Emeka Okafor of Africa Unchained recently posted a speech by George Ayittey who called for Technocrats saying:
When Africa's developmobile needed ordinary kerosene to operate, these leaders were pouring in rocket fuel, purchased on credit from the Soviet Union. They knew squat about how the ship of state runs and jammed all its internal systems and institutions. They turned parliament into a “rubber stamp,” packed the judiciary with their cronies and tribesmen. They did the same with the military and security forces. Then they muzzled the MEDIA. In fact, they took over ALL key institutions of the state and subverted them to serve their own selfish interests. Today, the INSTITUTIONS of the state are DYSFUNCTIONAL, rule of law a farce, and our developmobile is KAPUT. Tell a policeman you saw a government minister stealing the people's money and guess who he would arrest: YOU! The police and the judges protect the bandits in power, not the people.
SO WHAT DO WE NEED?
We need TECHNOCRATS to fix our broken, dysfunctional institutions. REPAIRMEN or plumbers who will unclog the gutters or the system. CUTLASSES to chop down all the dead woods Rawlings packed into the civil service. PINCERS to de-worm the judiciary, and so on.
You do NOT need an Nkrumah (a visionary and Pan-Africanist) or a Mandela (a heroic campaigner against white injustice) because they are NOT technocrats.
I have to beg to differ with Mr. Ayittey for a few reasons. Firstly I think Mr Ayittey makes an unnecessary split between the technocrat and the visionary leader. Secondly I think that Mr. Ayittey, like too many educated black people downplay the importance of strong, principled leadership. It is clear that the lack of true Pan-Africanist leadership is a large reason behind many of Africa's current crises. Frantz Fanon was very clear in his seminal work "wretched of the Earth" that the leadership (from the head of state through to the teacher in the rural school) must create a national consciousness. It is clear to me that, other than a football (soccer) game, many in Africa are still to caught up in ethnicism and regionalism. the DRC provides a clear example of this problem. Part of the reason that Patrice Lumumba was overthrown is because of the conflicts between those from different provinces. Therein highlights the problem that the DRC will still face if its people are still voting based on ethnic affiliation. This is the root of the corruption that George Ayittey is going on about.
(17 years of informed commentary)
2 comments:
Seems to me that Africa needs more of both - technicians and principled leadership. They are fingers on the hand of progress. Many of that class are living abroad. As far as the DRC, had Africans drawn the borders (out of necessity), the Katanga province (or its general environs) might be a sovereign nation.
true, Katanga may well have been a provence, that still would not have dealt with the long term issue of Pan-Africanism. Had "natural" boundaries been created Ghana would be split in two o three, So would Nigeria and so on. Katanga would have needed to be as sovereign as NY State is sovereign relative to the United States of America. Ultimately the croneyism et. al in Africa, as I see it is a direct outgrowth of "ethnicism". There seems to be great pressure on people to use government not only for personal enrichment but also for the enrichment of thier "people".
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