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Essay / The state of democracy in Africa
The term democracy generally refers to a type of political system in which the people or their representatives legally govern themselves, rather than being governed by, for example, a military dictatorship, a totalitarian party or a monarch (Keane, 2006). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay It is based on the idea that all citizens have the right and should be empowered to participate in decision-making processes that affect their lives. and also have the power to hold the government accountable. Pennock (1979, p. 7) also defines it as "government by the people, in which liberty, equality and fraternity are guaranteed to the highest possible degree and in which human capacities are developed to the maximum, by means including freedom and full fraternity.” debate on problems, differences and common interests. The key role of citizens in a democracy is participation. According to Arnstein in his article "A Ladder of Citizen Participation", the term citizen participation refers to the redistribution of power that allows poor citizens, currently excluded from political and economic processes, to be deliberately included. According to her, the deprived constitute the minorities (a group of people socially alienated or separated from the dominant forces of a society) in society, and therefore citizen participation is in fact the means by which these minorities are included in the decision. creative process, so that they stimulate significant social reforms that will allow them to share the benefits of the affluent society. By voting in elections, debating issues, attending community meetings, getting involved in private and voluntary organizations, and determining how policies are made, among other things, citizen participation is supposed to be achieved. Citizens also have an obligation to inform themselves about matters of public concern, to monitor the conduct of their leaders and representatives, and to express their own opinions. According to Zachariah 1997, in an essay he wrote in Foreign Affairs titled “The Rise of Illiberal Democracy,” democracies around the world were giving in to illiberal reforms; he argues that the ties that united the traditions of democracy and liberalism were rapidly eroding. According to him, illiberal democracies are multiplying all over the world and increasingly limit the freedoms of the people they represent. He also points out that in the West, electoral democracy and civil liberties such as freedom of speech, religion, expression and the press, among others, go hand in hand. However, around the world both concepts are collapsing. He argues that democracy without constitutional liberalism produces centralized regimes, erosion of freedom, ethnic competition, conflict and war. Libya under Muammar Gaddafi practiced a form of democracy that he established in March 1977, called JAMAHIRIYA, an Arabic term generally translated as "state of the masses." It was based on Gaddafi's theories outlined in his "Green Book", published in 1975 and entitled "The Solution of the Problem of Democracy". With this, he promised to save the world from the failures of Western democracy and communism. His “Third Universal Theory” would usher in an era of mass democracy in which people would govern themselves directly. Gaddafi criticized elections, political parties and popular representation. The only true form of democracy, he asserts, is that where the masses come together in popular committees, congressespopular and professional associations. Thus, the nation-state of Libya was divided into several small communities that were essentially "autonomous mini-states" within a state. Citizens did not have the luxury of voting in elections, but his form of government brought democracy to the people's doorstep, basic human rights were respected and Libyans had a high standard of living. Although perceived by The West and critics as a dictator, mainly because he did not follow Western criteria of practicing democracy, his system of government resulted in great success for the Libyan people during his tenure . The state of democracy in Africa is one of the most controversial topics on the continent. Is Africa becoming more or less democratic? Is there a reason why so many African countries are caught between democracy and authoritarianism? How can we rethink democracy in Africa to better adapt it to the reality of the continent? What makes African democracies more distinct is that while many countries are not very successful at practicing democracy, others have nonetheless made significant progress toward establishing stable and accountable multiparty systems. Countries like Ghana, Nigeria and South Africa have gone the extra mile to establish multi-party political systems in their countries. In other words, a significant proportion of the continent is democratizing against all odds. It is important to note, however, that although many of these states experience intense political competition, some remain institutionally weak. Furthermore, since democracy itself is a foreign ideology, based on Western culture and beliefs, its applicability in Africa is quite difficult due to the difficulty of merging the Western system of government with the African system of government. . According to Alemayehu G. Mariam in his article "Democracy Before Democracy in Africa", the problem facing democracies in Africa is that democracy in Africa is a different species of democracy which has its roots in culture and African history. Given that African societies are plagued by ethnic, tribal and religious conflicts which can be resolved within the framework of traditional African institutions of consensus building, elder mediation and conciliation and not through Western-style democracy which is not suitable for Africans because the necessary prerequisites for such a system do not exist in Africa. Thus in Libya, Muammar Gaddafi sought to practice a form of democracy that seemed suited to his country. According to him, Western-style democracy is not suited to Africa. He believed that all people should manage their country according to the cultural and social environment and that the people of Africa live in tribes and each tribe has a leader, so the system of elections and political parties is suitable more to Europe and America than to Africa. The task of our representatives who write state constitutions, therefore, is to decide on an appropriate form of democracy, one that allows enough accommodation to allow all parties involved to feel that they have a stake in the system, to promote responsibility and economic prosperity for the African people. This research focuses on illiberal democracy in Africa. The study will therefore focus on democracy under Gaddafi, nicknamed the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya from 1977 to 2011. Democracy in Africa was shaped