Large-scale corruption

Today’s revelations about Isabel dos Santos, the Angolan entrepreneur and the richest woman in Africa, just confirm a few things I keep repeating. 

First, dictatorship and high-level corruption go hand in hand. 

Second, corruption is the key impediment of development and human security. 

Third, European leaders know that corrupted practices are widespread in non-democratic regimes, but they quite often prefer to turn a blind eye on the issue, if there are political or economic interests at play. 

Fourth, global consultancy firms do not mind offering some cover to illegal transfers, if there is money to be made from that. 

Fifth, an independent media is essential to uncover malpractices. And to keep dictators on guard, under watch. 

Algeria and Sudan

Algeria and Sudan mean good news. It is so rewarding to have positive developments in these two countries. People are in the streets, fighting for democracy, after so many years of government brutality. And they are not ready to let change go and be just apparent. They want deep political reforms, serious constitutional changes. Civilian rule after the dictatorship of the intelligence services and the armed forces.

They will do it by themselves. There is no need for external pressure or interference. In both cases, we have populations that have shown political maturity and indomitable courage. They learnt, after so many years of hardship, to be strong and clear in their determination.

Good news from Guinea-Bissau

We don’t write about Guinea-Bissau. T is never in the news. It’s one of those lost lands, somewhere in the map of Africa. Some better-informed people know the country is very undeveloped and that poverty has been compounded by serious political turmoil for over twenty years. And that’s about it.

But this time, the news coming from Bissau is encouraging. The country went through general elections this past Sunday. The process was credible enough. And a governing coalition is taking shape.

I can only hope that this will bring the much-needed political stability Guinea-Bissau needs. And I leave here a word of support.  

The importance of the Electoral Commissions

Still on Gambia´s presidential elections, I owe a word of great recognition to the chairman of country´s Independent Electoral Commission, Mr. Alieu Momar Njie. I have seen many elections from a very close range. And I know that the chairmanship of the electoral commissions makes the difference. Just before the declaration of the results, Njie was for a while under very serious stress and hard pressure. But he demonstrated to be a strong and honest chairman. Unfortunately, that is not always the case, in similar situations. Therefore, it is tremendously important to mention his example.  

Democracy in action: The Gambia

I spent about five years in The Gambia, from 1989 to 1994. I had an excellent relationship with the national authorities in Banjul and also with a good number of traditional leaders, in many rural areas. The country was moving up, mainly because of tourism and trade with neighbouring Senegal and other countries in the vicinity. The young people had a good knowledge of English in addition to the national and regional languages.

I left the country one month before the military takeover. The coup came as a surprise. The national army was small and very young. It had been in contact with the Nigerian military during their joint UN peacekeeping assignments in Liberia. And they got some bad ideas.

The leader of the coup, Yahya Jammeh, became Head of State. With the passing of the years, he changed into the category of crazy dictator, like some we have seen in Africa and other parts of the world. His views turned into bizarre beliefs and his actions into violent oppression.

But in the soul of many Gambians, there had been planted a seed of freedom and democracy. And they also had the example of Senegal, next door, a twin nation and a much bigger brother. Senegal might have known many difficulties during the last twenty-five years or so, but the people kept a fighting spirit. The Gambians too.

And now they have voted Yahya Jammeh out of the presidency. They have opened a new phase in their future. There is hope again, after more than two decades of despair. I see this as an example that must be talked about.

As we should also talk about Jammeh, who understood the sense of the vote and has accepted his defeat. That´s remarkable for a man that was convinced he was in power for life.

Life is indeed full of surprises. In the case of The Gambia, this has been a magnificent one.

Time to focus on Angola´s democratization

Angola does not attract a lot of media attention. It is an important country in its part of the world, because of its size, wealth and military power. But is also a very poor example in terms of democratic rule and even worst, if we look at governance and accountability issues. 

It is a rich country with plenty of poverty. And it is a country that locks up people as soon as they express any type of opposition to the ruling class. 

That´s the case with 15 grassroots individuals that have been in jail for about three months for the simple reason they organised a public demonstration to call for more democracy and human rights. They are now under the very serious charge of treason and threats against the constitutional order –“coup d´état attempt”-, as accused by the government. It is a farce, a travesty of rule of law.

It is time to talk about it. As it is time to call for democratic change in the country.

Let´s support Tunisia

The Tunisian presidential elections – the first round was held today – are important for the country´s citizens, obviously, but also for the image of Arab revolutions.

Tunisia was the first country to undergo a major political change based on mass demonstrations. It is today the best example of democratization in the Arab world, notwithstanding the many problems the country is still confronted with. And all the friends of Tunisia and democracy in that part of the planet would like it to continue to be a good example. Even if we know that there are many dimensions that are far from being good, including some related to the old oligarchy, its corrupted practices and its attempts to highjack the process, we need to be able to say that there is pluralism, tolerance and rule of law in a country that shares its borders with states that are still in deep crisis.

