- By Tajudeen Adigun
When former president Olusegun Obasanjo recently said that Western liberal democracy was alien to Africa and her people, he was not saying anything new. Most Africans know that democracy is a European system of government imposed on Africans after the Whiteman’s superior weaponry had trounced the Blackman and colonized the continent. The inability of Africans to resist the gunboat invasion of their land made imposition of liberal democracy inevitable. Democracy and its new system of division of government power among the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary turned the former rulers of the continent the kings and their chiefs into artifacts keepers and by extension cultural ambassadors. They lost their powers and influence and became officials on the paid roll of the Whiteman-imposed government.
Beyond administration and control of government power the whiteman’s coming to Africa was also inspired by their long throat for the continent’s natural resources to boast the economies of the European countries. Thus, Africa became the satellite of Europe. She was a good market for the manufactured goods and products and also supplied cheap raw materials to feed the large maws of the voracious hungry production machines in Europe. The institutionising of political and economic structures that evolved from superior philosophy, intellectualism and, of course dazing technology were too intimidating for the Blackman to understand the full implication of the system when they were slammed on the continent
Earlier, monarchy was widely popular in Africa and even it’s still in existence in Africa today, regrettably, they have lost their power monarchy. Then the ruler had absolute power over his subjects and mostly has firmly in his hands legislative and judicial powers combined. The had absolute power, which Lord Acton says corrupts absolutely. That, perhaps, is why Obasanjo said that liberal democracy is unAfrica. That was in the past. It’s, however, frightening for Obasanjo to say that liberal democracy could not work in Africa today after it had been introduced and practiced for more than a century, though with intermittent intrusion of military government in power. It was, therefore, not a surprise, but alarming that Obasanjo suggested an African variant of democracy which he called Afrodemocracy.
No one can assert with absolute confidence that democracy is a perfect system of government. No. Despite its warts and dirt, its practice over time and space in many different countries throughout the world has demonstrated its superiority over other systems of government, emerging as the best option. This props up the question of what Obasanjo’s Afro-democracy has in stock for governing the black people as a better alternative. Democracy, not adjectival one as Obasanjo’s own, is a system of government for the people and by the people. In the world today, there are variety of and different colours of democracy. There are a one-party democracy, two-party democracy and, of course, multi-party democracy.
Again, there are the West Minster system or Parliamentary system and the Presidential system. The first is headed by a prime minister, who sits the legislative chamber. The president is the chief executive of the government in the presidential system . The prime minister is a member of the Parliament, while president is never a member of the legislature. In democracy, you have the people divided into two distinct groups. The voters, who cast their votes to put office seekers in office. They are called candidates. The monarchy system, however, boasts of a king and his subjects. These are also two groups with a difference. The people could swap positions in democracy. A voter today could become a candidate tomorrow and vice-versa. In monarchy, however, the members of royalty never swap position with those who are regarded as subjects. Obasanjo is miffed because, to him, democracy does not recognize African peculiarities or places premium value on African people’s ways of life. What are those peculiarities of Africa that Obasanjo was insisting on.
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The question on people’s lips is if democracy is working for the good of people in Europe, the United States (US), Americas and Asia, why not in Africa? It is suspected that may be Obasanjo want monarchy in democracy. African being born and reared in a monarchical atmosphere want to stay put in power for life. Remember Obasanjo’s quest for a third term. Democracy is not bad, the leaders running government in Africa are usually guilty of abuse of power and privilege. The level of corruption they perpetrate while in office is a huge obstacle to the development of the continent and her people. No wonder, they want to die in office.
Obasanjo was a beneficiary of democracy and he had earlier rode on the wings Jackboot to power. He supervised transition to civil rule in 1979 and chose Presidential system of government. In 1999, he was literally dragged into the presidential Villa to run a presidential system of government for two terms . As he was about to complete eight years in power, he saw a need to run for another term. To his chagrin, the people said NO. The electorate sad no to THIRD TERM. Is the ghost of third term still haunting Obasanjo? Hence, he is now advocating Afro-democracy.