Reincarnation of winds of change in Africa: an African Union impotence?

The emergence of African states as independent by 1970 had brought hope and expectations to nationals that the winds of change were to be equated with good life and freedom. Yet, no sooner had political freedom been gained than expectations turned elusive. The causes were bad political governance that soon burdened many states, military interventions of one-party states, abuse of rule of law, mass corruption and nations disintegrating. Also, the quest for freedom and dignity was not helped by a continental union that focused solely on political liberation of Africa and ignored any concerted effort towards integration and promotion of socio-economic lives of people. This article examines the political tremors that had engulfed some states in Africa and the resultant intervention by foreign powers. It is argued, that a major cause of the political ruffle in Tunisia, the Cote D’Ivoire, Egypt and Libya had been the inability of the African Union to be pro-active in enforcing norms of good governance among member-states through its inspecting agency, the African Peer Review. The apparent political paralysis is therefore a function of an African Union impotence that needs to be resolved Underlying the tremors are issues of democracy, good governance, and public service reform for which a theoretical discourse is engaged. Keywords: African Union, democracy, governance, revolution, impotence. APRM, civil war Disciplines: Public Management, African Studies, Political Studie

Pan–African parliament and civil society: towards representing the voices of the people

The Pan-African Parliament (PAP) plays a major role in the democratisation process and the harmonisation of relations with civil society organisations (CSOs) for socio-economic and political development to be realised in Africa. It has a responsibility, in line with its objectives, to work towards incorporating and representing the voices of the people, which includes the promotion of human rights and democratic institutions. The PAP forum offers a congenial and functional platform to close the gap between governments and the people. People-participation at parliamentary and state levels is an essential ingredient for cooperation and potent governance. T he article analyses critically the operational performance of the PAP and the execution of its mandate as far as civil society engagement is concerned. This critical analysis is important, because the findings of the study could contribute to democracy and the rule of law in Africa. From its inception, PAP envisaged to safeguard human rights and governance structures based on lasting synergies with civic institutions. However, a lack of synchronisation of activities has deleteriously impacted on the practise of good governance in Africa. The apparent failure by PAP to promote an articulate civil society presents the African continent with many democracy-related challenges. Utilising secondary literature, including CSO publications, the article examines PAP’s achievements and evaluates insights into the PAP–CSOs relationship