We in Tanzania and other people elsewhere in the world are now living witnesses to the collapse of authoritarian and unpopular regimes.
If there is a political revolution going on throughout the world, it’s what might be called the ‘participation revolution’ where citizens have the power to choose the form of government they want.
The global events of the past decades have drawn our attention to the necessity to have good and effective leaders if we are to attain our set development goals.
Such leaders can more effectively guarantee national security, good governance and democracy in our country and Africa at large.
These leaders will also help to set-up and nurture state or governmental institutions and create the enabling environment for the promotion and sustenance of national security, good governance and democracy in African countries.
As good governance under a democratic setting goes up or improves, national security also goes up in that challenges become lesser and lesser in such a society.
Whenever the other side suffers, the opposite side is inevitably bound to suffer as well. Political scientists say managing the state apparatus or exercising political power becomes always striking a favourable balance between the imperatives of national security and good governance in a democratic social order.
Tanzanians must be proud of the fact that in July 1992 the country, under the leadership of founder President Julius Nyerere, returned to multi-party rule without waiting for further unpleasant developments to occur and take them unaware.
The unpleasant developments which can be cited here include the catastrophic political changes which have taken place in some Arab countries to usher in democratic rule.
Tanzania, Africa’s peaceful island, is now clearly in the forefront of the democratisation process going on in Africa. This process promises to create favourable conditions for the emergence of the appropriate leadership that can better guarantee national security and good governance, the key pillars of democratic rights and economic prosperity for the people.
Renowned African academician Prof Ali Mazrui says national security and good governance are mutually reinforcing and complementary because without one, the other cannot in fact be possibly guaranteed as liberal freedom can easily slide into anarchy and chaos.
Prof Mazrui maintains that in the contemporary world, a democratic setting offers a far better environment for the pursuit of the goals of national security and good governance on a long-term basis.
“The problems of poor national security and bad governance in a democracy arise more in context where there is a weak or bad leadership.
The nature of the leadership, thus determines the quality of national security, good governance and democracy,” he says.
As older Tanzanians have experienced in the past 52 years of independence, under severe economic hardships resulting from natural or other causes, there tend to be more challenges to national security, good governance and democracy.
This is because deepening economic crises tend to generate more societal conflicts based on social divisions, ethnicity, region, language, religion, gender and classes. Each one or a set of them attempt to capture the state and state policies for their interests.
As the economic fortunes of a society shrink, these class and cultural divisions tend to increase as the struggle for the scarce economic resources becomes more intense.
The developments greatly challenge the national security system, good governance and democracy. According to the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, citizens of every nation and indeed all human beings have basic needs and human rights.
Once the leaders or government or the State caters well for these basic needs and protects these human rights; then there is good governance in that society.
Good governance has several characteristics, says the United Nations, which include participatory, consensus-oriented, accountable, transparent, responsive, effective, efficient, equitable, and inclusive and to the rule of law.
A government is said to exhibit good governance when there is transparency and accountability and when nobody is above the law; and there is respect for mankind and the fundamental human rights of every citizen.
Good governance occurs when people exercise their fundamental human rights and, at the same time, actively participate in planning, execution, monitoring and evaluation of societal responsibilities.
Therefore in a country like Tanzania, good governance remains the bedrock of a sustainable and progressive transformation. As famed Indian leader of nationalism Mahatma Gandhi said, there are issues that government should keep in mind to achieve good governance.
“Wealth must come from work – not corruption. Pleasure should not be at the expense of our neighbours – it must come with conscience. Knowledge is subject to abuse, if it comes without character. Politics must be guided by principles because what is morally wrong cannot be politically right.
Commerce must be run on moral precepts and we must always remember that a good name is better than god. Companies must be responsible corporate citizens and cater for their host communities.
Science ought to save life – not devise ways of destroying mankind. Worship should be in the sacrifice of self for the common good, he said.” Furthermore, government should discharge its duties with a responsibility to protect people, democracy and the nation.
This democracy, Gandhi said, “is not a gift; it is a right. It is an inheritance bequeathed to us through the blood and sweat of our fellow citizens.
We can only destroy it ourselves if we fail to set our sails right, protect it with our heart and might, and keep our sights on justice and equity.” We who are in nascent democracies must learn these facts the hard way if we are to achieve what we want to achieve.
By ALPHA NUHU, Tanzania Daily News
