"Nations get the government they deserve" - how about Africa?

Question

It's often stated as a truism that nations 'get the Government they deserve': by not opposing weak or corrupt governments, people end up with these rotten administrations. However, noone seems to dare accuse African nations of this! Sub-Saharan African nations are almost exclusively governed by military dictatorships, corrupt, repressive elites or demagogues, yet the response from the developed world is (seemingly) infinite and patronising tolerance of this. Are the people of these nations in part to blame for their own predicaments? After all, many nations in SE Asia have been able to drag themselves out of the Third World in a way that most African nations have not been able to do.

It's in no way a racist question: I am querying why we don't give the African peoples and nations the respect due - by holding their rulers and, possibly, their populations, to the same standards of governance that the developed world aims for. Note 'aims', not necessarily 'gets'!
Thus, I am the opposite of a racist, so no slurs please!

The old saying "we get the government we deserve" is attributed to H.L. Mencken. This doesn't mean that victims deserve their fate, it's rather more complex than that.

Answer 1

This a VERY difficult question to answer. At first glance, you might think, well once WE were downtrodden serfs, ruled by lords who weren't ALL benign. After a thousand years of fighting for our rights, we're better off (believe it or not). So why can't other countries do it?

Well, you can't compare apples with oranges. Some African countries don't have the means (and therefore the wealth) to spread around. If a country doesn't have anything to sell the rest of the world, it can't improve its standard of living. Perfect conditions for a dictator.

So what do we do? Interference in the affairs of another sovereign state is a thankless task, as we're finding out at the moment. Not to mention morally wrong (I submit).

We can throw money at it, but where does the money go? Not where it's needed half the time, I bet.

As you say, the best we can hope for is that they take a lead from SE Asia, with our encouragement.

A final thought: the most stable nations are the ones that have taken a long time to get there, so I think we should let it happen naturally, not try to force it. After all, one day the whole world will be one nation - it's only a matter of time.

Answer 2

That is a relevant question. I do not think you are being racist at all. It is true that Africans and in deed many developing countries do not do anything opposes their repressive and selfish governments. That is sad. But there are several complex reasons for this. First, it is partly because, a greater part of the the population is illiterate by western standards. So the few that have western education tend to brainwash the majority into thinking they are the only ones that have the capacity to govern them.But the most important point no one mentions is that the western world never want any real development in these countries so they liaise with these corrupt governments so they can exploit them. The Zimbabwean case that someone stated is more complex than it appears to be. Although that old man, Mugabe is certainly a despot who should be locked up by now, the actual problem goes back to the Thatcheririte years in the early 80s. If you do some research, you will realise that our Prime Minister is part of the problem, much as is Mugabe. That is what happens when you make someone depend on you for a long time and you decide to leave the Person empty handed without equipping him pr her with some skills and any resources. Gradually, ordinary people, particularly those in Europe are beginning to realise that Africans are not stupid.

Answer 3

It's not "PC" to say it, but I have to agree with you.

For as long as I was old enough to understand these things (way back to the 1960's) we were told how terrible things were in Africa and had to keep giving money to Blue Peter Appeals and the like. Millions of pounds were collected then and more since almost continuously,

Here we are 40 years on and NOTHING'S CHANGED!

I'm sure that the average African equivalent of "Joe Bloggs" doesn't want to live with disease and starvation; so what has happened to all the untold £ Billions and the practical aid that have been pumped into that continent?

There have been almost continuous Civil Wars in one or another African country for as long as I remember. It is ludicrous to blame Western Powers (who donate immesurably more aid than anyone else) for this. They're doing all by themselves on some pretext or other.
How could you blame anyone but the People themeselves for the tribal genocide in Rwanda for instance?

South Africa, Keyna and a few others seem to be doing alright for themselves. They have established stable and, more or less, democratic governments. So why can't the rest?

God help us if some deluded soul still blames the days of Empire like they used to in the '60's. It's a fact that these places fell apart after Independance. Anyway, that was nearly 50 years ago so it can't apply 2 generations on.

On a more local note. The City of Bristol is an atrociously run place. Ok, they don't have civil wars, but the crime rate is high, road congestion is awful, Council Tax is crippling and post-war planning decisions have been a distaster. This is acknowleged by the citizens who live there. Yet, the silly buggers keep letting the same incompetent councillors stay in power!