We should also be able to convince the tourists to go back to Tunisia and all types of investors to look at the country´s potential. 

Nairobi's drama

Nairobi is a major international hub and a reference city in East Africa. The UN has a very large presence there, including the world headquarters of the UN Environment Programme. In addition, there are many embassies there, a significant number of transnational firms and a dynamic private sector. For many tourists that visit that part of Africa, Nairobi is the entry and exit point. The national carrier, Kenyan Airlines, has become one of the most efficient in Africa. They bring people to Nairobi from many corners of Africa and fly them out to Europe and Asia.

Furthermore, the political situation, which had been so traumatizing in the elections five years ago, has evolved in the right direction. This year’s presidential race was a peaceful exercise in democracy. Notwithstanding the ethnicity dimension that is very present in the society, stability has regained the place it used to occupy.

The Kenyan Armed Forces have been a key player in the fight for peace and normalcy in Somalia. They have inflicted heavy pressure on the radicals over there and managed, with other African troops, to get the worst of them, Al-Shabab, out of the Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu.

Apparently it is this extremist and highly violent group, which is also closely linked to Al-Qaeda, that is responsible for the drama that has befallen over Nairobi since yesterday.  They came to kill and to remind all of us that radicalism and violence are key enemies of democracy and very serious threats to economic and political stability. 

Elections Zimbabwean style

On 31 July Zimbabweans will be offered a new chance of being robbed. Indeed, on that day presidential elections will take place. And the Electoral Commission, appointed by good old Robert and loyal to the regime interests, will do again what they have done in 2002, 2005 and 2008: make sure that the Mugabe camp steals the elections. The Electoral Commissioners are very expert at that job. I have observed and also implemented many elections in Africa and elsewhere. I have never seen an institutional machinery so smart as the one in Zimbabwe that can organise chaos, put in place rules and legal obstacles, and create all conditions for the old man to be “elected” in a way that looks good enough.

I would love to be wrong this time. 

Africa's Day

Today is Africa’s Day! This blog wants to associate itself to the celebrations. Having spent 29 years working in many corners of Africa, I feel I have shared a good part of my life with many people in the Continent –I worked in some many countries. I felt the distress that came out of conflicts, oppression and corruption. But I have also celebrated a number of times, when progress took roots, democracy and human rights were put in place, or when cooperation between neighbouring states gained ground.

Africa is diverse. Some regions have done better than others. Central Africa remains behind and requires special attention. But, in general terms, 50 years on there is plenty to be happy about.

There are also major challenges. The most daunting one is very often ignored. It has to do with the extremely rapid rate of population growth. Africa needs to address its demographic transition without further delays. And that goes through a number of avenues, the most important of which is the empowerment of the African women. 

Congratulations to all Kenyans

Kenya’s presidential results have now been confirmed. And one should note the maturity shown this time by the political elite, particularly by Raila Odinga, who challenged the results through the courts and has now accepted the final verdict. This is a sea change compared with the tragic events that occurred after the last elections in 2007. It is another demonstration that many countries in Africa are moving in the right direction. 

Chad on its own

This evening I had a brief discussion with the Chadian leadership. They think the international community is not doing enough to assist the country on the road to peace and progress. They also believe Chad has been a barrier against the expansion of religious fundamentalism in the Sahel but that role is not fully appreciated by the key donor countries in the West.

Chad is again at a critical juncture, with the situation in South Sudan having an impact on the fragile relations between Chadians, Northerners and Southerners. Furthermore, the country is preparing for presidential and parliamentary elections, which should take place within the first semester of 2011. The preparatory work is of poor quality and nobody seems to link that with the potential for troubles down the line. On top of everything, one cannot forget that the democratisation process is still an infant.

The donors are not properly represented in N'Djaména and the dialogue between them and the government is not productive. There has been no real dialogue with Brussels either.

France, the key Western partner, has been without a proper ambassador for several months. The outgoing envoy said good bye at the beginning of summer and then, after a short while in Paris, came back, in a very strange diplomatic situation. He is around but as a weakened player.

The EC has been represented by someone who has little sense of diplomacy and a very unique way of looking at strategy. He was supposed to leave long back, but has delayed his departure. He is not happy with the parking lot that waits for him in Brussels. And the new lady keeps waiting somewhere in the clouds of EU bureaucracy.

The US had a good ambassador in N'Djaména. But he has been sick since the beginning of the year. The new ambassador has only recently been confirmed. The interim chargé d'affaires did a good job, but it is not the same as being the susbtantive head of mission.

And that's very much it, on the side of Western missions in Chad.

The question is then obvious: Are we sure we have our African priorities right?

Fashion, peace and love

Copyright V.Ângelo

Peace and love are back in Sierra Leone, West Africa. And the fashion houses, like this one in Makeni, the headquarters town of the Northern Province, are pretty busy. Creativity is part of building a more democratic and stable society and country.

Sierra Leone and the international community have a major challenge: the fashion of peace needs deeper roots. The dividends of peace are yet to fully marry the democratic dispensation.