At this stage where the African Union has failed to pass any resolution to good governance, the SABC takes this moment to reflect on the arduous journey that the committee has embarked on since the first committee session.
Polling results of the delegates on the most fundamental factor of good governance
An opinion poll was done to assess the underlying motivations of the delegates as they argued for better governance in Africa. Half of the council aimed to resolve corruption by the end of the entire debate, while the other half aimed to protect human rights as well as exercise justice and the rule of law.
In spite of the common sentiments shared by many delegates, the council debate of at least fourteen hours over three days has made the union more divided.
“Congrats Algeria you just played yourself”
—South Sudan
“Their proposals lack transparency.”
—Kenya
The Tanzanian delegate, along with her bloc, constantly criticised the opposing side for their lack of consideration for Africa’s huge debt to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). On the other hand, Algerian delegate and his bloc, attempted to defend themselves, and faulted their opponents on their flawed political agenda.
When we held a press conference with them, we specifically questioned the blocs on their efforts to gain citizen support for their policies, given the long track record of corruption that Africa is known to hold.
The delegate of Tanzania, supported by the delegate of South Africa and his bloc, fought for citizen empowerment, as they felt that the African citizens lacked a sense of belonging to the country.
They further substantiated this with the fact that Africans lacked a say in nation-building, and went on to promote one of their solutions in their working paper - the Road to Good Africa program.
They added that this program would inculcate civil responsibility in citizens through public education, encouraging them to voice out their concerns for the betterment of society, as well as reducing the influences of corruption in the community.
The opposing bloc, led by the delegate of Algeria and Kenya, aimed to engage citizens through the efforts of NGOs to reduce corruption. Though questionable, they wanted to fund their services through loans from the IMF and World Bank in a bid to eradicate the existence of corrupt individuals on a community level, so that citizens as a whole can contribute constructively to society.
However, the SABC believes that their solution to this civil engagement is not feasible, and lacks legitimacy in the long run.
The SABC had insufficient time to deeply unpack the concerns of the working papers of both blocs in the press conference, but wished to point out that both blocs had neglected some pertinent aspects of the region. The agency stands for the well-being of Africans, and hopes that the council will take in our view should they decide to persist in debate on this matter.
The council was possibly blinded by their political motives, and their intention to pass their resolution, that they forgot to consider the likely receptiveness of Africans towards their policies.
This mainly stemmed from the fact that they lacked understanding of the cultural barriers, for example, the discrimination of women, when it came to public discourse and leadership.
Moreover, given the ongoing social issues occuring in the continent, for instance, child labour (that is detrimental to one’s quality of life), more must be done in order to generate citizens’ will to participate in nation-building despite their tormentuous circumstances.
Overall, the council’s navigation to a final consensus on the steps to good governance might have failed, but the agency applauds the efforts of every delegate throughout the past three days.
The agency looks forward to seeing the delegates, hopefully, taking more humanitarian aspects into account, so that the African Union can remain strong politically in the long-term.