This proposition is a reminder of how democracy started in Historic Greece at about 500 BC. Fed up with monarchy, the place one individual dominated, and aristocracy that had a couple of folks governing – with each varieties breeding dictatorships – folks took governance and their future in their very own arms. The cities had been sufficiently small to allow the folks to fulfill to make selections on completely different features of their lives with out representatives.
With inhabitants explosions throughout the globe, nonetheless, democracy or consultant authorities has metamorphosed over the centuries; the loopholes are there for all to see nonetheless.
There are pertinent inquiries to ask close to key options of democracy, as practiced in our clime? Are they constructive on the human growth index of the typical Nigerian? Do our political leaders exhibit respect for primary human rights? Is the multi-party system offering sufficient room for tolerance of opposition? Is there respect for the rule of legislation? And do residents’ votes actually depend?
As a approach ahead, the Tinubu-led administration, which as soon as referred to as for a Authorities of Nationwide Unity, could take into account organising a high-powered however non-partisan committee to take a important take a look at proportional illustration electoral system. Within the various, the Nationwide Meeting could kick-start such a course of.
Moreover, such a committee ought to re-appraise the suggestions of the 2014 Confab Report in addition to Justice Uwais Electoral Reform Committee Report as a way to come forth with an electoral construction that may meet the wants and aspirations of a overwhelming majority of the folks.
We want to observe that whereas proportional illustration has its variants, generally advanced and can replicate the relative recognition of the events among the many citizens by eliminating or discouraging vote wastage and domination of the electoral course of by solely huge events, each widespread options of the present easy majority electoral system, it isn’t with out its personal flip sides, particularly in a political neighborhood with excessive stage of illiteracy, lack of political ideology, celebration self-discipline and inside celebration democracy.
For proportional illustration to flourish on this clime, there should be celebration self-discipline and inside democracy. It could be recalled that within the pre-independence and early post-independence period, political events, regardless of their imperfections, had been largely ideologically inclined and disciplined.
As an example, Richard Sklar described the Motion Group as “one of the best organised, greatest financed, and most effectively run political celebration in Nigeria.” To underscore this, following the movement tabled by Anthony Enahoro of Motion Group in 1953, asking the Home Representatives to simply accept “as major political goal the attainment of self-government for Nigeria in 1956”, the Council of Ministers determined by a majority that Enahoro’s movement ought to be opposed whereas the modification proposed by Ahmadu Bello of Northern Peoples Congress, which was to the impact that “in 1956” ought to be substituted with “as quickly as practicable”, ought to be supported. In keeping with the place of the Motion Group celebration, its 4 ministers within the Central Council of Ministers resigned so as to have the ability to vote on the movement alongside the celebration line!
It’s troublesome to recall in modern Nigerian politics such demonstration of celebration supremacy, particularly when it touches on having to abdicate “juicy positions”! What now we have at present as political events seems to be amorphous collections of unusual bedfellows, with solely ideology to seize energy and its advantages in any respect prices. We’re persuaded that there’s hardly something to decide on between the ruling All Progressives Congress and the opposition Peoples Democratic Get together, Labour Get together and New Nigeria Folks’s Get together.
The collapse of celebration ideology, self-discipline, inside democracy in addition to lust for political energy, which raises the political temperature to the boiling level and results in corrupt affect on all establishments of the state – the electoral administration physique, the police, the military, the judiciary – has its roots within the ginormous monetary assets out there for political workplace holders, opposite to the system within the pre-independence and the independence period.
Whereas we welcome in precept the proposal on proportional illustration electoral system, there may be the pressing have to make public places of work financially unattractive. This can clear the present Augean stables, deliver sanity to the electoral course of and set the nation as soon as once more on the trail of growth.
