The sovereignty which emanates from the people or quite simply the fact for the people of being holders of a power which they have the duty not to say the obligation to entrust to one of its members for a number of times renewable or not, is a means of expression which has always proven itself but whose effectiveness in Africa and in Cameroon in particular depends on the considerable number not only of those who participate in the elections, but also those who over the years choice to register on electoral lists. If in fact, from the point of view of those who made the choice of the adoptee, it is the best system there is, it is up to the people to give it not only credibility, but above all greater effectiveness because, we cannot speak of a strong political system when the number of votes cast is well below the total number of the population.
Even if following the elections we sometimes and in places witness contestations of results that are sometimes unjustified mainly in weak democracies, it should still be noted that through the rate of abstention and that of those who do not even register on the electoral lists, the people clearly show that they are not using most of their power. If this choice makes some people happy and others unhappy, it is further proof that there is still a lot to do to have a better quality democratic system the achievement of which depends above all on the choice of the people to register and vote massively. Even if it should be noted on the one hand the fact that certain opposition parties accuse those in power of fraud sometimes without tangible proof even if these are sometimes and in places realities, and on the other hand the fact for certain parties in power to accuse those in the opposition of bad losers and instead to get back to work to convince the voters precisely because the low rate of those who participate in the elections compared to the total number of the population is another harsh reality which advantage several parties in power, it is not these endless Ping-Pong games that make a strong political system. It is the people who really make the system even if some people sometimes prevent him from expressing himself as he should to give himself the means to improve the quality of his living conditions or even achieve a very satisfactory change in the short term.
Weak democratic systems and coups
Recent coups in Africa show that some Africans countries have not yet completely taken ownership of a system that a good majority of them have chosen to adopt. If that were the case, we would no longer take up arms to conquer power. And even if we must take the democratic system as a process during which electoral transparency improves, as well as well-supervised protest movements and freedom of expression, the fact of finding ourselves obliged to arbitrarily put an end to a mandate by force of arms to put an end to what some call a paralyzing influences which have always weakened a democratic system that is strong in itself but considered very weak for part of the people or all of the people depending on the context because of the detestable realities which required military initiatives to allow these countries to start again on new bases and above all give birth to a regime better than the previous one, even if it is the best that we can wish for these States which are in particular contexts, it remains that resorting to State coups to dismiss a regime and installed it another, is an alternative way out of the crisis which shows that the democratic systems adopted and implemented have not yet reached maturity.
When an institution finds itself obliged to use weapons against another institution to re-establish a truth that he (the institution who have taken the power by the weapons) is best placed to know, this is no longer the exercise of democracy. These are certainly personal initiatives that circumstances impose, but they no longer have anything to do with a democratic path that they have the responsibility to re-establish on more solid foundations, especially not without the approval of the real holder of power, namely the people.
The time of electoral manipulation must give way to the undisputed and indisputable truth of the ballot box. In countries where elections are constantly contested, people are increasingly aware of the importance of their voice. If some people have chosen weapons for a time, it is preferable to do everything possible now to avoid resorting to such options which give a bad image to a country on the international scene. Furthermore, we cannot say that what happens to others does not concern us! What happens to others always concerns us directly, especially when it involves taking power by force of arms.
Also read : Military coups in Africa : Between awakening consciences and satisfying selfish ambitions
Africans States need to be more serious about managing their affairs. Indeed, even if other factors can justify the choice to take power by force of arms, it is always the accumulation of acts of embezzlement, the laxity of certain authorities in the face of increasing injustices, and the feeling of having governments incapable of responding effectively to the concerns of populations which justify the operationalization of the seizure of power by force of arms. When we know that some people are likely to take what does not belong to them, we do everything we can to prevent this from happening and the people are always better placed depending on the context to know how to properly evaluate the efforts undertaken to resolve these problems.
The people are willing to take to the streets to show their discontent but not on the basis of nothing. One do not enter into conflict with an institution on the basis of nothing. Even when we express our dissatisfaction, it is only to remind her of what she had to do and which is even provided for by law and which she did not do. If in certain States these acts of legitimate protests end by coups, it is because democracies are not mature. In mature democracies we know and respect the rights of those who choose to protest against the regimes in place. If these acts of protest, violent or not break the limits of legality, the perpetrators will be punished in accordance with the law. But when the facts are proven and justify violent protest movements, the authorities have no other choice than to respect the will of the people and there is no need to resort to coups.
If no institution should allow itself to confiscate what does not belong to her, everything must be done to ensure that this does not happen arbitrarily because even if the transition phases following military coups are necessary, they must help ensure that there are no more coups in the future and specialized independent institutions have the responsibility to ensure that the law is respected in addition to taking appeals seriously, especially not without the necessary proof because the victory to an election depends and will always depend on the number of votes actually cast. When we know that the populations do not vote enough, we must not immerse them in a chaotic imagination which is a way of trivialize the reality of the need to register more on electoral lists because while some cry victories, others are already comparing their own electoral files with those of the opposition for the upcoming elections. Even if we may say that there was fraud here or there, which is not always false and we must recognize it, but it is not always true and we must also recognize it instead of exploiting these opportunities to satisfy political ambitions which will unfortunately be undermined by a rush of bees towards crowds as a sign of counter-offensive.
The people are ready to revolt but not on the basis of nothing. As long as there is no tangible, documented and even achievable proof, it is better that what is happening on digital platforms stops at this level so as not to further populate penitentiary establishments with macabre aspects.
The challenge of African democracies
The biggest challenge for African countries adopting democratic systems is that of having consistent electoral files. We cannot speak of a strong electoral system when the number of votes cast is considerably lower than the number of registered voters and even more so the total population. This is the reason why in Cameroon we invite those who have chosen to take refuge in the bush for legitimate demands to come out and register on the electoral lists to change things through the ballot box as in these countries where the democratic system is in a phase of completion in particular because the populations are more aware of the fact that during the next elections, they will get rid of one or more people they no longer want.
“Power of the people, by the people and for the people” cannot be powerful without massive participation of the populations. We cannot really boast of being in a democratic system when the high rate of abstention and the number of people who choose not to register suggests that these people are not even interested in the elections which they consider to be other people's business when it is also theirs. If we must recognize that the one who won has really won, the work to be done remains immense because the majority who have chosen not to express themselves are already showing discontent which unfortunately will not be counted. A victory is a victory even if it is contested. And even if it is necessary to insist on the reason for disputes, it must be clear and tangible otherwise, it is unacceptable. Whether you vote or not, the elections will be organized and the results, we hope, will be the consequence of the truth of the ballot box expressed by those who chose to vote to give substance to a democratic system which, although very strong in itself, remains very feverish in a large majority of African countries in general and in Cameroon in particular because of the low rate of votes cast which makes some happy and others unhappy, while not showing us the path that remains for us to do, but the extra efforts we have to make.
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