International Day of Democracy: Progress made despite challenges

The resolution to that effect invited all UN member states, organisations and agencies to commemorate the Day in a manner that contributes to raising public awareness on this vital aspect of political life.

Democracy, looking at what the various political cultures around the world say, is universally respected but often treated casually.

An authoritative write-up on the marking of democracy worldwide says that democracies share common features, that there is no single model of democracy, and that democracy does not belong to any country or region.

This affirmation is an effort to underline the idea that democracy is a universal value, and at the time of independence some brilliant African leaders saw it as embedded in traditional ways of life.

Father of the Nation Mwalimu Julius K Nyerere declared back in 1962 that Africans had no more need of being converted to socialism or taught democracy.

He said that elders in Tanzanian society used to sit under a tree and talk until they agreed, suggesting that the need to give each the right to speak and be heard was true to all.

Yet, as Mwalimu came to admit just about two years later, it is one thing to believe in the principles of democracy and another to actually observe those principles – or resolutely uphold them in political culture.

The problem is that, while democracy is a value or an end in itself, in real life that isn’t the case – as it is put to the service of the higher goal of acquiring political power.

In this latter quest, democracy is just one of those means, and if power is acquired it will not always be kept within the bounds of democracy. Thus getting political power and keeping it outdo democracy as a cardinal value.

Tied to this difficulty is the manner in which the quest for power puts gags on the interpretation of the cardinal formulation that democracy is based on the freely-expressed will of the people to determine their own political, economic, social and cultural systems.

Within this demand is people’s proper and transparent participation in all aspects of decision-making in issues which matter to their lives.

Again, the trouble is that democracy is not the only reference point in canvassing support for ability to make decisions or in the decisions that those in power make.

Africa is still battling limitations to observance of democratic culture and practice. It remains a painful journey, but we are making progress. We have no option but to soldier on.