A good inventory. Thanx Ace for sharing. De-minimis a dialogue on governance systems is warranted isn't it? It all goes back to the miseducation of the native. I am pleased Ghana, Mali, Benin, and Burundi are fashioning more germaine and appropriate governance systems.

Haruna.

-----Original Message-----
From: oko drammeh <[log in to unmask]>
To: GAMBIA-L <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thu, May 20, 2010 6:29 pm
Subject: Fw: The Westminster model failed Africa











Subject: RE: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Blessing-Miles Tendi: The Westminster model failed Africa

Did the Westminster Model really fail Africa? What about the Paris Model bequeathed to Francophone Africa? Has/Is this Model worked/working better than the Westminster Model?

Did the Westminster Model really fail Africa? What about the Paris Model bequeathed to Francophone Africa? Has/Is this Model worked/working better than the Westminster Model?
 We must not forget the Lisbon and Madrid Models. 
Many African countries have spurned the government models that they inherited from their former colonial powers. Some African countries had adopted the United States' presidential Model. Others have tried to develop what they believe are their proprietary Government Models. Have the Models worked? Are the models working for them?
India, Malaysia, Pakistan, and Singapore inherited the Westminster Model. It has worked well so far for India, Malaysia, and Singapore. See where these countries are today. See how they are today. See where they are going. The Westminster model does not seem to have worked as well for Pakistan, as it has for India. Why is this the case? 
Ownership of the Government Model while important, does not and could not guarantee the success of the Model. It is more the people rather than the Government Model that is the problem in African countries. A thief is a thief regardless of the legal system. A thief will always try to corrupt, navigate, or rig a system to practice his/her trade. 




http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/may/19/africa-colonies-british-parliament-reform


When Britain granted independence to the majority of its African
colonies in the 1950s and 1960s, it attempted to hand down
Westminster's parliamentary system as an institutional legacy. Today,
the Westminster model in most of these colonies has all but
disappeared. As Britain haggles over the prospect of reforms [http://
www.guardian.co.uk/politics/electoralreform" title="Guardian:
Electoral reform] to its political system, there is room for dialogue
with former African colonies about how to improve government models.

One of Britain's justifications for colonialism in Africa was that it
sought to "civilise the natives" by preparing them for democratic
government based on the Westminster model. At independence Ghana,
Somalia, Cameroon, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Zanzibar,
Zambia, Malawi, Gambia, Lesotho, Botswana, Swaziland and Zimbabwe had
as one of their institutional legacies this model.

However, institutionalising our parliamentary system among the
"natives" had not been a dominant pursuit throughout colonialism.
British colonial government had been undemocratic. As Barry Munslow
writes [http://pa.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/pdf_extract/36/1/218";
title="Barry Munslow: Why has the Westminster mmodel failed in
Africa], "from 1910 to 1948 Sir Roger Furse controlled all
applications to civil service posts. He went to Eton and Balliol
College (Oxford) but confessed that he owed his success more to his
training as a cavalry officer. After the first world war, new recruits
to the colonial service tended to be ex-officers and later were drawn
from the public schools and Oxbridge. The result was that the ethos of
a ruling class, that in Britain was fast losing its exclusive claim,
became the ethos of the colonial service".

The Westminster model was, with the exception of Ghana, belatedly
transplanted during rapid decolonisation processes in Africa. Britain
did not consider that it could not be handed down to African colonies
regardless of historical, cultural and education contexts.
Transplanting the Westminster model also meant that there was no real
ownership of the system in African colonies. There was no emphasis on
the necessity of having a significant transition period during which
it might have taken root in Africa.

In view of this, it is unsurprising that the imported political system
collapsed in the vast majority of former British colonies in Africa.
Single-party rule and military coup d'?tats became the norm. The blame
was often directed at the Africans. The British model was not the
problem: Africans were not ready for democracy. It is, however, more
accurate to say that the system of the colonisers was unworkable in
many former African colonies for the reasons outlined above. And
despite ongoing problems, parts of Africa have democratised
considerably since decolonisation.

Most former British colonies in Africa now have presidential systems
of government. The presidential system has its merits: presidents are
elected directly by the people and it offers stable and decisive
government. Nonetheless, concentration of excessive powers in the
presidency has caused dictatorship, and is a hindrance to leadership
change. Democracy activists have worked hard for the introduction of
presidential term limits. They continue to work towards the reduction
of presidential powers.

When Britain promotes government models in Africa, it is prone to
assuming that its system is better. This is not to say African systems
are of a higher standard. However,  the flawed nature of the British
political system, which became most evident in the 2010 elections,
behoves us to be less paternalistic. It is fitting that we seek
dialogue on political system reforms ? as equals ? with former African
colonies. There is much we may learn from their experiences, just as
they can learn from the British system's current problems.


guardian.co.uk Copyright (c) Guardian News and Media Limited. 2010







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