Yeromama,

I do respect you position but i still disagree with you on the issue of leadership.

Africa's tragedy is not that its nations are poor That is a condition that is a product of history and this i believe you will agree with me.  Here is where we defy because to me the tragedy is that it lacks ruling classes that are committed to overcoming the state of poverty. Real politics here has little to do with social and economic reconstruction. The observation of the assassinated South African writer Ruth First in her book The Barrel of a Gun published in 1970 remains valid today. "There has been eloquent, inexhaustible talk in Africa about politics, side by side with the gaping poverty of political thought. Down there on the ground in Africa, you can smother in the small talk of politics. Mostly it is about politicking, rarely about policies. Politicians are men who compete with each other for power, not men who use power to confront their country's problems."

As long as politics is dominated by predator elites it is difficult to see how meaningful democracy or economic development can be sustained.. The challenge facing those who want better governance is how to make those in power accountable and ultimately rescue the state from them to transform it an agency for positive change.

Many of the economic policies and actions that have entrenched African countries in economic under-development were deliberately carried out to serve the interest of those in power. African ruling elites have benefited enormously from the economic misfortune of their nations. Not surprising, they prefer to maintain the status quo as chaotic and depressive as it may seem for the majority of Africans. I don't care what the West think or believe about Africa but this is my reality.

So no matter what you say the problems boils down to leadership issue. Reading your piece now i asked myself  is he right or wrong?  And i still continue to ask the question and maybe by tommorow i will agree or disagree with you again.

Mind you we are human beings and we have emotions and feelings, what you do with those emotions is what matters and How you use them to answer or address your problem.

We can look at the changes of leadership in African and how they shape the country development. Did it make it any better or worse. Maybe that will bring us to the closing chapter of this debate.

NB:

Please note that i have limited access to the Internet due the fact that i use internet cafe. So, i will hear from you tommorrow.

The Struggle Continues!!!

Ndey Jobarteh