OPEN LETTER :
TO: H.E DR LAZARUS M. CHAKWERA ON THE FIRST HUNDRED DAYS OF ADMINISTRATION.
Salutation
Your Excellency, congratulations on a fantastic interview granted the Pan African Visions Magazine (November Edition).
Premised on your foresightedly assuring statement in search for a new Malawi.
Your Excellency, l wish to anchor this communication on your statement :
“I am here to serve Malawians, nothing more, nothing less. The success of Malawians, their prosperity, their aspirations fulfilled, their future ensured, their country secured, their lives assured, is what must define the success of this administration”
For a secured Malawian generation to serve as an example to the rest of Africa, with humility, may you consider this outlook for Africa with Malawi as the torch:
AN ALTERNATIVE PROPOSAL FOR AFRICAN ELECTORAL DEMOCRACY AND GOVERNANCE SYSTEM
Preamble
With a defined commitment to safeguarding a nation’s and its people’s sovereignty that state constitutions are formulated. The spirit of articulation of such a constitution and a significant aspect is that of the masses being immersed in the collective exercise of its construction as a commitment to their present and their future. Meaning that, the articulation of a constitution should be tempered to the reality of the masses and that it responds to the peoples’ interests. This way, the masses can identify with it and therefore fight for it to be respected and defended.
Herein, a state’s constitution should be formulated to recognize several important rights that broadly and significantly address any endemic socio-economic and political challenges.
On the notion of the many socio-politico-economic drawbacks of many African states, a way forward to constitutional formulations that guarantee real sovereignty of states and practical freedom for its peoples is the consideration of the underlying social structures of the African cultural and communal milieu.
1- Electoral Tensions
A critical review of the western-style multiparty democratic electoral system and its performance as corresponds to periods leading to; during elections; and aftermaths reveal high political rigidity and tensions; which easily escalate into the many consequential civil unrests and conflicts in the many African States.
Multi-party democracy as exercised in many African states seem to be mere traps to teasingly test the fragility of that same system.
The system is alien to the African tradition of communal interest and safeguarding. In many cases, the multiparty system has rather crumbled and undefined the history and legacy of unity and commonality of a people; generating pointless tensions and scars of scorn and hate.
On the premise that a peoples’ peaceful communal way of being can be broken and sacrificed in the name of a system of democracy by multiparty election, one can only allude to the fact that the promoters of such a system are not faithful. Again, the conditionalities of the imposition of such a system on Africa reinforces the belief in an intent dull on the interest of the continent and its peoples. So, therefore, these elections are tale guided by western and eastern interests; at the detriment of the African.
2- Communalism/Ubuntu
▪︎African history has a nostalgic legacy of strength in Unity and commonality through acceptance and embrace of diversity.
▪︎African empires prospered not just for conquests but for the embrace of brotherliness and the spirit of commonality, common ancestry, and the concept that each is the other’s keeper.
▪︎Wars were not won just by kills but by how the victor has been able to embrace and welcome the former enemies into the family fold to build and develop together, towns and villages.
▪︎The idea that, there was a winner and the winner takes all was out of place in the conception of good and bad within the African cultural milieu.
▪︎It is therefore difficult to characterize as African any of the many elections so far held on the continent as representative of the people and culture.
▪︎ No election in the name of a multiparty democratic system has passed the test of Africanism as embodied in the African culture of inclusiveness for all, irrespective of beliefs, ethnicity, sex, numerical strength, or weakness.
▪︎Looking to the future hereon, AFRICA must interrogate ways to get out of the quagmire of tensions due to the multiparty electoral system.
3- African Model Solution
A template solution-which is an African People’s blueprint to redeem her identity, pride and personality, is herein, proposed on the foundation of the African anthropological perspective concerning the real democratic credence of a society and its cultural idiosyncrasy.
A foremost justification of the western-style multiparty electoral system is the idea that it responds to popular direct expression of a people’s choice.
Many proponents of this system, however, ignore the fact that there are more aptly indigenous governance and selection of leadership systems in Africa. Autochthonous election systems for many African traditional and cultural leadership positions, thoroughly, requires the direct influence of the people or their cultural representatives.
So from this premise of African sociopolitical and cultural science that the following governance structure is proposed:
4- Structures
• An executive branch,
• Legislature: congress, and a senate,
• Judiciary,
• State Institutions.
The Executive Branch Categorization
Category One :
• 1a- Identify political parties who are impactful and visible, and in good standing by the electoral institutions of each State in Africa. Such parties should have had representation in Parliament to date or before. The ruling political party would be given the opportunity for 12 individuals from its structures as representatives on the executive council. The other parties would each nominate 7 individuals as their representatives.
