Democracy in peril: Will Kiir Mayardit get it?
September 19, 2008 - Waterloo, Canada - All elections are about hopes and changes; but the formalities of delivering them to the common people are very naïve and politically self-centred in nature. The notions that there are no politicians who cannot pledge to bring changes without glaring opportunities for the grassroots are inevitable in all political arenas. However, when he/she takes the oath of the presidential office, the promised-opportunity begins to vanish slowly,in a tutoring manner that is unnoticed to the grassroots’ visions. This implication makes democracy a lip saying for the process of achieving power at the expenses of change. The taunting challenges to African leaderships are yet to be defined. However, having power is the simplest way of manipulating injustice by refusing to conform to the farewell of your people, who enthroned you to serve them. Life Presidency in Africa is the damaging credit of the centuries and will never be changed by either participatory democracy or civil right easily.
Following a bitter Kenya’s 2007 election rigging, it was of no doubt that Raila Odinga would have been the democratically elected president of Kenya by virture of the majority rights and participatory democratic voices. Nearly did it favour Odinga, instead the incumbent President Kibaki turned blind eyes and deaf ears to the majority right and turn Odinga’s victory to his opportunity. Reasonable argument, because he has the power as the serving president of Kenya and nobody can do whatever or challenge him because his predecessor former President Daniel Moi has been doing it without questioning. So it becomes cycle of revenge and tactic of maintaining power not only in Kenya’s government, but it is also the same slogan of life presidency in Zimbabwe that’s the game being played in African politics. The similarities are not marginal but merger in all African politics.
Few months later, there were thorough negotiations to bring Kenyans under one umbrella for a united country that has been peacefully living, economically prospering , gigantically influx by western interest, and consider to be a role model of democracy in Eastern Africa. A country in which southern Sudanese will never forget in the history of their struggle to attend a piecemeal of peace they enjoy as Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) now. How was it solved? Power sharing was the ultimate solutions offer to cut down further extortion and disunity among Kenyans, fair detailed Kenyans congratulation. Raila Odinga becomes -the prime minister of Kenya, -he gets his share, but did the common people in Kenya get their shares? That’s a rhetorical question.
This year, it was Zimbabwe’s election turn. The opposition leader was obsessed of anticipating a victory, however, as the election lost it platform of sincerity slowly edging to landside victory to opposition but eventually led to presidential run off. The opposition party in Zimbabwe was the hope to bring prospective economic gains and trade –off to remove Zimbabwe from isolation of economic sanction and reevaluation of recession or inflation rate. Similarly, to Kenya’s election solution, the South African President Mbeki was struggling and staggering in reconciliatory engagement of peace and power sharing agenda despite of Mugabe’s call to relinquish power by his counterpart African serving presidents and western allies. Today, Mr. Tsangairi , the leader of opposition is now the prime minister of Zimbabwe, which is yet to be defined and defied by Mugabe if Tsangairi wants to head the Zimbabweans to West; a place most hated by Mugabe. Will this deal relieve the Zimbabweans’ food basket, and kitchen table needs? We have to study the situation in its insinuation ground.
How about Sudan? Well, the obvious arguments are numerous, the latest one is the indictment being blocked and defied through political campaigns by Mr. President Bashir. The Africa Union (AU) and Arab league are the machines master minding the President of the republic of Sudan’s prosecution by rule of law and trail of justice. Therefore, the inherent question: is there justice and fair democracy in Africa? Apparently, there is no fair democracy rather tyrannical democracy in Africa. All presidents in Africa majority of them always come to power through political upheavals or mutinies, which makes it very difficulty to point a finger tip to their eyes.
What should we learn?
The platform of power sharing has now swallowed democracy in Africa. There is no doubt that the routine of refusing to give away power after a presidential election defeat is now a trekking path yet to be emulated by some African leaders if not all. I think it is better for African leaders to see the example of George W. Bush and AL Gore USA 2000 election dispute which was solved peacefully in the court of justice without power sharing deal. Though power sharing is not bad ideology, but also it encourages and defies citizens’ rights to participatory democracy and civil right recognition. It also gives chance to a serving president to serve for life with evolving power to others who can potentially impart positive changes needed at the time of crisis like that one of Zimbabwe’s economic crisis.
What is Kiir Mayardit’s dilemma in the cycle of African elections?
One of the difficult tasks that 1st VP and GoSS president Mr. Kiir Mayardit has to deal with in the 2009 election is the question of unity in the Sudan. Having achieved nomination for his party, his Excellency 1st VP and President of GoSS is now in the mid-way of what SPLM calls the vision of new Sudan. A vision that stances for the marginalized people of the Sudan, but now threatened by the looming secession anticipated by most southern Sudanese after 2011, this secession which is fully supported by the majority of the southerners is the stumbling block to Kiir’s victory in 2009 election. If our president the 1st VP favours the right for self determination and the separatist Southerners will vote for him, but the Nubains, Ingenans and Northerners will never support him. If Mr Kiir, the 1st VP and president of GoSS is for the unity of whole Sudan, Southerners will never stand beside him if not few; this will be a big dilemma that needs him to tackle before hand.
His political credential is now on test whether he will risk his party nomination or advance the vision of marginalization. What Mr. Kiir should understand is that it is the owner of the wound who knows the pain of the wound better. The common people are watching him the way he is going to take them. The caution and precaution are also under way and undertaking because president Bashir is now being shielded from indictment because of CPA and Darfur peace. Therefore, the likelihood of power sharing is now an anticipating probability yet to be established. President Bashir’s indictment and power relent are the equations in which election results will be decipher in his favour. If Kiir Mayardit will not get his right then the Southerners and his party will cry forever and ever.
Miyar De’Nyok is a student at the University of Waterloo, majoring in Environmental resource management and sustainable development.
