Democracy In Africa Essay

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INTRODUCTION . Democracy. Democracy means ‘rule by people’ taken from a Greek terms, Demos (meaning people)and Kratos (meaning “rule”) .It is a political concept and form of government , where all people are supposed to have equal voices in shaping policy(.Andrew , H,2007.politics.3rd ed, New york: Palgrave Macmillan).Democracy is defined in numerous ways. Definitions aligned to democracy are seen as follows: A system of rule by the poor and disadvantaged. A system of decision making based on the principle of majority rule. A system of government that serves the interest the people regardless of their involvement in political life. Abraham Lincoln (1863), Defined democracy as the government of the people, by the people and for the people.…show more content…
According to Freddy(2009)There have been misconception’s regarding the effectiveness of democracy as the appropriate ideology for Africa. Radical tribalist believe that Africa needs a form of government that speak to their cultural needs and tribalism cannot be dismisse.Countries such as Zimbabwe , Drc ,Rwanda and slowly south Africa are sad stories of democracy. All sharing the same reason of not having the interest of people at heart. Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe has been in power for more than 28 years. In that long period of leadership nothing has merely changed in Zimbabwe , people lives have not improved but worsened, The economy is amongst the weakest in the world and inequality is a common norm, Gulathi M.2011,. African leaders like Mugabe do not believe in the spirit of multi-pluralism and they advocate a one party system which is a core element of dictatorship. They will do by all means to adjust the law in order to serve more terms. Slakir ,R,Citteken, C,(1991)( years ago South Africans celebrated multi-racial democracy, whilst the rate of unemployment is amongst the highest in the world, inequality is still a predicament and corruption within president Zuma’s government. This is a total contradiction of the founding principles and objectives of the South African
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