by the colonial powers who ruled Africa until countries Africans are starting to get theirindependence in the 1960s and, as a result, its practice became problematic because Western-style democracy in no way meets the needs of African people since it was developed based on Western culture and beliefs. It is therefore difficult to apply it in the African context. This research therefore seeks to determine, based on the cultural and social environment of African countries, the type of democracy likely to be suitable for the continent. For the purposes of this thesis, the concept of good governance will be used. Good governance as a concept is based on the principle that the government is committed to making effective, inclusive and transparent decisions. It is a commitment to do the best with available resources in the context of governance challenges. The concept of good governance often appears as a model for comparing inefficient economies or political organizations with viable economies and political organizations. The concept focuses on the responsibility of governments and governing bodies to meet the needs of the masses as opposed to some selected groups in society. Indeed, the countries often described as “best performers” are Western liberal democratic states, concentrated in Europe and the Americas, and standards of good governance often measure other state institutions against these states. According to Grindle (2004), the relevance of good governance comes precisely from its relationship with the development of a country and the reduction of poverty. Establishing a program to achieve good governance is of immense interest but also a complex task, which leads this author to instead propose a program of “good governance” as a starting point. In building this “simpler” program, the idea is to review policies that have worked in the past, to set priorities strategically, to consider policies with a greater impact on poverty reduction and achieving development, and to seek innovative ways to implement such programs. policies. A criticism of this concept, however, is that there are varying definitions of what exactly good governance is or should entail and therefore it becomes difficult to measure. Furthermore, the measurement of good governance is often described in terms of economic growth in developing countries. Criticisms about this are obvious and are often heard both in academia and in other supranational institutions. Despite the criticisms addressed to this concept, it is relevant for research because democracy cannot flourish in the absence of good governance. One of the prerequisites for good governance is the presence of effective democratic institutions to democratize society. Improving people's living standards cannot happen where people cannot participate in governance, where human rights are not respected, where information does not flow and where civil society and the justice system are weak. Existing literature particularly focuses on democracy, its fundamental principles, and what determines whether a country practices democracy or not. However, for the purposes of this thesis, it is imperative to first understand what illiberal versus liberal democracy is, its characteristics, and whether there is indeed evidence to show that it is on the rise. Fareed Zakaria, in his essay "The Rise of Illiberal Democracy", points out that in recent times, fanatical or tyrannical groups all over the world seize power through democratic means and then ignore the limitsconstitutional, thus depriving them of their natural rights. The general understanding of democracy is "liberal democracy", that is, a political system marked by free and fair elections, the rule of law and respect for the fundamental rights and freedoms of citizens. The separation of powers exists to prevent one branch of government from gaining too much power. According to Zakariah, these inalienable rights define what a true constitutional liberal democracy is. He then goes on to argue that most democracies are no longer liberal and have taken the path of illiberal democracy by denying citizens their basic rights. In my opinion, Zakariah's article provides a good understanding of the flaws of democracies around the world. The current state of democracy around the world is gradually moving towards an illiberal trend, in which governments, although coming to power through free and fair elections, follow some of the fundamental principles of democracy, but restrict certain rights and freedoms of their citizens, such as liberty. of association. Also in his book “The Future of Freedom: Illiberal Democracy at Home and Abroad”, he states that the 20th century was marked by two major trends: the regulation of capitalism and the deregulation of democracy. He also makes a point that in recent times, public respect for politics and the political system in all advanced societies is at an all-time low. Indeed, there is a lack of trust between the population and the government, which can be attributed to a corrupt and flawed electoral process, strongly influenced by the way in which the image of the candidate in the running is projected. Often, as a leader who would respond to the needs of citizens, ensure that their rights and responsibilities are respected, and ultimately make society a better place to live. The opposite happens when they are elected. Constitutional provisions are ignored, freedom of the press and the freedoms of citizens are notably restricted. Faced with the rise of illiberal democracies in non-Western societies, Zakaria asks whether democracy produces an Islamic theocracy. Theocracy is the belief that a religion must be absolutely culturally dominant. Islam is a religion that wants to be very firmly established. It wants to become the official religion of a nation or an empire. It rejects the idea that politics should be conducted without reference to religion, as well as the idea that different religions should be treated equally. As a result, many of their practices are not consistent with Western-style democracies since their religion is fused with democracy. Alemayehu G. Mariam in his article “Democracy Before Democracy in Africa”, argues that African democracy is rooted in African culture and history and that before Africa can have political democracy, it must have a economic democracy. Widespread poverty, low per capita income, the narrowness of the middle class and the absence of a democratic civic culture make the Western-style democratic system incompatible with African realities. Liberal democracy could only arrive in Africa after significant economic development. Robert Dahl's book "On Democracy" also explains what an ideal democracy is and whether there is an ideal democracy in the world. According to him, there are five criteria that describe a democratic form of government. Effective participation, where citizens are able to contribute to the decision-making process and its.