a Southern African
Development Community
(SADC) Tribunal hearing in Windhoek, Namibia last
month where he was
challenging the seizure of his property by the
government.
The SADC Tribunal last month ordered that President Robert
Mugabe’s
government to allow Campbell to stay at his farm pending the final
determination of an appeal against the seizure of his property.
In an
interview with ZimOnline yesterday, Drury said Shamuyarira had over
the past
few weeks visited the property and had placed his “representatives”
at the
property.
“Shamuyarira is the one who wants to take over occupation of
the farm. He
has been visiting the farm periodically and on ad-hoc
occasions. His
representatives have been camped at the farm,” said
Drury.
Shamuyarira, regarded as among the few voices of reason within
ZANU PF,
could not be reached for comment on the matter
yesterday.
Mashonaland West province has since late last year been rocked
by fresh farm
invasions by senior government officials despite pleas by
Vice-President
Joseph Msika and Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) Governor
Gideon Gono to halt
the farm disturbances.
Several government
ministers and senior army officials have over the past
seven years seized
former white-owned farms around the country in a move
Mugabe said was
necessary to correct historical imbalances in land
allocation.
The
often violent farm disturbances which began in 2000 however triggered
severe
food shortages as newly resettled black farmers failed to maintain
production on the former white farms.
An eight-year economic
recession described as unprecedented for a country
not at war worsened the
food shortages resulting in the once self-sufficient
southern African
country depending on food handouts from international
relief agencies. -
ZimOnline
Zim Online
by Nqobizitha Khumalo Friday 04 January
2008
BULAWAYO – The British embassy in Harare has rejected as
“nonsense” claims
by President Robert Mugabe’s government that it was
offering a safe haven to
high-profile Zimbabwean criminals.
The
statement comes after ruling ZANU PF legislator David Butau, who was
wanted
by the police for allegedly violating the country’s tough foreign
exchange
regulations, fled to the United Kingdom last week.
“Allegations of a
deliberate policy of harbouring Zimbabwean criminals are
nonsense. David
Butau was issued with a five-year visitor's visa in 2004.
“He is not on
the EU (European Union) visa ban list and is free to visit the
UK for six
months at a time while his visa is still valid,” said the
British Embassy
in response to questions sent on the matter.
At least 130 ZANU PF
officials are barred from visiting the UK under
targeted sanctions imposed
on President Robert Mugabe’s senior lieutenants
about five years
ago.
Butau fled to the UK last week after the Zimbabwean authorities
indicated
that they were keen to interview him for allegedly violating the
country’s
foreign currency regulations.
President Robert Mugabe’s
spokesperson and government spokesman George
Charamba accused the UK of
applying double standards after it offered a safe
haven to
Butau.
Speaking from the UK this week, Butau, who chairs the
parliamentary
committee on budget and finance, said he escaped to the UK
after he he had
been set up by Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) governor
Gideon Gono.
He joins a long list of Zimbabwean businessmen who have fled
the country
since 2003 to escape prosecution for allegedly violating the
country’s
exchange regulations. - ZimOnline
VOA
By Blessing Zulu
Washington
03 January
2008
Talks between Zimbabwe's ruling party and opposition
failed to resume
Wednesday as expected with no date set for their
resumption, raising concern
that South African President Thabo Mbeki has
become too preoccupied with his
own political survival to concentrate on
breaking the deadlock which has
developed in the
negotiations.
Sources in Pretoria said Mr. Mbeki was preparing for
another showdown with
Jacob Zuma, who has replaced him as president of the
ruling African National
Congress.
Mr. Mbeki could face trouble at a
meeting Monday of the ANC national
executive, at which supporters of Zuma
are expected to accuse him of
engineering the latest corruption charges
brought against Zuma by a South
African prosecutor.
Senior Zimbabwean
opposition officials have voiced concern at the delays,
saying the South
African political tussle is hindering resolution of the
Zimbabwe
crisis.
Senior Researcher Chris Maroleng of the Institute for Security
Studies in
South Africa told reporter Blessing Zulu of VOA’s Studio 7 for
Zimbabwe that
Mr. Mbeki has his hands full and may not be able to
successfully conclude
the Zimbabwe talks.
VOA
By Carole Gombakomba
Washington
03
January 2008
Zimbabwean health experts are predicting a
gloomy 2008 as medical services
delivery collapses under the weight of the
country's steepening economic
downturn.
