No more leaders

I’m really amazed at what we Africans call Democracy. To elect a leader for a number of years seems enough to us. We expect that elected leader to be nice and cater for our problems and issues. When he doesn’t, the most courageous of us get in the street and make noise. The martyrs are then turned into post-mortem heroes. Sometimes, putchists organise a military coup and we are back to step one, that is fight for our democratic rights to choose another politician as leader. I know that the new generation of African leaders means well. Yet we cannot keep on repeating the same errors. This generation of leaders has the duty to create an environment that will foster a sane political debate between the people and the political class. The debate must be direct and crucial issues must be brought directly to the people through referendums. This debate must translate into clear control processes and institutions run by citizens and backed by constitutions. These institutions, run by citizens for citizens and not for politicians I must precise, will set the political agenda and control “in real time” the actions of political representants, not leaders. Africa have had enough leaders already. We need representants now.