Regarding King Zuma

An e-mail sent to editors at sundaystandard.co.bw

[2008-02-05]

Dear Sirs

I am sure "Loose Cannon"'s article regarding President Zuma has attracted a lot of attention. This message, I hope, differs from the others you may have received. I choose only to write regarding the last sentence, "I look forward to the reign of President Jacob Zuma."

I don't believe democracy is African. I don't believe it fits in Africa. It was first implemented about 2500 years ago in India, Pakistan and Greece (although women, slaves and foreigners were not allowed to serve or vote).

For many years now Africa has had to kowtow to Eurocentric demands, like the damaging policies of the IMF that in the past have hurt the economies of developing countries instead of helping them, and international trade with wealthy countries that subsidise their own agriculture and raw materials industries unfairly. These are the same countries that place political demands on African states.

When Europe and Asia were in similar phases of their development as most of Africa is today, they had kings and emperors. They were feudal. They had endless internal strife, the likes of which we are familiar with in the Democratic Republic of Congo and in Kenya; struggles for power and resources.

Only after centuries of revolutions and negotiations, the murders of oppressive and charismatic leaders alike, after the rise of a large economically and politically powerful merchant middle class, after crippling wars as at the beginning of the last century, and failure of communist economic policies, has Europe and Asia finally reached the stage where their people understand and embrace their own political power (on the whole, but not universally), and abide each other peaceably, with stable transitions of power, election after election (again, on the whole, but not universally).

Africa has not traveled this journey. Africa's journey is one of chiefs and kings followed by centuries of colonial oppression, and then an artificial political system forced onto a traditional population. But having elections doesn't make a country a democracy; it just makes it look like one. Without the large merchant middle class there is no powerbase to form the foundation of a democracy. And without a Western European cultural tradition the democratic ideology is alien.

Africa does not know what to do with democracy. It treats presidents not as employees whose job it is to promote its own interests, but as lords to worship and obey. A middle class knows what it is like to have employees. Africa knows only to worship and obey.

If Africa ever succeeds in building a powerful middle class, one that demands service from its governments, and is prepared to punish its leaders for maladministration, then, perhaps, it will be ready to consider democracy. Until then there is still a lot of bloodshed, instability and misery to endure. Until then inappropriate leaders will grapple for power. Until then we will mistreat our citizens, mismanage our resources, and allow the slaughter of our fellow Africans.

Until then, long live the king.

Yours faithfully,

Jean Dafrique

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