Chairman Douglas Gwatidzo of
the Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human
rights said 2007 was a tough
year for Zimbabwe, and the health sector was no
exception.
Junior
doctors at state hospitals have started to return to work from their
latest
strike, but Hospital Doctors Association President Amon Siveregi
described
conditions in public hospitals as deplorable. Siveregi said the
doctors are
giving the state the benefit of the doubt for the moment while
labor
negotiations proceed.
Health minister David Parirenyatwa said Harare is
committed to solving the
crisis.
But many key stakeholders told
reporter Carole Gombakomba of VOA's Studio 7
for Zimbabwe that the
government must take urgent action to halt the decline
in health care or the
problems seen in public medical services in 2007 will
deepen.
VOA
By Patience Rusere
Washington
03 January
2008
Cash shortages remained general in Zimbabwe on Thursday
despite assertions
by the central bank that it had the situation under
control, and the crisis
worsened in many locations as Zimbabweans holding
hard currency turned to
the black market.
Sources in Harare reported
long lines at all banks, and said Stanbic Bank
ran out of cash late in the
day. Financial institutions were said to be
limiting withdrawals to Z$20
million, well short of the Z$50 million limit
set by the Reserve Bank of
Zimbabwe.
Similar conditions were reported in Bulawayo was similar -
banks allowed
customers to withdraw only $30 million. Local sources said the
crisis seems
to be arising from the inability of banks to meet high demand
for currency
as commodities prices soared.
Zimbabwean consumers and
businesses turned to the parallel or black market
which the central bank has
denounced to fulfill currency requirements,
despite a premium for local
currency which has driven the exchange rate to
Z$1.9 million to the U.S.
dollar for bank notes from a rate of more than Z$4
million before the crisis
flared.
Harare correspondent Thomas Chiripasi told reporter Patience
Rusere that
sources in the financial sector alleged that some bank staff
were diverting
cash to the parallel market through illicit
transactions.
The central bank's credibility was under assault following
reversals of
policy including its extension of the date of expiration of
Z$200,000 bearer
cheques that were due to expire Monday before Reserve Bank
Governor Gideon
Gono extended their life.
The central bank also
lifted a requirement it had earlier imposed obliging
all electronic
transfers to be documented by invoices, virtually paralyzing
legitimate
transactions.
Economist Eric Bloch, an advisor to the Reserve Bank, said
the monetary
authority has been obliged to make a number of policy changes
to respond to
the evolving situation, but voiced confidence the institution
will resolve
the immediate crisis.
VOA
By Jonga Kandemiiri
Washington
03 January
2008
A strike by many of Zimbabwe's magistrates and
prosecutors entered its ninth
week as 2008 opened with no resolution in
sight, leaving the lower court
system in turmoil.
Sources said
judicial officers in major cities reported for work this week
but handled no
cases. Senior magistrates and police officers were said to be
handling some
cases while others were being continued to later dates, the
sources
said.
Magistrates and prosecutors went on strike on October 31 demanding
higher
pay, but the government said it cannot afford to revise their wages.
A
Zimbabwean magistrate typically earns a monthly salary of Z$20 million, or
less than US$10.
Legal Affairs Secretary Innocent Gonese of the
Movement for Democratic
Change faction of Morgan Tsvangirai told reporter
Jonga Kandemiiri of VOA's
Studio 7 for Zimbabwe that the strike is hurting
many people including
witnesses who must travel long distances only to be
told that the cases have
been continued.
The magistrate has also left
many accused languishing in jail unable to
obtain bail.
New Zimbabwe
By Lebo
Nkatazo
Last updated: 01/04/2008 11:28:02
THE two feuding factions of
Zimbabwe’s opposition Movement for Democratic
Change (MDC) are battling to
reach a compromise deal to present a united
front in joint presidential and
parliamentary elections due in March.
MDC founding President Morgan
Tsvangirai is advocating a total reunification
of the two groups after an
acrimonious split in October 2005. However,
officials in the other MDC
faction led by robotics scientist Arthur
Mutambara are promoting the idea of
a loose coalition, with the possibility
of a total reunification after the
polls.
The MDC’s domestic and international backers have called for a
unification
of pro-democracy activists to challenge President Robert
Mugabe’s 28-year
rule amid a deepening economic crisis.
