generalspeaking

Validation of Venality

It's widely held that ethnic, tribal and personal greed have institutionalized corruption throughout the African continent. The world's poorest, most ignored population exist in sub-Saharan Africa, and social disruptions due to civil wars; inner and outwardly-directed conflicts, ensure that Africans inherit the dust of the earth.

Countless sums of foreign aid is directed toward African countries as the developed world attempts, time after time, to shore up both reasonable and tyrannical regimes.
All, it so often seems, to no avail. African babies sicken and die, infants are diseased by their miserable fecal-laden environment, and children and adults alike are laid low by insect- and water-borne diseases.

The governing elites of the African countries always appear to do very well for themselves, skimming off handsome sums of foreign aid before it begins to filter down to those desperate for help.

Tribal disagreements in general and in some countries in particular, lead to fractious in-fighting, where politicians are more concerned with retaining or gaining power than in ameliorating the dire conditions in which their people live. Religious conflicts further exacerbate uneasy co-existence, as each group seeks advantage over the other.

There are some rare and celebrated African success stories where politicians make a true effort to govern fairly and responsibly, but they're far too few and far between. Even those countries which may reach an even keel of governance resulting in a healthy economy and a well employed and remunerated (relatively speaking) population, too often fall by the wayside.

In 2006, a wealthy Sudanese telecommunications mogul determined that it might be a helpful initiative to offer a continent-wide acknowledgement annually to celebrate that singular individual who managed to govern his country wisely and well. The Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership was unveiled with its purpose to single out a praiseworthy African leader.

Its inaugural winner of the prize was Joaquim Chissano, former president of Mozambique. This year's prize winner has been announced in the person of former Botswana president, Festus Mogae. His prize was formally awarded by former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan, who praised Mr. Mogae's efforts in battling AIDS within his country.

"Botswana demonstrates how a country with natural resources can promote sustainable development with good governance, in a continent where too often mineral wealth has become a curse." Botswana is considered one of the continent's most reliably stable nations, enjoying a high credit rating, allied with one of the continent's best standards of living.

All of which is praiseworthy, needless to say, but it defies intelligence why an administration governing any country would seek to do any less than has been accomplished in Botswana. There is an overwhelming obligation of any who seek to govern, to do it well, to advance the well-being of the country's people, in stable, efficient and effective administration.

The very fact that this much has been accomplished should in and of itself be a source of pride. What really can be the use of a generous cash prize in the value of $5-million to the acknowledged annual recipient, other than to advance the already well established continental mind-set that legislators are entitled to weighty personal emoluments?

Why not encourage instead the moral and ethical and practical achievement of governing success as worthy of high respect and acclamation? A prize could still be attached to the award, but wouldn't it make far more sense to award the prize to the country and the citizens who benefited from responsible rule and who should be entitled themselves to that very same responsible rule?

Why not invest, as an award and reward, an endowment in the winning leader's name, to honour him through his people, and toward posterity? What greater reward could a leader of a country garner than the respect, esteem and honoured memory from those he served? An endowment that would benefit the country as a whole, and in which the award recipient could take immense pride, bearing his name?

An endowment for a series of orphanages, or medical clinics, or institutes of higher learning, or refuges for battered women, or scientific laboratories to study agrarian improvements relative to the country, for example. This type of initiative would bring the governed into the picture, gift them, not only their leader who in fact managed to govern in a manner that should be expected of him.

If the idea is to entice and to teach and to reward politicians in Africa, it could and should be done with an impetus toward encouraging rewards other than personal cash; they, after all, represent their country's upper crust to begin with. Award them with popular acclaim, not only the gratitude of their country for responsible governance, but the recognition of the international community.

Everyone craves recognition. The craven and the venal look for avenues by which they can avail themselves of greater wealth, leaving them reliant on mass corruption. Africa is badly in need of politicians with a greater goal, that of helping their fellow citizens attain a decent standard of life.

Labels: Political Realities, World News

posted by Pieface @ Wednesday, October 22, 2008