LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Dear Readers of the JCTR Bulletin:
The interplay between politics and economics is such that the two affect each other in ways that might enhance or retard development, as defined as movement of people from less humane conditions to more humane conditions. Nowhere else in the world has this interplay been vividly absent in enhancing development than in Africa. It is thus imperative that the citizens of Africa exercise great care when electing government such that those elected are people to serve them diligently to bring about development.
The elected must be morally upright, incorruptible, identifying themselves with the needs and aspirations of the poor to the extent that whatever decisions or policies they put in place must have bearing on uplifting the country as a whole and particularly those living at the margins of existence, the poor people.
These ''requirements or attributes'' are very important, not because they are congruent with what the donors expect of us especially in Africa, but because they are fundamental to bringing about development. The current crisis of development in Africa is also a reflection of failed leadership. A leadership that is devoid of these characteristics, whose only preoccupation is self-advancement at the expense of the poor. This egoistic tendency is what has driven and perpetuated some of the wars in Africa occasioning debt, disease and deprivation in (the three ''Ds'' as referred to by some scholars) all its various forms.
ELECTIONS
For those countries that have a chance of holding elections, it is important that such an opportunity is not squandered or lost in putting in place a government that will address their development aspirations. However, this task is dependent on both the electorate and the political players themselves.
For those countries in plural political scenarios -- a situation of more than one political party -- the African experience so far has been that the incumbent ruling political party has often times emerged victorious even regardless of their record in relation to development. This raises even deeper concerns in that there seem to be no inter-country learning experience.
The above situation is aptly exemplified by the Zambian experience recently. Towards the end of the year 2001, the country held its Local, Parliamentary, and Presidential elections. These elections saw eleven political parties participating, each with its presidential candidate! The turn out of the people on the day of the election was massive, long queues formed in many polling station around Lusaka, the capital and indeed other parts of the country before even voting started.
To some this meant a consolidation of democracy, to others it may have implied the desire of the people to change government. The overall result at presidential level gave the ruling party a win. In the opinion of some people, the fact that there were many opposition parties fielding candidates (presidential) meant giving the ruling party an advantage over all other parties through ''splitting of the vote.'' Perhaps, Ceteris paribus, had the opposition fielded only one or two candidates, the results could have been different. The Zambian experience is not one that is peculiar. One would have thought that by looking at the earlier experiences of other countries, lessons could have been learnt.
It is also important for the political players to realise that it is a moral obligation to desist from seeking public office if one's performance and conduct during the time they were holding public office did not live up to people's expectations. Credible, objective self-assessment and judgment coupled with a morally conscious mind have been lacking in a lot of our politicians in Africa.
The task of putting in place a leadership that is responsive to the needs of the people by and large rests with the citizens, the electorate. However, in situations of extreme deprivation -- where on a daily basis people are having to struggle with the thought of where their next meal will be coming from-- accurate and proper judgment by the electorate is compromised. This obviously inevitably calls for ''huge dosages '' of appropriate, accurate, etc., civic education to help people move away from their compromised positions.
The challenge that is facing us in Africa is thus that of capacitating the people or the electorate in making right decisions concerning their countries. The second one is for the political players to be morally upright and realise always that they owe it to the people, the electorate and therefore they must serve the people.
Muweme
Muweme
Editor