But there
remains a dispute about the shape of the unified opposition force,
with some
on the opposition side advocating the dismantling political
boundaries and
finding an “untainted” and unifying leader to lead the
opposition
groups.
Some political observers say Tsvangirai, after months of fighting
his former
colleagues and overseeing the MDC’s defeat in two parliamentary
elections
and one presidential election, is “not a unifying
factor”.
But Tsvangirai still enjoys widespread support across the
country and
remains determined to lead the united front against Mugabe in a
rematch of
the 2002 elections which international observers said were
rigged.
He said: “There has already been progress; our council has
already taken a
resolution on a united front. We are taking measures to
implement that
resolution in ensuring that we engage with our erstwhile
colleagues in
constructing an agenda that is going to unify all democratic
forces. I must
say that’s more of implementation than anything
else.
“One of the principles is to ensure that we have a one candidate
policy on
all contested seats. What we are talking about first and foremost
is that
you have to understand that we have to restore the unity of the MDC,
that’s
what the people are demanding. They want a unified
MDC.
"Secondly, they are also demanding that all the other loose parties
like
Zanu Ndonga, Federal Democratic Union in Matabeleland…they will be
brought
in within that broad democratic front.
“And besides, we want
to make sure that the struggle for democracy in this
country is not just an
MDC struggle, it is a broad democratic struggle
including members of civil
society who have paid a very dear price in
achieving that. When we talk
about this we are very clear what are the first
steps (and) what are the
second steps in building that united front.”
But his former deputy Gibson
Sibanda, who is now the vice president of the
rival faction led by
Mutambara, told the Voice of America’s Studio 7 that
the reconfiguration of
the party to the pre-2005 period was an impossibility
given the time
remaining before elections.
He said: “We spoke about this, and reached an
agreement that we will have a
loose coalition to allow one candidate per
constituency from the opposition.
The total reunification of the party is
the next step. So the first step is
to organise for the forthcoming
elections, there is no time for
reunification. If Tsvangirai wants unity, we
say we agree, but it’s not
realistic at this time.”
Both MDC factions
want a new constitution in place before elections in
March, but President
Robert Mugabe insists an agreement on a new
constitution agreed between his
Zanu PF party and the MDC can only be
implemented after the
elections.
Among other demands, the opposition wants a new electoral
commission that
would conduct the elections.
Mugabe, 83, who has been
in power since the nation gained independence in
1980, is seeking a sixth
term of office.
VOA
By Carole Gombakomba
Washington
03
January 2008
Floods continue to wreak havoc in parts of
Zimbabwe with an unofficial death
toll of 30 since the inundations began in
late December and an estimated
10,000 people left homeless, reports by state
media and humanitarian relief
sources said.
Unconfirmed reports
indicated at least 30 people have drowned in the floods
across the country.
Afflicted areas include the low-lying areas of Chipinge
and Middle Sabi in
Manicaland Province, parts of Masvingo province, and the
area around
Victoria Falls, in Matabeleland North. The state-run Herald
paper reported
22 deaths.
VOA was unable to confirm the death toll with the Civil
Protection Unit.
Meanwhile, Chongwe District in Zambia, to the north, has
issued an alert
that major rivers in the country are swelling, posing a
flood risk to
neighboring countries.
The semi-official Herald
newspaper quoted the meteorological services
department as saying tropical
cyclone Elnus, characterized by strong winds,
was seen heading from the
Mozambican Channel onto the Southern African
mainland. However, principal
meteorologist Hector Chikoore said Zimbabwe was
not
threatened.
Regional Disaster Coordinator Farid Abdul Kabir of the
International
Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies told
reporter Carole
Gombakomba of VOA's Studio 7 for Zimbabwe that conditions in
stricken areas
are increasingly desperate.
The Vigil was fortunate to get enough funding to take a big group to
Lisbon
to protest against Mugabe at the AU / EU Summit. The group (Ephraim
Tapa,
Kudzai Rangarirai, Wiz Bishop, Adella Chiminya, Dumi Tutani, Willie
Chitima,
Guy Benton, Farayi Madzamba. Fungayi Mabhunu, Anna Meryt, Charles
Gomedza,
Judith Matsvairo, Priscilla Mugwagwa, Mike Bennett, Elliot Pfebve,
Sanderson
Makombe, Dennis Benton, Rose Benton, Themba Moyo, Victoria
Chitsiga,
Stendrick Zvorwadza, Dorcas Nkomo, Tichaona Gozvo, Racheal
Lupafya) were a
great team. We were accompanied by Lance Guma of SW Radio
Africa. It was
only at the last minute that we were joined Dumi whose
passport arrived the
day before we travelled, and Stendrick, who for visa
reasons had to travel
to Lisbon via Brussels. We asked the group for their
personal feedback on
the trip and received the following.