History and logic seems to clearly state that nations (and towns) do indeed get the governments they deserve. Sad isn't it?

Answer 4

In NAMIBIA, the retired president, Sam Njoma, is in the process of building a retirement 'presidency' in excess of U$120 million. How does that sound? The upkeep of this 'retirement home' is going to be more than U$100 000 per month. This is for him and his wife only - 2 aged people. Imagine, with a population of only 1,7 million people, probably 70% of this population are poor and need homes. He could have supplied each and every person with a decent house to live in. Yet, when his tenure was up, a referendum was held voting him in for a third term!

When any cabinet minister travels, he/she has a motorcade of no less than 10 - 14 motor cars escourting them. Yet, the ambulances are in very short supply. The police do not have proper vehicles and fuel/gas to go out to a crime scene. Vehicles that are designated to state business are being used as taxis and the government foots the bill.

At the moment crime there is on an upward trend - because the people are hungry, jobless and destitute. This is AFRICA politics. Only the top brass get to share the loot. They do not care about their poor. This is being left for the West to sort out. All the peoples there expect a hand out from the West. It is owed to them because of coloniasation. Without the settling of the colonists, Africa would still be 500 years behind.

Any business venture there is being targeted for 'underhand pay outs' and blackmail into black shareholding (majority share! - and for FREE - so-called 'namibianisation'). Instead of building a solid, income generating business whereby the whole country can benefit, the top echelons with all the 'contacts' are like vultures waiting for the opportunity to cash in.

It is like that in all of Africa, and it will always remain the same.

EXCELLENT QUESTION - Glad you asked .....

Answer 5

I think that there is a lot of truth in what you say. The people of each nation state, over many years, have, either by design or default, created, or allowed to be created, the type of government that they have. I have to take responsibility for our current government, even though I didn't vote for them. Who else can you hold accountable. Now, when it comes to Africa, which is divided into nation states don't forget, so it can be misleading to talk about Africa generically, has so many apologists for the state that some of the countries are in, that it is difficult to make this argument stick. Empire building is often blamed by the lefties, but I have never bought that argument, because many countries have failed since decolonisation, and, in any event, that was many years ago. If you constantly bail people out they never learn the necessary lessons to bring about recovery through the development of better types of government.

Answer 6

I once challenged my (then Labour) MP about this publicly.
I said everyone knows we went to Iraq for oil to which i was interrupted by a barrage of "no it was for WMD's" by the MP. I was expecting (and actually hoping for) this answer and replied with "ok then, why do we not go to North Korea where they openly parade missiles through the streets" to which the response was along the lines of because it is a very unstable nation which relies on constant aid from China and other nations and going into this country would cause devastation. again, I was expecting - and hoping for - this response.
I replied "why then do we allow the 'Government' in Zimbabwe to rule its citizens in such a way that the country has already been devastated? why dont we help them?
to which the response was along the lines of because Mugabe has many allies in the region and going to war with would drag other African nations down to Zimbabwe's level.
I replied by pointing out that this is exactly what has happened in Iraq.
the MP could not respond. He realised that every argument he had made had been proven to be rubbish by the fact there was a perfect counter example in another country.

Answer 7

Seven Nation Army

Answer 8

Im an African and think that your question is a good one. The thing is that in the case of most African nations, i don't think that they get the govts they deserve.
As you have mentioned some countries are under military governance while others are unfortunate enough to end up with corrupt leaders who are only looking out for themselves. These people are voted into power due to ignorance in most cases because the majority of the population is illiterate and poor therefore bribed into voting for unless leaders.

Answer 9

There is clearly a frustration that people in the west feel about third world countries who receive huge amounts of aid but however seem to go in this constant cycle of decline and their people continue to suffer. I think we are all fed up with hearing about corrupt African states with leaders who buy fleets of the most expensive cars and live lavish lifestyles whilst they perpetuate human suffering of their own peoples and don't care what happens to their nation. Essentially the masses could change this but they haven't - we all have reasons why they haven't - some of which will be on here I am sure!

Answer 10

Intimidation, tribalism and a free case of beer the day before the elections and the vote rigging the day after. Africans (the black ones) don't want to change and keep blaming colonialism on their present misfortunes. The Western world needs Africa for its minerals and as a market to sell goods. Why change a working formula?