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Guest of Honour to the MDC Congress, Kenyan premier Odinga, calls for culture of constitutionalism and accountability
Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition
May 04, 2011

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Powerful leaders and their close associates have done as they wished, in the knowledge that nothing would happen to them. Lack of accountability and transparency has fostered official corruption and the plundering of resources meant for development. It is these insidious developments - and not the colonial legacy - that have brought this continent to the brink of ruination, and its people to the desperate situation in which so many millions find themselves today.

But I speak to you as an Afro-optimist and a true believer in pan- Africanism, one who looks forward to the day Africa will be united in its irreversible democratic ideals and sound socio-economic policies. And on this occasion of the MDC's National Convention, I would like to share with you my thoughts on two issues that I strongly believe can help us turn the tide.

The first is that Africa must embrace the culture of constitutionalism. It must invest in the building of institutions that promote and compel sound leadership. That a constitution is indispensable in a modern society is underlined by the fact that the struggle for the second liberation in Africa, which began in the early 1980s, has centred on demand for the enactment of new constitutions. That was our aim in Kenya and it is no less true of Zimbabwe. We have seen that the mere re-introduction of multi-party politics in Africa, after decades of single party and military dictatorships, has not solved the governance problem.

We have seen that multi-party elections alone will not propel us from institutionalised authoritarian systems to more democratic modes of governance. Not that constitutions of themselves are inviolable. We have not been without constitutions. We have had them, but they have been repeatedly amended at the whim of the ruling elite, and have sustained and entrenched powerful presidents whose word has been law, and who have used their power not for the nation's benefit but for their own enrichment. Where such leaders have refused to give way through the ballot - and let's face it, that is, most of them - military dictatorships have sometimes ensued, and these have fared no better. In short, political power in Africa has often meant gain and riches for the ruling class and more poverty, deprivation and powerlessness for the ordinary person.

We had hoped that new constitutions - new beginnings by the leaders of the Second Liberation, mandated by a better-educated electorate that increasingly knows what it wants and has no qualms about asking for it - would instill in leaders new respect for the laws that govern their lands. One of the great disappointments of the Second Liberation has been that many of the new liberators changed their tune once they got into power. They began to manipulate constitutions to prolong their rule, and coerced their parties into securing support for additional terms or eliminating opponents. Institutionalised corruption, instead of receding, loomed larger than ever.

That brings me to the second problem. Africa has truly been left wanting when it comes to visionary leadership, the kind of leadership that is undistracted in its quest for solid institutions committed to constitutionalism equity and impartiality. We have failed to elect leaders dedicated to ignoring tribe, religion, region and race in the management of public affairs.

One-party rule might have withered and died with the introduction of political pluralism in the 1990s but its ugly monolithic vestiges linger. In particular, our ballots have yet to be free and fair. A long list of African leaders with questionable democratic credentials has used the pretension of promoting state unity as an excuse for excess, intolerance, repression, and illegal tenure of office.

This looks more dangerous than our previous situation. What could be worse than the electorate choosing how and by whom they should be governed, only for their verdict to be ignored? When leaders and governments lack popular support, democracy and good governance cannot be expected, and nations cannot move forward. This is the tragedy that afflicts Africa today.

Ladies and gentlemen, Zimbabwe must move quickly to resolve its democratic challenges, so that it can take its rightful place as a potential centre for economic growth in this part of the continent. All parties, and particularly the MDC, which will be a critical player, need to invest in building institutions of democracy.

Excerpts from Speech by Kenya Prime Minister Raila Odinga at the 3rd National Congress of The MDC, Friday, 29 April 2011

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