Ephraim
Tapa: I remember very well when we discussed the Summit at a forum
early
last year if not late in 2006, then the focus being to campaign
against
Mugabe's invitation. Everyone felt very strongly against Mugabe's
visit and
I personally felt that no amount of remedial action would off-set
the damage
that would be occasioned by his visit. After the trip I have a
different
perspective: it was better that he came for he lost it big time
and all
tribute goes to the gallant activists who made the trip and those
who
supported us. That campaign made all the difference as it stole all the
limelight and made Mugabe a sad figure of ridicule. Having witnessed such
success with a very high sense of personal satisfaction, I am left wondering
when next Mugabe might be venturing out again.
Willie Chitima: about
30 political activists including me took part in the
trip to Lisbon to
demonstrate at the Summit. On Friday 7th December we went
to Vasco da Gama
Square, 50 metres from where the Summit was held, where we
were allowed to
sing and dance toy-toyi. We staged a drama showing Mugabe
blocking his ears
while we shouted about his abuse of human rights. On 8th
December we went
back to demonstrate at the same place and sang for almost
five hours. We
saw our demonstrations in the Portuguese newspapers. I
personally feel
great for expressing my feelings against Mugabe. I hope
there will be change
soon.
Farayi Madzamba: The trip was fantastic and the impact it had was
huge and
will have a positive outcome. I think the world heard the powerful
message
that we gave and it made the Summit leaders open their eyes. This
trip meant
a lot to me and it brought me close to the other members of the
Vigil.
Dumi Tutani: We stole the show in Lisbon. Other protesters shouted
slogans
but our dancing, drumming and singing gained much more attention.
We were
the best and most long-lasting of the protests with our toy-toyi
getting
lots of media attention. Our weekly Vigils are like a weekly
rehearsal. I
personally sang for 3 hours non-stop.
Fungayi Mabhunu:
there was a very good feeling in the group with very good
team work. it was
an Interesting experience to play Mugabe, wearing the
mask. I could feel
the hatred for Mugabe even though he was being played by
an actor. How has
he managed to hang on so long when everyone hates him? He
is probably scared
to resign because of the crimes he has committed.
Judith Mutsvairo: I was
glad to bring Zimbabwe's plight to the world's
attention in Lisbon. I am
still getting phone calls from people asking about
the trip. People are
encouraged to join the struggle because of our trip.
Charles Gomedza: The
group was full of energy and character standing firm in
protest even in the
face of the CIOs and the hired Mugabe supporters. We
even became more
zealous and vibrant when we learnt that the pro-Mugabe
group was actually a
group of disillusioned foreign nationals, not even
Zimbabwean.
Rose
Benton: I was stopped in the street by Portuguese people who had seen
me on
TV and wanted to congratulate the Vigil on bringing the world's
attention to
what was happening in Zimbabwe. Organising the trip was worth
all the hard
work. It was interesting to meet a former Zimbabwean, Peter
Horsman, from
Zimbabwe who now lives on the Algarve and came up to stage his
own
demonstration. It turns out he was a close neighbour from my
childhood.
Addella Chiminya: What a time we had. The good spirit among
the group was
amazing. I salute you Rose. You are a soldier.
Racheal
Lupafya: My family back home saw everything on television. Everyone
I have
spoken to talks very positively about the trip and say we did very
well. I
am glad we managed to shake the old tyrant.
Dennis Benton: I was amazed
at how much money the Mugabe people had spent.
There was a business
exhibition nearby at which the Zimbabweans handed out
lavish brochures which
pretended that all was well in Zimbabwe, ignoring all
the problems. I was
interviewed at length by Czech television because I had
mentioned a letter
about Zimbabwe to the London Times by prominent writers
led by former
President Vaclav Havel.
Priscilla Mugwagwa: I was so happy at the success
of the trip. Because we
were there demonstrating and telling the world what
was happening in
Zimbabwe Mugabe was not able to say what he usually says.
