Is AU up to the task?

By Kofi Akordor
When the African Union (AU) was outdoored in 2002 to replace the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), it was welcomed by many Africans with great expectation.It was felt by many and rightly so, that the continent needs a continental body that would spearhead its development agenda in the 21st century and beyond.
The predecessor of the AU, the OAU, was seen as having outlived its usefulness, having become more or less a club for African dictators who met regularly for their annual ritual of wining and dining, only to disperse to meet another day.
There was that strong feeling that with the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Communist Empire, pivoted around the Soviet Union, and in the absence of any more territories to be decolonised, there was the need for Africa to reappraise its priorities and strategise to overcome poverty, disease, illiteracy, ignorance and political marginalisation.
One cardinal objective which never featured on the agenda of the previous OAU was the democratisation of political governance on the continent. There are many who believe that the continent had lagged behind the rest of the world over the past five decades or so, mainly because of dictatorship and the quality of political leadership which emerged after the immediate post-independent era.
As part of this mandate, the AU set about to isolate all forms of dictatorships on the continent and to nurture a vibrant democratic culture, which will in turn push the agenda of economic emancipation forward.
Eight years into its existence, the question may be asked whether the AU, which is modelled along the lines of the European Union (EU), is on course and shown remarkable evidence of attaining its set goals. On the economic front Africa's impoverishment continues to baffle many, having regard to the continent's vast resources.
At the recent meeting of the Group of 20, only South Africa was represented on the high table as a member. The rest of the African delegations were there as observers and as usual to push for economic and financial support for the distressed continent.
But as had been stressed on numerous occasions economic emancipation will remain a mirage if the political leadership on the continent is not restructured to embrace democracy, the rule of law, respect for individual rights and freedoms and the acceptance of the ballot box as the only legitimate means of attaining political power. And this is where the AU seems to be making very slow progress.
A lot of the old guards who constituted the political leadership of the past are gone, either dead or out of power. They include General Gnansigbe Eyadema of Togo, Omar Bongo of Gabon who died in office and Daniel arap Moi of Kenya and Sam Nujuma of Namibia who are out of office. However, a few others are still in the system and are calling the shots. They include Paul Biya of Cameroun, Col. Muamar Gaddafi of Libya, Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, Yoweri Museveni of Uganda and Hosni Mubarak of Egypt.
While the AU may still be grappling with how to deal with the old foxes that are still in the system, it has to contend with an emerging phenomenon - the modern-day dynasty- which is a mockery of any semblance of democracy on the continent.
Mr Laurent Kabila who shot into power in the Democratic Republic of Congo was succeeded by his son, Joseph Kabila, when the former was assassinated. Mr Faure Gnansigbe is effectively the President of Togo, after the death of his father, Gnansigbe Eyadema.The latest in the son-succeeds-father syndrome is Ali-Ben Bongo who succeeded his father, former President Omar Bongo of Gabon.
Unconfirmed reports indicate that President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt and Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal are also grooming their sons to take over from them.
The greatest challenge confronting the AU in this political drama is the stream of electoral frauds and conflicts that are becoming characteristic of every electoral process on the continent.
In 2007, General Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria was accused of presiding over one of the most controversial elections on the continent and virtually handed over power to his surrogate, Alhaji Shehu Yar'dua. The AU, the under the Presidency of President J.A. Kufuor of Ghana, maintained a stony silence over the irregularities.
On January 1, 2008, Kenya exploded into violent and bloody confrontations, following an election which was suspected to have been won by the opposition led by Riley Odinga but which was declared in favour of incumbent Mwai Kibaki. Many lives were lost and properties destroyed.
Presently, there is a contentious electoral result in Guinea, while waiting on the sidelines is that of Cote d'Ivoire, where a run-off is expected between President Laurent Gbagbo and Allassane Ouattara.
The AU has failed to exhibit resoluteness in all these cases giving rise to doubts among some political analysts as to whether the new continental body is up to the task it set out for itself.
If really the AU has made good governance and democracy one of its cornerstones, then it must be up and doing and confront the problems boldly than it is doing now.

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