Third World Democracy the failures of our times.

By Charles Ugwuanyi
University of Ibadan

As the World rises from the heat of the economic crises, it is becoming very obvious that there are another serious crises that will soon ravage the system of governance in the whole World. The trend of democratic practice in many countries of the world is fast defining a new system of democratic values that will end in bringing nothing but serious management crises. Look for instance the developed world, though there has been several steps taken by the government of these countries to check political rascality, there are still no total value of the term “Government of the people by the people for the people” rather we still sees the idea of colour, racism, party and language. The Jews finding it as a risk having to share an idea with a none Jew, an Hausa man looking down on a none Hausa as a none confidante fellow in sharing views there by making the government system a sectional issue. The question one will ask in this situation is when exactly will there be the principles and practice of real Democracy as transcribed on the various types of government? Why has many countries chosen to be practicing democracy even when it is very obvious they are practicing Autocracy, oligarchy or the other? This takes us to the third World countries where several governmental practices have been used with a name democracy. Howard Thurman once wrote, “Don't ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go and do that. Because what the world needs are people who have come alive”. It seems very clear that most leaders or rulers as I could apportion to them has virtually forgotten the real meaning of the type of government referred to as democracy. This is the wide reason why many of them are chasing the name they could only make for themselves and how they could come alive both in criminality and wide spread corruption. It is fast breeding its infections and crises into the developed countries as they have severally played hosts to all the corruption tendencies and acts which were transferred into financial institutions in their countries. These countries too severally sponsors companies and individuals inform of business, and produce equipments and other products they know very well is substandard and shift it to all these corrupt and mismanaged countries to further deteriorate the democratic values intended by the motive of requesting for the product or equipments. In Africa and some part of Asia and other continent where military has held sway on government for several years, there has been deep rooted idea of Autocratic system of governance which has drastically changed even their civilian system of democracy to partly imposition of candidates through ringing of election openly with the help of their military cartel and other highly selfish ambitioned members of the society who most of the times uses the resources they stole corruptly from the state or country to re-launch back into the party and government inform of sponsors and godfathers who virtually ends in nothing but complete policy crises, institution of politics of bitterness and abnormal control of power. This development always create adverse effects on the citizens of the affected countries as the initial campaign promises of the contestant for political posts will be totally lost to the mercy of the sponsor or the godfather. The national assembly members who were literally imposed on the citizens will have no power to change or even make laws as their setting will not form the true representation of the communities, district or the constituencies they claim to represent. In this situation, his or her constituency will be relating with him like a son who is using what does not belong to him. These gaps in relation drastically have a motive and the imposition of the candidates was done in a bid to have enough room for the embezzlement of resources within the time when the relationship will be sour among the representatives and the state or the constituency. In the wake of the rejection of the candidate by the majority aggrieved citizens who felt that the choice of candidate was wrong, there will be several allocation of funds or resources for developmental project which the candidate will divert into a personal use with excuses that there is still disagreement on where the project will be as the choice of his candidacy is questioned. This system of governance keeps lingering with wide spread corruption as one will be having news every day of how several billions of money has been voted for certain projects and no such will be sighted anywhere. In another development, the third World systematically created many of their woes in democratic governance, should I say that even the military rulers who has always held sway on their different country governance purposely created these loophole for their safe coming back or something may be very wrong in the initial planning for a democratic rule in most of these countries. Several places where democratic governance thrives very well, you will see a total planned confinement of the military and other paramilitary to the barracks without everyday mixture with the civilians but the reverse is the case in most of these countries. A situation where civilians hustle with military personnel to buy fuel with clashes and even buy many other things that often gets very scarce always call for a concern. The main democratic values provides all the basic amenities for both the military and the paramilitary right inside their barracks even when it is scarce every other places, there is always that special confinement which makes it very available to keep them running their private affairs. Today what has become of our real democratic values in most countries of the world has been neglected; this has created several insurgencies, ethnic militias, gorilla rebels, militants and even wars in many third world countries. The failures of Democracy of our times are fast redefining what is Government. Human desires are no longer becoming let’s live together but let me dominate and remove all that opposes me. This leads us to the faith of our judiciary in a pure democratic system. While we talk of individuals with criminal tendencies being on the seat of power we will not forget the manipulations of several judges by the same power mongers who will not stop on anything but what he desires whether good or bad. But one will always continue to ask why have the organizers of elections in these countries refused to make their conduct very free and fair? Which has always instituted the litigations and manipulation of judges/ lawyers. Why does human race keep requiring interpretations on what they know should have been done without getting to the stage of such interpretations?