(Originally written for publication on 01.13.09)
All eyes will be trailed on Tanzania next week when African member states convene in Dar es Salaam to consider reform proposals on the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) due later this year. Discussion will focus on the protocol establishing the PAP with a view to granting it legislative authority. Challenges and opportunities abound on several fronts such as the proposal to have members of the PAP elected directly by universal suffrage rather than the current practice where national assemblies second members.
In addition to the Economic, Social and Cultural Council (ECOSOCC), the Peace and Security Council, and the African Court of Justice, the inauguration in March 2004 of the Pan African Parliament was a brave and gigantic step towards asserting the AU’s stated commitment to the pursuit of broad-based understanding, representativeness, and inclusion of citizens’ voices in important affairs of the continent.
Sitting in Midrand, South Africa, the Pan-African Parliament was established as an advisory and consultative body. It was envisaged as a critical platform for informing and involving Africans and their grassroots communities in discussions at the African Union. In 2008 for instance, the PAP – among others – sent electoral observer missions to member countries, it discussed the African Charter on Democracy and Elections Observer Missions and hosted a session on Security in Africa with a special focus on the situation in the Great Lakes region including Somalia. Together with NEPAD and the South African Parliament, the PAP also organized the International Women’s Conference that adopted the Commitment Platform Declaration which inter alia, recommended that African countries end indiscriminate privatization of water and sanitation services and retain greater responsibility over the provision of these and other essential services.
While the Pan-African Parliament is one of the flagships of this rejuvenated AU, the organization has won acclaim for being at the vanguard of change and transformation in Africa. By consolidating its achievements and learning from its predecessor’s weaknesses, the AU has proven amidst enormous challenges that it can fair better in the pursuit of peace, justice and social transformation for Africa’s people. Indeed, its very existence today is a big step towards continental solidarity while its ambitious proposal for a Union Government – still viewed as a mirage by some – remains an inspiration to all those who believe in the promise of an era of possibilities.
While achieving such a fete presents far-reaching logistical challenges and political implications, it would test the commitment of AU member states to this belated pursuit of continental government. In particular, the extent to which member states would be willing to cede and/or confer authority to a continental authority outside their individual governments and regions.
When in September 1999, Heads of State and Government of the now defunct Organization of African Unity (OAU) delivered the Sirte Declaration in Libya calling for the establishment of the African Union to, among other aims, facilitate and fast-track the long-held dream of continental integration, this was widely considered an ambition as far-fetched as it was distinctly unoriginal. This cynicism was fuelled partially, and understandably, by the then dominant (mis)perceptions of the OAU in the court of public opinion as little more than a post-independence club of despots uncommitted to the basic tenets of democracy and popular will of the ruled.
Regardless, successive summits like the Lome (2000) and Lusaka (2001) would further consolidate this dream eventually leading to the momentous launch of the African Union in 2002 at the Durban Summit in South Africa. From this moment, those citizens long immersed in decades of conflicts and political turmoil found it possible to hope for tranquillity since the new institution would be critical in brokering sustainable and home-grown peace, just as it would spearhead the continent’s search for a more dignified life away from numbing tentacles of historical poverty and deprivation.
But even as this watershed event took place, genuine concerns remained as to the prospects, potential and ability of the new institution to realise these dreams, to bring forth a much-desired solidarity as well as to create spaces for public engagement in continental affairs.
Next week’s deliberations in Dar es Salaam must not lose sight of the challenges that the Pan-African Parliament must gear itself for in the years ahead. As it gears itself for these challenges, the PAP must pay attention to several imperatives.
Firstly, the PAP must enhance and expand mechanisms for constructive engagement with the civil society organizations, especially those at the forefront in the struggle to turn back the enduring tide of poverty, disempowerment and hopelessness on the continent. Even when it may seem (as it will sometimes) to border on the adversarial, this symbiotic relationship between PAP, grassroots and civil society organizations must be construed and maintained essentially as that of partners pacing one another on the road to perfection. By their very nature, civil society organizations can inject valuable insights into the parliament’s agenda and debates.
Secondly, it will be critical for the PAP to embrace ICT in its broadest possible extent, making it work for the PAP and the peoples of Africa. Harmonisation of ICT policies, joint investments and harnessing new media technologies will enhance e-commerce and support the rise of a vibrant information economy and an informed citizenry. Of necessity, and with regard to fostering linkages with grassroots people, a vibrant, up-to-date and interactive website would be critical in linking Africa not only with its diverse Diaspora, but even more importantly, with itself. Towards this end, continental internet connectivity, quality and affordability should be a leading agenda for the parliament in an era where the youth who dominate Africa’s population now spend more and more of their time in cyberspace.
Finally, a most welcome and timely proposal is that of regional contact points to act as links between the parliament and the people. To be effective though, this initiative must be matched by commitment of resources. As it aspires to become a legislative body, the Pan African Parliament must remain instrumental and committed to opening spaces for public participation in the processes of governance as well as voicing the fears, aspirations, and achievements of Africa’s citizens. The deliberations in Tanzania next week should strive to create the necessary legal and institutional frameworks that grant legitimacy to citizens’ and grassroots initiatives, hence, enabling citizens and their chosen representatives to fully contribute towards the realization of the historical and contemporary pan-Africanist objectives of the African Union which include, among others, strengthening continental solidarity and promoting principles of human rights, transparency, accountable and effective governance, cooperation, peace and democracy in Africa.
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