Basic

Sound Political order or Liberal Democracy

Posted by: Brhane Woldu

Date: Monday, 11 January 2021

By: Berhane Woldu

America’s democracy was considered to be “The Gift from God”. On January 7th 2021 the world witnessed the failure of Democracy in the most powerful, rich, and advanced country in the word “The beacon of Democracy” USA. Insurrection at the US Capital building by President Trump supporters. President Trump incites riot at the US Capitol as the joint session of Congress was in progress to certify president elect Biden. Calls for Vise president Pence to invoke the 25th amendment to remove President Trump has been signaled. Trump administration officials submitted resignation in the wake of seditious act.

These undemocratic acts were the working of the president and the failure of the US Republican Senators to control Trump for the past three years. Trump was abled by the Republican political elite (in order to secure their political future) to re-brand the Republican Party in his own image and become above the law of the land. President Trump negated the will of the popular vote; the State rights who had certified President elect Biden as the winner endangering the peaceful transition of power.

This historical event has implication to many countries and system of governance. Many political parties, elites and activist may now doubt and hesitate if Democracy is indeed the best way to hold leaders accountable. USA is a Nation state with strong State apparatus, rule of law and accountability system; yet it’s so fragile that a President challenges the democratic system and put the country in danger.

Many developing nations have been advised to practice Liberal Democrats and US government have been a leader in promoting Democracy all over the world. In many less developed countries democratically elected governments have failed; they have destabilized Nations, subject to civil wars, rebellions, coups and famine. Case in point: the recent civil war in Central African Republic, Senegal, Rwanda, Uganda and Ethiopia are a direct failure of democracy. The Ethiopian Federal Democratic government elected by the people dominated by the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF) has been the cancer of East Africa since it came to power in 1991. The TPLF for twenty seven (27) years gamed and disposed the political system for private gain and used clientelism involving large scale exchanges of favors. Fractured the country along ethnic lines; Oromo, Amhara, Tigrye etc. built the state around ethnicities. Through its institutions looted billion if not trillions of US dollars enriching the ruling elite and put the country in so much debt. TPLF recently tried to topple the Federal Government of Ethiopia, which has brought it to its obliteration and eradication. These historical facts are not to be taken lightly the failure of Democracy in Africa is the most serious problem and cause of the suffering of the African people.

Political philosophers and scientists tell us that political order deals with basic political institutions: Nation building, state building, rule of law and accountability. There must be a strong state, the state has to be constrained through law and checked by the mechanism of accountability.

 

The state must first exist before one can constrain the state by law and checked by substantive accountability or democracy. Many African countries, periodic multiparty election for choosing rulers have been dominant and its outcome has become civil war and a distraction. The reason for the African countries turmoil and poor economics is that the lack of basic government institution “Strong State”. African countries don’t possess competent high capacity state. Rather, they have patrimonial state. Sociologist Max Weber describes “patrimonial” as the polity is considered the personal property of the ruler and state administration is an extension of the ruler’s household. As Ethiopia was under the TPLF. Modern states require shifting political organization away from family based organization of public interest of the whole community. Modern states treat citizens’ impersonal basis; applying laws, recruiting officials, and undertake policies without favoritism.

Rule of law must constrain the state’s power property rights, contract enforcement, and equal rights for women and ethnic minorities and rules of behavior must be in place. If rulers can change the rule to suit themselves, then there is no rule of law. The rule of law must be embodied in a separate judicial institution that is autonomous from the executive. Which was not the case with TPLF led government and many African countries. Accountability doesn’t necessarily mean democratic election. Accountability means the government is responsive to the interest of society for common good.  

The near failure of the American democracy should be a lesson for African nations. Rather than copying the outside part of Western democracy the African states need to look intrinsically and build a nation state by creating a national identity rather than loyalty to ethnicity. Build a strong state the absence of strong political institutions brings states into a cycle of conflict, violence, and poverty. Political order must be understood in the context of economic growth that is charted to increase social mobilization, justice and legitimacy. Good governance and political stability are graded by satisfying popular expectations for jobs and economic growth and eventually accommodating demands for greater accountability with high social capital integrated through high trust in the Government.

 


6ይ ክፋል: ማዕበል ስርሒት ፈንቅል - የካቲት 1990 - ሰነዳዊት ፊልም| sirihit fenkil 1990 - part 6 - ERi-TV Documentary

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