Africa’s future depends on the ability of all countries on the continent to make democracy work. Strengthening African democracy will improve the continent’s development prospects.
The alternative of authoritarian rule which seems to be on the ascendancy in parts of the continent will not achieve her long-term development goals.
If elections are simply a means for endorsing the status quo, they will be less a source of change than one of conflict. With a youthful, expectant population, it is necessary to instil faith in the electoral process; otherwise, there will be a temptation to seek relief through extra-judicial means. Beyond elections, donors must have a clear view that polls are a necessary but not sufficient condition for democracy.
Those in power must understand that they and their followers will one day be the opposition themselves. Opposition, as a minority in parliament therefore finds itself continuously stifled even with great ideas by an unwilling majority. Regrettably, in many African countries, opposition leaders are harassed and sometimes jailed to prevent them from contesting political power.
Democracies have a self-regulating mechanism when poor policies are adopted. However, such abilities do not occur automatically, there must be a structure of institutions that would make them work. Without strong institutions, African countries will languish at the hands of self-imposed leaders with no respect for the rule of law or the people.
Democracy with form but without the substance can only lead to failure and eventually, a disenchantment of the populace with democracy. Unless the opposition clearly differentiates itself by policy, even turnover prompted by incumbents losing will not change the nature of politics in a non-performing country.
Such a vision is especially important in an era where young people face challenges of global competition for resources and employment, where they have other windows on the world outside of politics and where the tendency will thus be to “opt out”.
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