• 1b-Three National Executive members of the National Houses of Chiefs and Queen Mothers;
• 1c-Three National Executive members of the first three major religious bodies;
• 1d- A representative each from three minor religious bodies.
• 1e- 3 representatives from the physically challenged associations.
A key factor in nominations put forth would be a requirement for adherence to GENDER PARITY. The category one representatives would gather as an Assembly.
Category two :
The function of this assembly is to elect individuals for the following positions:
• A President and a Vice President
• Ministers
Individuals selected for these positions would then form the Cabinet. Their appointment will however be subject to approval by a CONGRESS and SENATE.
The Legislative Branch
The legislature would consist of a congress and a senate.
1-The Congress categorization and representations:
Congress would be constituted by the following categorization:
• 1a- 5 prominent Chiefs and 5 prominent Queen- Mothers or their representatives from each Region or Province of a State recognized by a Chieftaincy Act.
• 1b- Representation from Trade Union registered with the Labour Department. Each Trade Union shall nominate a male and female from the National and Regional levels. In Federal Republics like Nigeria and Ethiopia; these representatives shall be nominated from the Federal level and an agreed number from the States.
• 1c- An agreed number of the physically challenged should also be nominated.
2-The Senate Categorization and nomination:
The Senate as the second Chamber will be represented solely by the following traditional African setup:
• The leadership of the Regional Houses of Chiefs;
• Leaders of recognized Queenmothers Associations;
Herein a case for example, in Ghana, the Senate will replace the current established Council of State.
Physically challenged representation should be presented in the Senate.
The Judiciary Branch
The judiciary would comprise:
1- High courts bench,
2- Lower courts bench.
The High Courts Bench:
This bench would be filled by the following nominations:
• 1a- through the Regional Houses of Chiefs and QueenMothers’. The nominations shall be anchored on the individual’s professional duties, Services and Integrity.
• 1b- There shall be a higher number of nominees-out of which an agreed number shall be elected by CONGRESS and endorsed by the SENATE.
The Lower Courts Bench:
Same principles as in the nominations for the high courts’ bench shall apply to the lower Courts.
State Institutions nominations
Heads of all State: -Institutions shall be appointed through a proven record anchored on professional discipline; service and integrity.
-Important consideration herein, would be that an individual must rise through the ranks of the institution to be qualified for the highest position of each Institution and be guided by professionalism and Integrity.
-It is indispensable that all nominations and criteria for nominations be guided by the values of adherence to gender balance.
5- Advantages of the African governance structure
The author believes that the proposed governance model can bring forth the following advantages:
• A cost-effective and sustainable democratic model;
• It embraces varied and high representativeness of the citizenry and its interests in a traditionally African perspective; through the three arms of the governance system
• It would reduce ethnic and political party tensions and conflicts as currently experienced with the western-style multiparty electoral system;
• It is a Democratic model that conforms to the socio-cultural value systems in Africa.
6- Executive Powers
The check on Executive Power Exercise:
-The Executive powers of the President will be reduced to the Cabinet.
-Herein, decisions at Cabinet meetings-Chaired by the President would be put through a vote on a balance requirement of a 2/3 majority secret votes for approval or otherwise rejection.
-To further check on the powers of the executive.
A final decision on the matter will be referred to the Congress for secondment and to the Senate for endorsement.
7- Local Governance
revitalization
• The Local government system will be strengthened with the empowerment of Traditional Councils that would have the right and authority to appoint at their local government jurisdictions.
• Elections of the head of the Local Governments will be through the casting of the ballot to endorse or reject a nominee.
• This will deepen grassroots participatory democracy.
• Public Accountability/ Transparency Assembly or Forum will be instituted for the programmes of action and implementation with a summary of expenditures being made public; to ensure grassroots ownership.
Conclusion
The solution to deepening African democratic processes and fortifying the defense of the sovereignty of states and practical emancipation of its citizenry is a bold reception of the African indigenous socio-political perspective. Africa possesses deep wisdom of culture and idiosyncrasies in governance and leadership selection; grounded on peacemaking; integration of its diverse peoples, and communal solidarity.
Aggressive competitiveness, unguarded tension, and contempt created in our communities by the western-style multiparty electoral system should point Africans back to their heritage rule of ‘each been the other’s keeper’.
Please accept, Your Excellency, the assurances of my highest esteem and consideration.
Benjamin Anyagre, DFCIMS
(Pan-Africanist)
[email protected]