Experiencing true national democracy is no easy task

Democratic Party presidential candidates Bernie Sanders (right) and Hillary Clinton speak during the CNN Democratic Presidential Primary Debate at the Whiting Auditorium at the Cultural Center Campus in Flint, Michigan on March 6, 2016. PHOTO | SCOTT OLSON | AFP

What you need to know:

  • If at some point we shall experience a true national democracy in which all live by the rule of law then something must be done.

Some day last week, I met a colleague coming from class. With him was a student who from their discussion I could tell they were from the same lecture. As if reporting the student to me, the professor said that the student had accused him of being an “afro-pessimist”. I got interested and wondered where all that would have come from and why.

The student was quick to point out that their professor does not seem to see anything good about the political behavioural pattern of Africa’s political class. He even went on to remind me that we think we want to be like America in the here and now and should remember that America has been around for the last two hundred years. His take was that there must have been a time in the past when Americans threw stones in the streets the way we are doing now.

Since I was not part of their initial discussion, I asked only one question and left them. Do we have to re-invent the wheel? And the student smiled as did the professor. Two days ago I watched the events surrounding the declaration of Hillary Clinton as the presidential candidate for the Democratic Party in the United States after a tough and acrimonious fight for the candidature against her Democratic rival Bernie Sanders.

The party has been divided and wounded during the primaries and the first duty for all is to reunite it before the convention next month and the ultimate prize come November.

After an hour’s meeting with President Barrack Obama, Sanders quickly stated that he will put more effort to ensure that Trump does not become president. That statement meant that he will be behind Mrs Clinton and make a united front to bring back the Democratic Party.

It is true that America has been around for more than two hundred years and one might be right to say that they have been through all the hurdles of doing politics before getting to where they are now.

There is however an area in which we may be a little ahead of them. It is only now after all those years that they have a woman candidate for presidency. I believe we have had at least three women candidates over the years.

Candidates aside, the nature and operations of our so called political parties is still an issue. If at some point we shall experience a true national democracy in which all live by the rule of law then something must be done. It all must begin with internal democracy within political parties.

Fr Wamugunda is dean of students, University of Nairobi; [email protected]