African Unification Front
|
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
June 12, 2005
African Parliament Is Key to Africa's Success
Article by Dan Kashagama
Having observed the political constraints against which the Pan African Parliament is operating currently, specifically the AU commission's attempts to undermine the parliament and the sabotage by Thabo Mbeki's myopic handling of its finances, and his undemocratic relocation of parliament as a means of benefitting SA financially at the expense of the rest of Africa, it is necessary to draw up plans to protect it from further abuse.
Neocolonialist tendencies and defeatism are still pervasive, fanned by British media, especially the BBC whose reporting style and its interpretation of African developments is colonial and insulting. In recent years, desperate over its continuing loss of control over Africa, the British media stepped up its campaign to try and derail Pan Africanism, and have purposely ignored the PAP altogether while promoting every neocolonialist and reactionary bureaucrat and mercernary they can find in Africa. The BBC's analysts continue to manufacture the most bleak propaganda about Africa, using as their "experts" defeatists, opportunists and megalomaniacs.
Yet in spite of these constraints, the Pan African Parliament has gained respect internationally, and especially outside of Britain (in Canada, the United States, Europe, and Asia). The African Parliament is seen as Africa's strongest, and most legitimate democratic institution. Latin America is pushing forward with plans to duplicate Africa's success with unification, a process that may one day see an American Parliament as the fulfilment of Simon Bolivar's dream of a single united Latin American republic stretching from Mexico to Chile. For president's Chavez and Lula, if Africa can do it, why not Latin America? The President of India Abdul Kalam, and the Chair of the Japanese Senate have both attended a PAP session.
Since the creation of the PAP, the Caribbean States have also stepped up their efforts to form a federation. In their case, however, Kwame Nkrumah is directly responsible...eventually they may directly join the African Union. The leading Pan Africanists in the world include several of the CARICOM leaders, including Arthur N. R. Robinson, the former President of Trinidad, founder of the International Criminal Court, and an ardent follower of Nkrumah. Robinson's book "The New Frontier and the New Africa" should be required reading for every Pan Africanist.
Leading political and media organizations around the world are now starting see the African Parliament as the legitimate government authority in Africa, and recognise the prestige and authority of the PAP. There is a debate going on about Africa's future, and it is having and important effect on government functions even outside Africa. When MP David Kilgour's vote of no-confidence nearly brought the Canadian government down last month, he gave the handling of peacekeeping in Africa as the reason why he wanted the government to fall. But for a tied vote, Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin's government would have fallen.
Many Canadians are bothered by the fact that Paul Martin appeared to disregard Pan African efforts to resolve the crisis. Martin who claims that he models himself and his economic policies on Trevor Manuel, still lapses into episodes of economic opportunism. Many people feel he was not helping the problem, especially because of all the leaders he could have visited in Africa, he went to talk about oil to miscreants and dictators, notably Ghadaffi. Many see Canada as a haven for rogue mineral corporations that exploit Africa, and start wars in Africa. Many Canadian organizations that are prohibited from working openely in the US, or are afraid of protestors in Europe, set up shop in Canada. these include Talisman (which started the Darfur crisis), Placer Dome, De Beers, Sandline, Diamond Works, Executive Outcomes, and others.
Mobina Jaffer: Wants Respect for Pan African Institutions
 Mobina Jaffer, a member of the Canadian Senate has become the most visible leader pushing for better and fair political engagement between Africa and Canada. She has denounced the way that Overseas development assistance was framed in the past, and wants a commitment to regional and Pan African policies. Because of her leadership Pan African concepts and phrases have become normal terms of reference in Parliamentary committee hearings. Mobina Jaffer was born in Africa, and has been spending a lot of time in Darfur since the crisis started. She has actively supported African peacekeeping efforts, and is actively engaged in negotiations to end violence in northern Uganda as well.
Because of Senator Jaffer, Senator Romeo Dallaire, and several parliamentarians and governemnt leaders in Canada, the US and other parts of the world, major international policy institutions have started to promote Pan African institutions as the most legimiate vehicle for addressing African issues, instead of the divisive approach that targets NGOs and individual African states for contradictory, competitive, and incoherent policy packages, while undermining Pan African institution building. Many government leaders in North America and Europe are gradually coming to terms with the reality that Pan Africanism is the only real guarantee of Africa's success, and possibly to international economic stability.
Paul Martin and Hedy Fry at Parliament Hill, Ottawa
 Another leading proponent of Pan African solutions is Hon. Hedy Fry, also a Liberal Party member of Canada's Parliament. Every time that I have run into Dr. Hedy Fry, one of the most charismatic members of the Canadian parliament, we have spoken about the status of the African Union and she has consistently affirmed her commitment to raise the profile of the Pan African Parliament. She is very articulate, and has a remarkable grasp of the issues at the core of the AUF's struggle to affirm the PAP's prestige and authority. Dr. Fry is now part of a growing and influential team of PAP supporters around the world, and she has recently travelled to Africa to talk to government leaders. Dr. Fry was born in Trinidad, and is an important leader of the African Diaspora in North America.
In anticipation that political and financial constraints will continue to present problems to the orderly growth of pan african institutions, it is necessary to revise AUF proposals on how to shape the next Pan African Parliament after 2008.
The legislative Pan African Parliament must remain a unicameral parliament, but with double the number of deputies (530 members instead of 265). They should be elected by universal suffrage for a five-year term under a system of proportional representation with two list categories (53 AU States Lists, and one All-Union List). That means that each AU state will be represented as now by 5 deputies, in addition to 265 other deputies representing a single All-African electoral constituency.
The Pan African Parliament should have the 530 delegates (deputies) elected by the Single Transferable Vote list system of Proportional Representation (in 2 categories): 265 members being elected from the State Electoral Lists, and an aaditional 265 members from a single All-Union continental list. The African Union should be one nationwide constituency (of 530 members) for the conversion of votes into seats, with a 5% threshold for a mandate. That means that in order for a party to get seats in the PAP it must win at least 5% of the votes.
Ideally the African Parliament should be a permanently functioning body, meaning that it is frequently in session, and that the sessions are fairly long, lasting several months each. The only way to do this is to issue a single All-African currency under control of the PAP, and to do it now, not 40 years from now. They can then keep some of the currency reserves in order to fund the PAP, and also to pay for strategic economic institutions and infrastructure.
END
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
printable version
