SADC leaders are failing
Namibian civil organisation activist Uhuru Dempers says southern African leaders should wake up to the harsh realities of crushing poverty and social exclusion experienced by the majority of people in the region.
Speaking at the SADC People's Summit, a gathering of citizens of the region preceding the 38th SADC Summit of Heads of State and other organs of government, Dempers said regional leaders have lost vision of the collective ideals of freedom, justice and equality that were the cornerstones of the liberation struggle.
Such ideals, he said, have been displaced by disrespect for fundamental human rights, self-enrichment schemes of political leaders, state capture by local elites and foreign businesses, lack of respect for the environment and natural resources, disregard for service delivery, discriminatory practices, undemocratic and authoritarian rule. He said electoral processes across the region remain questionable and disputed, while there are no consequences for SADC member states violating their own guidelines on democratic governance and respect of the rule of law in the conduct of elections.
He also bemoaned the demise of the SADC Tribunal at the hands of regional leaders, and said the SADC Parliamentary Forum is not sufficiently supported to consolidate executive branches of governments, while it sorely lacks the necessary checks and balances.
Dempers said despite the theme of poverty eradication featuring high on the agenda of the official SADC summit, little is being done at regional and national levels to make a meaningful difference.
“Poverty will not disappear because of declarations, but only through radical structural and transformative actions involving the citizens as the key elements and stakeholders,” Dempers said.
Poverty remains one of the key challenges in the region, where more than half the population lives on less than US$1 per day.
The majority of the region's population is plagued by hunger, malnutrition, gender inequality, exploitation, marginalisation, high morbidity and HIV and Aids, he said.
Governments in the region are being criticised for having ignored recommendations by civil society on poverty eradication measures aimed at wealth redistribution and economic transformation.
“They are rather comfortable with welfare interventions,” Dempers criticised.
Dempers said civil society groups have proposed strong legislation to keep in check illicit outflows of the wealth of nations, as well as the introduction of progressive income tax, especially for the very rich, a living wage as opposed to a minimum wage, as well as an increase in investment in the social sector.
He said regional leadership is characterised by compromises made during the transition to political independence, including the guaranteeing of minority property rights.
Dempers said in countries where such compromises were not made, there is emerging evidence of elites in cahoots with multinationals capturing large tracts of land and evicting indigenous populations.
He proposed that the People's Summit reject the sale of land and other natural resources to foreigners and multinational corporations, and encourage leaseholds and other mutually beneficial investment arrangements instead.
He further proposed an urgent increase of control of the extractive industries in order to boost wealth redistribution.
Dempers said a “common shameful image” across the region is the inability or unwillingness of governments to provide decent housing and sanitation.
He proposed that the mushrooming of the so-called informal settlements be stopped and replaced by properly planned and demarcated, well-developed neighbourhoods.
CATHERINE SASMAN
Speaking at the SADC People's Summit, a gathering of citizens of the region preceding the 38th SADC Summit of Heads of State and other organs of government, Dempers said regional leaders have lost vision of the collective ideals of freedom, justice and equality that were the cornerstones of the liberation struggle.
Such ideals, he said, have been displaced by disrespect for fundamental human rights, self-enrichment schemes of political leaders, state capture by local elites and foreign businesses, lack of respect for the environment and natural resources, disregard for service delivery, discriminatory practices, undemocratic and authoritarian rule. He said electoral processes across the region remain questionable and disputed, while there are no consequences for SADC member states violating their own guidelines on democratic governance and respect of the rule of law in the conduct of elections.
He also bemoaned the demise of the SADC Tribunal at the hands of regional leaders, and said the SADC Parliamentary Forum is not sufficiently supported to consolidate executive branches of governments, while it sorely lacks the necessary checks and balances.
Dempers said despite the theme of poverty eradication featuring high on the agenda of the official SADC summit, little is being done at regional and national levels to make a meaningful difference.
“Poverty will not disappear because of declarations, but only through radical structural and transformative actions involving the citizens as the key elements and stakeholders,” Dempers said.
Poverty remains one of the key challenges in the region, where more than half the population lives on less than US$1 per day.
The majority of the region's population is plagued by hunger, malnutrition, gender inequality, exploitation, marginalisation, high morbidity and HIV and Aids, he said.
Governments in the region are being criticised for having ignored recommendations by civil society on poverty eradication measures aimed at wealth redistribution and economic transformation.
“They are rather comfortable with welfare interventions,” Dempers criticised.
Dempers said civil society groups have proposed strong legislation to keep in check illicit outflows of the wealth of nations, as well as the introduction of progressive income tax, especially for the very rich, a living wage as opposed to a minimum wage, as well as an increase in investment in the social sector.
He said regional leadership is characterised by compromises made during the transition to political independence, including the guaranteeing of minority property rights.
Dempers said in countries where such compromises were not made, there is emerging evidence of elites in cahoots with multinationals capturing large tracts of land and evicting indigenous populations.
He proposed that the People's Summit reject the sale of land and other natural resources to foreigners and multinational corporations, and encourage leaseholds and other mutually beneficial investment arrangements instead.
He further proposed an urgent increase of control of the extractive industries in order to boost wealth redistribution.
Dempers said a “common shameful image” across the region is the inability or unwillingness of governments to provide decent housing and sanitation.
He proposed that the mushrooming of the so-called informal settlements be stopped and replaced by properly planned and demarcated, well-developed neighbourhoods.
CATHERINE SASMAN
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