It’s now news that Britons have voted that the Queen’s country should opt out of the European Union. This was done in consonance with the promise of the conservative party to which the Prime Minister Mr David Cameron belonged. Promise made promise kept.
With that referendum, chances are that that David Cameron will have to resign should the referendum hold. This will take effect in October, 2016 (Ceteris Paribus).
What a developed democracy and what a civilized confederal system.
Lessons could be drawn for Africa.
The idea of resignation will never be an option in Africa’s experience. An African leader rather die in office or remain incapacitated in office than resign.
More so, referendum conducted in Africa are doctored, not indepth and not mutually exclusive. In the end of the day, chaos present itself as the only result of the referendum in that regard. Ethiopia and Eritrea, Sudan and South Sudan presents us perfect examples.
The right to self determination had been denied and suppressed. It is a case of Africa underdeveloping Africa.
The democracy we copied had just been practised in its pristine form and so Africa should follow suit.
Dependency, Undevelopment and colonialism are often our excuses or at best alibi, but we fail to address the preblem of ‘WILL’
It took the political WILL of the British Government to go into that referendum. That same WILL may factor her exit off the European Union.
We have copied democracy, but we have failed to copy the basic tenets of democracy and how those tenets rest on the political will of the state.
Since, we are used to copying, next time we need to copy, we should copy well. It is necessary, fundamental and sacrosanct.
Written by Olubankole Olatunji.
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