Prescription pill for African voters

Recently, a CNN-published article by Faith Karimi and Lynda Kinkad painted a very gloomy picture of the apparent situation on the ground in Durban. The authors indicated that thousands of people have sought refuge in temporary shelters in South Africa after mobs with machetes attacked immigrants in the city of Durban, leaving at least five people dead, an aid group said Thursday.

The perpetrators apparently were mostly faint-hearted and unambitious citizens who simply felt threatened by these immigrants, who have descended on South Africa to search for greener pastures. The attacks were obviously deplorable and undesirable, and worst of all, could resurface in other areas on continental Africa, if citizens and national leaders in the sub-Sahara Africa region continue to turn a blind eye to their civic responsibilities.

An Akan Proverb: “When you noticed your friend’s bear is engulfed in flames, it would be wise to start saving enough water to save yours.” African leaders must seize this opportunity to evaluate their respective institutions and develop a long-term strategy to prevent this Durban saga from resurfacing in the sub-Sahara Africa region.

Africans will be better served by electing leaders with compassion, ambition, and willingness to change the status quo. Voters must strive for presidential aspirants with long-term commitment to: decentralize government; invest in education and scientific researches; eradicate corruption; privatize failing government run-corporations; reduce trade and budget deficits; adhere to the rule of law and revamp the judicial system; and maintain a vibrant energy sector. These can only be achieved if voters ask the following questions during presidential election period:

Decentralization -- Tax revenues are mostly collected at the ports of entry and in the major cities. In addition, most African governments borrow money from global financial institutions. The party in power often decides/determines what project to execute and in what region. This practice often disenfranchises ethnic minorities and leads to tribal/ethnic conflicts. Will the new regime be interested in decentralizing government paving the way for each region to collect its own taxes and decide what projects will be suitable?

Investment in education and scientific researches – Skilled workers are groomed through education; high paying jobs are created through investment in scientific researches. What is the national strategy to help create and maintain decent jobs to keep African graduates on continental Africa?

Collecting Tax Revenues -- Government cannot pay off its debt and invest in scientific research if it does not collect enough taxes. Citizens on the other hand must trust the government to spend wisely; otherwise they will refuse to pay taxes. What is the current strategy to collect tax revenues and how does the new regime plans to fix the current tax system?

Eradicating corruption -- Corruption is embedded in most societies in Africa. It is almost a business as usual to bribe any government official including a policeman. It is cancerous and requires a deeply-rooted ethnic and tribal effort to eradicate. Will the new regime be willing subject itself to an independent audit prior to assuming office and immediately following its term of office? If yes, who should appoint the audit agency?

Privatizing failing government run-corporations -- Government-run institutions/corporations have been unable to keep up with/meet public’s demand for goods and services. Will the new regime be interested in revving failing corporations? Will the new regime be interested in privatizing government-run companies? If yes, what will be the strategy?

Reducing trade and budget deficits -- These could help stabilize both interest rates and national currency exchange rates. Will the new regime be interested in paying-off the national debt and reduce trade and budget deficits? If the answer is yes, then the follow-on question should be: how?

Adhering to the rule of law and revamping the judicial system – Allowing the judicial and the financial sectors to function on their own legitimizes national institutions. Will the new regime be interested in promoting/supporting legislation that gives the legislature the sole authority to appropriate funds? Will the new regime be interested in enacting legislation to promote an independent judicial system and an independent central bank?

Maintaining a vibrant energy sector enhances the manufacturing and the technology sectors. Stable energy market fuels economic growth. What will the new regime do to fix the deplorable energy sectors? The follow-on question should be: what is the long-term strategy? And how does the new regime plans to pay for it?

To objectively address and accomplish the aforementioned questions, African leaders need an effective communication tool to bring along the general public and convince them it is in their own interests to change what citizens considers business as usual. How does the new regime plans to communicate with citizens and convince them it is in their own interest to avoid taking bribes, hold government and public official accountable?

Kwasi Ansong AKA Kwasi Amankwa Kristosom Falls Church, VA Ansongk44@hotmail.com