Thanks to the
human rights groups (ADDHU and Crisis Action) in Lisbon who
organised the
protests which made our presence more effective.
Guy
Benton: I only went because someone dropped out at the last minute -
otherwise a place would be wasted. But I hope I made myself useful and I
certainly enjoyed being with the group. I was impressed by the untiring
dancing, singing and drumming.
Vigil co-ordinators
The Vigil,
outside the Zimbabwe Embassy, 429 Strand, London, takes place
every Saturday
from 14.00 to 18.00 to protest against gross violations of
human rights by
the current regime in Zimbabwe. The Vigil which started in
October 2002 will
continue until internationally-monitored, free and fair
elections are held
in Zimbabwe. http://www.zimvigil.co.uk
The Telegraph
By Rosa Prince, Telegraph Political Correspondent
Last
Updated: 1:10am GMT 04/01/2008
Zimbabwe will be allowed by
the British Government to take part in the 2012
Olympic Games in London if
the troubled African nation cancel their 2009
cricket tour of
England.
High-level diplomatic talks are under way to thrash out a deal
amid concerns
that an outright ban on Zimbabwe taking part in the series
could lead to a
wider African boycott of the London Games.
The
England and Wales Cricket Board are understood to be working closely
with
the Government to find a way to call off the tour, with one source
saying
there was "no way" the Zimbabwean team would be allowed to set foot
on
British soil.
But negotiations are sensitive because of growing fears
Zimbabwe president
Robert Mugabe may pull his team out of future sporting
events, including
cricket's World Twenty20 Championship, also scheduled for
England in 2009,
and the London Olympics. Other African nations,
particularly South Africa,
could then follow suit.
Unlike the
Olympics, in which virtually every nation in the world will be
represented,
a cricket tour would focus the full spotlight on Zimbabwe.
Whitehall
sources say ministers are determined not to "abandon" the ECB as
the
cricketing authorities felt Tony Blair did ahead of the 2004 one-day
tour to
Zimbabwe, when little concrete help was given by the Government. The
trip
went ahead amid chaotic scenes, with Mugabe enjoying the opportunity to
crow
over the former colonial power.
The need to tread carefully means that
Downing Street and the Foreign Office
are publicly insisting the final
decision will remain with the ECB, who they
say have been "made aware" of
the Government's view that the tour would be
unwelcome.
But a source
told The Daily Telegraph: "We're all very much on the same page
now -
negotiations have been going on for some months. The Government is
giving
the cricketing authorities very close support. Basically, there is no
way
Mugabe is going to be allowed to let his team play here.
"The major
problem now is ensuring that does not give him any kind of
perceived
justification to accuse the old colonial power of slighting
Zimbabwe - and
stirring up a storm which results in the whole of Africa
boycotting
2012."
An agreement negotiated through the International Cricket Council
would also
mean a massively reduced penalty for the ECB, from as much as £2
million to
£220,000.
While Zimbabwe observers fear that Mugabe will
be reluctant to lose an
opportunity to make trouble, the ECB hope he will be
persuaded to consent to
the plan. The regime may be keen to receive an
immediate cash injection of
around £250,000 in foreign
currency.
Sources suggest talks have taken place via the South African
High Commission
to gain Zimbabwe's consent to the cancellation of the tour -
a claim denied
by the Foreign Office. But the ECB and ICC have held talks
with the
Zimbabweans in Johannesburg about the matter.
Matt Scott
Friday
January 4, 2008
The Guardian
Zimbabwe Cricket's controversial
president, Peter Chingoka, is believed to
be in South Africa for the second
Test against West Indies, where it is
expected he will hold informal talks
over his country's future in the game
with Ray Mali, the International
Cricket Council president.
Despite support from South Africa and the Asian
nations, patience is
beginning to run out on Zimbabwe Cricket. It still has
full-member voting
status at the ICC and received multimillion-pound World
Cup payments
although it no longer features in the Test arena. Amid
corruption
allegations, an audit is being conducted into Zimbabwe Cricket's
financial
affairs by KPMG, which is due for presentation to the ICC board
next month.
In the meantime all eyes will be on Mali's handling of
Chingoka, who is
widely considered to have close links with his country's
president, Robert
Mugabe. Mali, a former teacher, was previously president
of Cricket South
Africa and has long been a significant figure in South
African life, to the
extent that his testimony featured in the Truth and
Reconciliation
Commission that was set up after the fall of
apartheid.
