AU must impose code of conduct
2005-03-07 10:14
The African Union must get its act together very soon for us to invest our trust in it. One of the best ways to do that would be to enforce its own conduct on its members.
Last week I lamented the excesses of the womanising Mswati III of Swaziland, but
his antics are small beer compared to the gross abuses of some of the AU's "founding" figures.
Take, for example, colonel Muammar Gaddafi of Libya and his Arab brother, Hosni Mubarak of Egypt. The two were among the foremost African leaders campaigning to reform the former Organisation of African Unity, and the result of their clamour was the coming into being of the AU.
But there is a little problem: while the aim of the AU is to steer the continent on the path of elected democratic governance, Brother Leader Gaddafi came to power via a coup 30-something years ago, and he has remained firmly put since!
Calling the shots
Likewise Mr Mubarak, in reality an army general, captured power immediately after the assassination of Anwar Sadat, and has called the shots ever since.
Nearer to home, another of the eager co-founders of the AU, Robert Mugabe, has been in power since independence from former colonial power Britain.
His brother, Sam Nujoma of Namibia, loved the handle of power so much he actually reluctantly left office only this week, after amending the constitution to enable him to be president more than the requisite two five-year terms.
Of course there is a big and important difference with Mugabe - whatever anyone may say, he has been constitutionally elected and is doing what he is doing courtesy of the constitution.
Even the last elections, alleged by people like Tony Leon to have been "stolen", were held at the correct time and in terms of the constitution.
Last month, a certain Faure Gnassingbe became president of the west African nation of Togo.
'No one elected Gnassingbe'
No one elected him, or had even heard of him before he was pushed forward by the army and installed as head of state because, listen to this and believe it, he had to "replace" his father Gnassingbe Eyedeima, who died in office, and whose term would have been due to expire in 2008!
Such things must not be tolerated - the AU must act tough against Gnassingbe, who must contest elections and test his popularity with the people like everyone else.
But I doubt if the AU will do that. Laurent Kabila of Congo was assassinated, and three years ago was replaced as leader by his son Joseph.
Kabila junior has been feted by the likes of Thabo Mbeki and Joacquim Chissano, former chairmen of the AU, and one would have thought they would have long advised Mr Kabila to go to the country and obtain a mandate from the people of Congo.
John Qwelane's column is published each week on News24, courtesy of Jon Qwelane and the editor of Sunday Sun, which originally carried the article.
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