Building strong institutions for democracy to thrive

Between Tuesday November 3, 2020 when eligible voters in the United States of America (USA) went to the polls to elect a new president and Wednesday, January 20, 2021 when Joe Biden, the 46th President was sworn in, a number of unfamiliar, untoward and disturbing events played out in the United States political terrain.

The world watched in horror and amazement as the then president of the country, Donald Trump, not only refused to accept the result of the election, he attempted to use officials and organs of state to subvert the electoral process. At the end of the charade, he failed woefully and the country moved on without him. This happened because USA is a country that is made up of strong institutions, not strong men, although Donald Trump tried to be one.

In spite of the riotous invasion of the Capitol by Trump’s supporters, the speed with which the Congress recovered and reconvened to carry out its constitutional responsibility of certifying the election results and formally declaring the opposition candidate, Joe Biden, as winner of the election is an eloquent testimony to the role of strong institutions in the sustenance of democracy. There are useful lessons from the United States democratic process for Africa and other third world countries.

With over 60 cases tossed out in various United States courts, the legal challenges posed by the Trump campaign did not succeed largely due to lack of evidence in the claims of widespread voter fraud. When the Electoral College certified the election results, the electors, in obedience to the letters and spirit of the law, followed due process and the rule of law prevailed. That is the beauty of American democracy which is greatly admired around the world.

After initial prevarications, some Republicans displayed courage and broke ranks with former President Trump who tried every trick in the book to overturn the results of a free and fair election that he lost. He was desperate to re-write the outcome of the election results in Georgia, going as far as threatening state officials to do his bidding. Trump, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal, went as far as pressurising Department of Justice officials to file a case at the Supreme Court against some states to overturn the election results and invalidate President Joe Biden’s win.

Governance in most countries of the world fail and democracy suffers because the men in power are stronger than the institutions of state. They wield the instruments of power and manipulate the organs of democracy to satisfy their whims. Unfortunately, Africa seems to find itself in this situation. Most African leaders seek to perpetuate themselves in power for as long as possible even if it means re-writing the constitution to achieve their selfish agenda. They preside over widespread nepotism, mind-boggling corruption, sectarian violence, insecurity and horrendous poverty.

Their biggest achievements usually include depleting their treasuries and siphoning funds to offshore bank accounts. On top of that, they embark on expensive medical tourism abroad with their families and cronies. No one dares to ask questions because they are authoritarian leaders. There is no rule of law and the institutions of state are weak.

The governance challenges are enormous yet these leaders who behave and operate like emperors are incapable of providing any semblance of visionary leadership. They see themselves as owners of “conquered territories” and every form of opposition is usually crushed, sometimes by force. It is a matter of regret that, most of the time, civil rights organisations that should challenge these anomalies become heavily compromised.

It is difficult to understand why African politicians who get elected to lead their countries and serve their people want to die in office. Just look around, you will find political leaders of some African countries who have been office for over 35 years! Doing what?

It explains why these countries remain underdeveloped and the citizens are poor because the leaders see their countries as extensions of their private estates: the wealth of their countries belongs to them and not the people who voted them into office.

The elections in some African countries are manipulated to ensure a pre-determined outcome is achieved. That is how the “winners” perpetuate themselves in office after subverting the will of the people. But weak institutions also thrive in Africa and other poor countries of the world partly due to “too much religiosity”.

Rather than work and create economic value, a backward orientation by dispossessed people – which is essentially a poverty of the mind – exists and the practice more often than not is to always look up to God to solve all their problems. In addition, there is no visible outrage by these people to challenge dysfunctional governments. They keep quiet and take every form of bad leadership in their strides.

It is a common saying that strong and accountable institutions and good governance are crucial for poverty reduction and development. Countries with strong institutions grow rapidly while those without it, struggle and income per capita is abysmally low. In essence, there is a correlation between strong institutions, good governance and prosperity of nations.

Government is meant to benefit everyone, and not just a few people. As noted by world renowned economist, Joseph Stiglitz, government is not supposed to use its enormous powers to benefit its leaders or special interests at the expense of the general public.

For ages, weak institutions and bad governance have continued to be the signpost of governance in Africa and other third world countries. Strong concerns and the implications of having strongmen in governance have been expressed in different quarters When former President of the United States, Barack Obama, visited Ghana from July 10 – 11, 2009 during his first official trip to Africa, he told African leaders in an unmistakable message to build strong institutions in the continent.

While addressing the Ghanaian Parliament, he pointed out that “no country is going to create wealth if its leaders exploit the economy to enrich themselves, or police can be bought off by drug traffickers. No business wants to invest in a place where the government skims 20 per cent off the top, or the head of the Ports Authority is corrupt. No person wants to live in a society where the rule of law gives way to the rule of brutality and bribery. That is not democracy; that is tyranny, and now is the time for it to end.” He then emphasised that Africa doesn’t need strong men; it needs strong institutions.

But that is the sad situation in the continent, Nigeria inclusive. Institutions of government are beholden to individuals in office or in the corridors of power. Leaders at various levels enrich themselves to the detriment of the people. Politicians use coercion and threats to corrupt and subvert critical institutions. Criminals compromise security agencies, while citizens compromise institutions to gain undue advantage. Justice is served to the highest bidder. Security agents are brutal against the people either in a bid to have their way or in the process of serving their masters in government. Transparency is alien to the system and accountability is virtually absent. The result is failure of governance and what follows is a state of survival of the fittest.

No serious growth and development can take place in a country where individuals are more powerful than the office they hold. It leads to abuse of office. Nigeria, for instance, has suffered stunted growth over time because of large scale corruption which is one of the most glaring evidence of abuse of office. The result is there for everyone to see today. Like Obama said, now is the time for it to end. It is therefore imperative that necessary moves be made immediately to build strong and sustainable institutions that will promote good governance and accountability for the people, and improve and sustain the democratic process. Nigeria needs it now more than ever before.

Focus must be on those institutions that are capable of enhancing transparency in business, accountability in public office and public access to information. It will assist in combating corruption and securing both basic human rights and the rule of law. Critical institutions should be run on the basis of rules, not whims; and security agencies should owe their allegiance to the Constitution, not the leader or senior government officials. A working system should evolve where only lawful orders are obeyed and the interest of the country put above individual, sectional or group interests.

This will enable government to become more transparent and accountable to the citizens, less susceptible to corruption, and enhance delivery of critical services. Strong institutions will provide an effective and efficient platform for the rule of law, support economic growth and reduce poverty through the provision of basic social safety nets.

It will lead to better management of public institutions and finances, as well as broader governance issues. The legislative and judicial arms of government as well as other agencies must play their parts to promote public accountability and trusting relationships with the people.