General Christoffel Pierre van der Westhuizen, SA National Defence
Force
commander of the Eastern Province from 1983 to 1986, told the
commission in
April 1999 that the apartheid government had a plan to create
a sympathetic
regime in the Xhosa homelands and that Mali had been
considered as a
potential leader.
Daily Nation, Kenya
Story by ALPHAYO OTIENO
Publication Date: 1/4/2008 ELECTIONS,
IF MERELY FOR their own sake, are a
waste of time in Africa, and nowhere
else has this been demonstrated more
than in Kenya.
The recent
polls have been roundly condemned by election-monitoring
bodies. Observers
from the European Union said that the whole process was
“not credible” and
the report they issued on the exercise was the most
damning it had ever
issued anywhere in the world.
As Kenyans and the international
community grapple with the crisis,
the question they should now be asking
themselves with some urgency is:
“What now?”
The elections
represented a big step backwards in the Government’s
ostensible efforts to
match economic reforms with democratic openness and
respect for basic
rights.
Kenya’s Western partners should not be idle bystanders.
Instead they
should be willing to condition non-humanitarian aid and
security
co-operation on clear evidence of reform, including the impartial
investigation and prosecution of politicians suspected of subsidising recent
election and post-election violence, and committed serious electoral
malpractices.
From the polls, we now know that democracy is not
a panacea. Some
elements of the deficit of democracy should have been put
to the test long
ago.
Democracy is just a governing system. It
might be one of the best, but
it does not automatically solve all problems.
In fact it probably does the
opposite; most major problems must be solved
before democracy can work.
From the polls, we have learnt that
there is yet to be fair, free and
transparent elections in Africa; it is
just a waste of money and other
resources.
African leaders hate
to be called “former head of state”, and once
they taste power, they think
the country belongs to them. Then arrogance,
disdain and authoritarianism
take their course as the means to hanging on to
power.
But what
is the root cause of the problem? Prof Donald Kagan in
Pericles of Athens
and The Birth of Democracy, says that a successful
democracy is based on
more than elections.
He maintains that an examination of the few
successful democracies in
history suggests that they need to meet three
conditions if they are to
flourish.
The first is to have a good
set of institutions.
The second is to have a body of citizens who
possess a good
understanding of the principles of democracy, and who have
developed a
character consistent with the democratic way of
life.
The third is to have a high quality of leadership, at least
in
critical moments. Until the above has been fulfilled, the struggle for
democracy will continue.
TWENTIETH CENTURY HISTORY IS littered
with the remains of elections
that brought forth neither democracy nor the
rule of law.
The entire Soviet empire was enamoured of show
elections in which
every citizen was given the privilege of voting for the
winner — and only
the winner.
Fascist and corporatist regimes
would routinely invoke the plebiscite
to crown the claimed rule of the
people, a tool used by Hitler to
consolidate power in the
1930s.
Post-colonial regimes in countries such as the Central
African
Republic, or more recently, Zimbabwe, would hold elections only to
see the
victors proclaim themselves rulers for life.
Before any
election is held, there must be ground rules that determine
what elections
are for, and formal institutional structures that will be
filled by the
elections.
But what justifies those rules? The answer can only be
given
retrospectively, based on the success of the democratic experiment
itself.
All democracies enter this world with this so-called
democratic
deficit — a system preordained by no particular democratic
process.
British philosopher John Stuart Mill may have had a case
like Kenya in
mind when he wrote that political liberalism was impossible in
a country
with ethnic or national divisions.
He wrote: “Among a
people without fellow-feeling, especially if they
read and speak different
languages, the united public opinion, necessary to
the working of
representative government, cannot exist.”
Over the past years, the
need to secure democratic order in countries
fractured by racial, ethnic or
religious cleavages like Kenya has robbed us
of the easy assumption that
democracy can take hold in raven societies.
Democracy, then, is
ultimately not about the ability to elect rulers;
it is about the ability to
send them packing. The political tragedy of
post-colonial Africa is not the
absence of elections; it is the inability to
vote rulers out of
office.
Whether an election is a harbinger of democracy is best
addressed in
hindsight once the security of the minorities is assessed and
once the
first elected rulers face retrospective accountability before the
electorate.
Mr Otieno is a journalist based in the US. The
regular Friday
columnist, Lucy Oriang’, will be back next week.