African Politics 2007, a lesson to learn

The year 2007 has had a tremendous impact on the political environment of Africa. As usual politics in Africa is full of violence, malice, sabotage, unfree and unfair elections, but December 2007 has been a memorable month to all Africans. From the contest between the Republic of South Africa's (RSA) President Thambo Mbeki and suspended VP Jacob Zuma, the recently concluded hotly contested polls between incumbent President Mwai Kibaki of Kenya and opposition candidate Engineer Raila odinga.

Going first down to South Africa, two great, experienced men in politics Jacob Zuma and Thambo Mbeki vying to be the President of African National Congress (ANC) the ruling and biggest party in RSA takes the top position. Jacob Zuma who before was an intelligence officer, later became RSAs Vice President during the reign of Thambo Mbeki and later suspended due to corruption charges, sex and rape stood out and won the hearts of ANC delegates. Both Mbeki and Zuma at 67 were vying for the party's top position, which is crucial in choosing the next Presidential candidate and obviously also which many believe the next President of RSA. Zuma who many believe will be the next President put up a hard fought battle against the incumbent and beat his main challenger successfully.

Despite being with corruption charges hanging on his neck in court, Zuma was the person who ANC delegates saw that he would fulfill whatever Mbeki had failed to fulfill in his two terms in office as President. If Mbeki had won the ANC Presidency this meant he would largely influence the election of the presidential candidate come 2009 when he is supposed to retire from office since according to South African constitution, the President is supposed to serve ONLY two terms. Zuma who played a big role during the fight against apartheid was the people's favorite and he surely was, even though with his personal life shortcomings. Many believe the corruption charges were hugely engineered to tarnish his image and dent his future plans for running for RSAs presidency. Zuma is the man who was taken to court on counts of sex and rape, and is the man who said after having sex he had a shower as a preventive measure against AIDS. All in all human beings are not perfect but the theory that only one man has vision, i see it as a weak, primitive and undemocratic philosophy. South Africa seems to be moving on the road to democracy.

Most recently the concluded presidential and parliamentary elections in Kenya have a great lesson for the whole of Africa. Also two great men the incumbent President Mwai Kibaki facing his main challenger Raila Odinga. it's evident that the people of Kenya rejected the ruling party PNU of Mwai Kibaki and go with Odinga's newly formed ODM. The MPs elected to the housed showed ODM taking more than 90 seats in parliament and the president's party PNU with a mere 36 seats. According to the released presidential results and the main Kenyan news papers, some places had a voter turn of 100+, and the Electoral Commission delay in declaring the winner shows that still Africa has a long way to go in matters regarding democracy. To a common man's eye it's evident that, if ODM swept a clean vote in the Parliamentary elections which were held on the same day as the Presidential elections, then it makes no sense whereby someone can vote for an opposition party for a parliamentary seat and then vote the incumbent for presidency. All along since  voting, Opposition candidate Raila Odinga had a commanding lead, until the Electoral Commission went into hiding and stopped the releasing of results citing disappearance of returning officers, within no time Mwai Kibaki then was declared President and even sworn in there and then after trailing all the time hmmmm African politics!!!

All in all when it comes to politics in Africa, the continent is still merged in fraud, violence, fear, sabotage name it, but despite all that there are some countries which are moving the right direction such as SouthAfrica. If Africa is to develop we need political stability, free and fair elections and reinstating of two presidential term limits  especially in Uganda. If two terms have worked for Kenya, Uganda, SouthAfrica etc. why should we be with life presidency, why should we claim only one man has vision?, If it wasn't for the member of parliaments of Nigeria resisting Obasanjo's demands in lifting the presidential term limits Nigeria would have been with Obasanjo uptodate. Even in primary, secondary schools and University prefects, councillors, and guild presidents serve once i really question the integrity of some member of parliaments who allowed to be preached to and went ahead with lifting the presidential term limits.

Africa Today needs change, dictators need to go, two terms maximum and leave office we need new brains, new minds, new everything. Alot of people have vision.