New African - February 2008

Page 6

Letters =

Kenya elections: A tragic setback In the immediate aftermath of the Kenya elections, the Bush administration wasted no time in sending its glowing congratulations to President Mwai Kibaki. But despite the subsequent attempt to ignore the congratulatory message, and adamant claim of a global commitment to democracy, the Bush administration’s official stamp of approval for Kibaki and the elections reflected a de facto endorsement of a naked power grab and contempt for the democratic process. To be sure, the Bush administration’s eagerness to embrace a stage-managed election reveals a sharp inconsistency between pronouncement and practice – declining to support calls for a re-count and urging “all candidates to accept the Commission’s final result”. Some would argue that the Bush focus on security and economic interest supersede its rhetoric for democracy. Clearly, the Bush statement and its later about-face joint statement with Kenya’s former colonial masters – the British – reflects morally bankrupt policies which only see Kenya as a staunch ally and frontline state in the global war on terrorism. The Kenyan people participated in a democratic process to elect the representatives of their choice. When the election results were leaning toward the challenger and long-time pro-democracy activist, Raila Odinga, the democratic process was overtaken by manipulation and fraud. How can a US administration that preaches democracy in almost biblical terms refuse to pressure the Kenyan government for a re-count or an independent audit? Of course, this question may strike some Americans as naïïve in the light of the Florida and Ohio fiascos in our own 2000 & 2004 presidential elections. We have seen the US government prioritising its security concerns over democracy promotion in Africa before and many believe there is scant US commitment to global democracy when its economic and military interests are relevant. The Bush administration’s policies appear to respond to narrow, ill-perceived security and economic imperatives that will

Correction

In our cover story on Niger Delta (NA, Jan), we published the wrong caption for the photograph we are re-publishing here, which should have read: “Senator David Brigidi (in brown jacket), chairman of the Presidential Committee on Peace in the Niger Delta, appeals to insurgents to give peace a chance during a recent visit to one of the militia camps in the Delta.” We apologise to Senator Brigidi for the error - Editor

ultimately lead to long-term instability in Kenya and other parts of Africa. After the Bush administration offered congratulations to Mwai Kibaki on 30 December, in the midst of widespread violent clashes between civilians and the Kenyan police, I have to agree with those commentators who have been critical of the Bush administration’s democracy promotion policy in Africa. Moreover, how can the views of hundreds of European international observers, who proclaim a “staggering mismatch” between recorded vote counts at local polling stations and what the Election Commission officials announced, be ignored? One wonders what the administration would be saying if this were Zimbabwe or Burma. The peace in Kenya was breached long before the day when the elections were stolen. Sanctimonious calls for peace, compromise and reconciliation will do no good when the people’s confidence in the democratic process is what is at stake and the legitimacy of those

Attention Readers: Full address please Letters for publication should bear the full name and address of the writer, whether sent by post or email. We can withhold your name and address on request but we cannot publish letters that do not bear the full names and addresses of the writers. Could you also please keep the letters short and straight to the point (maximum length: 300 words) Editor

making the calls for “law and order” or respect for the rule of law is questioned. The issue here is about power and the future of democracy in Africa not ethnic rivalries. Dr Keith Jennings atlanta-Georgia, usa

Niger Delta crisis Your cover story on the Niger Delta, (NA, Jan 2008) was an excellent historical account of the crisis. Insightfully informative with good underscoring of the milestones of this Nigerian saga. I convey many congratulations. The situation in the Delta is a problem that Nigeria must confront boldly, and resolve or face the peril of entrenched unrest and spreading militancy. The morphing of the problem from one of disaffected militancy into stark criminality should be seen (and read) as bold evidence of the ineffectuality of the Nigerian government. It would appear that one of the fundamentals (needing confronting) about the Niger Delta has been the ill-judged and unbalanced socio-geopolitical mapping in relation to political power. This mismatch was instituted by Nigeria’s colonial conquerors (obviously) for their own economic and fiscal expediency. Unfortunately, this unfairness has left Nigeria with a legacy of arrogance and superiority within its “ethnic majorities” towards the “ethnic minorities”. So strong and

6n NEW AFRICAN February 2008