I like teaching about transition to democracy. For
Africans, the word "transition" has become the buzz word.
Transition to democracy begins with the defeat, the surrender, or the collapse
of a dictator. Put simply, wherever a dictator or the military still hold
power, there is no transition to democracy. The 21 years I spent in Latin
America have confirmed this essential thesis. For countries with previous
democratic experience, such as Chile, Argentina, and Brazil, transition to
democracy culminated with the consolidation of democracy in a very short period
of time. The collective memory of past consolidated democracy played a crucial
role in the consolidation process. In Africa, we might expect longer
transitions because of the lack of that collective memory. However, the
first step, overthrowing a dictator, is what really matters for now. The second
step is to create mechanisms that promote effective check-and-balance between
the three branches of government in order to crush any tyrannical intent. It is
no secret that African parliaments have always been arenas for political
prostitution and corruption and that courts serve the interests of dictators
and other immoral individuals. Africans must choose their best citizens for
government positions for smoother and quicker transition to consolidated
democracy. There will be several roadblocks along the way. Many Latin American
countries, despite the re-democratization process started in early 1980s, are
still in the transitional phase! There's still much Africans can learn
from those democracies in transition. Unfortunately, African dictators love to learn
from their peers, from the way they successfully walk around constitutional
barriers to remain in power forever. Shame on them!
P.S. I first published this comment @ the Foreign Policy Magazine on November 3, 2014
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2014/11/01/burkina_faso_s_silver_lining_compaore_coup
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