Cooperative Collegial Democracy for Africa and Multi-ethnic Societies

It is no longer a matter of debate to state that the practice of 'democracy' in different African nations is almost always experienced through violence or something near to it. The principal question addressed by this work is, 'Why are many African countries finding it difficult to practise democracy without «tears»?' Though this unique work recognises a number of factors as contributing to the pitiable democratic experience of many African states, the liberal party model of democracy is identified as a major political obstacle which not only impedes democratisation, but also fails to address significant national questions in plural societies. Instead of acting as an attenuating force, the liberal party system tends to intensify the negative roles of other dependent socio-political variables in instituting and consolidating democracy in multi-ethnic societies. In light of this, this work recommends a cooperative, instead of a competitive method of government formation - a 'Cooperative Collegial Democracy' - for African societies and any multi-ethnic society. This is a party-less, peaceful and overtly fair political system which is imbued with the qualities needed to resolve national questions and which constrains the incompetent and corrupt from emerging as political leaders, thus ensuring competent leadership and establishing functional and non-destabilising democracies in African or other multi-ethnic states.

Auteur

Emefiena Ezeani is an educationist, researcher, writer and political analyst. He has a keen interest in African affairs, international relations, social justice and biodiversity, and devotes much time to the cause of promoting endangered languages. For him, politics, education and religion are the three primary factors that shape any society, a conviction that led him to do his two doctoral degrees in the fields of education and political science. His other and most recent works are A Philosophy of Education for African Nations and In Biafra Africa Died.

Contenu

Contents: What is Democracy? - Centripetalism: A Competitive Model of Democracy - Consociationalism: A Quasi-Cooperative Model of Democracy - Democracy in Pre-colonial and Post-colonial Africa - Ethnicity, Religion, the Judiciary and Liberal Democracy in a Multi-ethnic Society - Godfatherism, Privatisation of the State and Diminution of Political Space - Giovanni Sartori: Political Parties, Party-less State and Competitive Democracy - The Unanswered National Questions and the Party Model of Democracy - The Party System and Some Specific Issues - Voting Under the Veil of Ignorance and the Belief in the People's Power - Cooperative Collegial Democracy: A Workable Model for Africa and Multi-ethnic Societies - Epilogue - Corruption and Democracy: Learning from the Nigerian Experience.