Zimbabwean elections: How China emboldens Africa

 

August 8, 2013 by Emeka Umejei

President Robert Mugabe
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The recently concluded elections in Zimbabwe have thrown up age-long sentiments about Africa, especially as they concern the continent’s internal affairs and its relations with the West and China. In the old world order, the West, comprising the United States of America, and its allies, dominated the geopolitical landscape and Africa kowtowed to their wishes. In that era, when the West sneezed, Africa re-adjusted to suit the positions of the West, even when such matters were internal to it. In that era, Africa did not have a voice — it did not know what was good or bad, only the West knew.

However, the arrival of China on the global geopolitical landscape has caused a shift that gives Africa alternatives. China’s policy of non-interference in the internal affairs of African countries finds fertile ground among many of their leaders, who look to it as an alternative to the West. The outcome of the recently concluded Zimbabwean elections is a pointer to how China has given voice to Africa’s choice, in its internal affairs. In the aftermath of the elections, the African Union Observation Mission led by a former Nigerian President, Olusegun Obasanjo, said, “From a historical perspective and in comparison to the 2008 elections, Zimbabwe has made an important transition in the conduct of its elections.”

The AU’s position concurs with the Southern African Development Union Election Observation Mission led by Tanzanian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Bernard Kamillius Membe, which describes the electoral process as “characterised by an atmosphere of peace and political tolerance.”   The SEOM, in its statement, called on all political parties to respect and accept the election results but advised whoever was aggrieved to go to court or engage in dialogue. The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa Election Observation Mission also said the elections “will go a long way in contributing to the consolidation of democracy in Zimbabwe.”

COMESA, like other regional and local observers, also expressed concerns with the significant number of voters who were turned away at polling stations but noted that the “affected voters had presented themselves in the wrong wards; some did not register as voters and yet wanted to vote; while others had registered after July 10, 2013, hence ineligible to vote in these elections.”

However, these reports by both regional and continental observers, do not amount to much in the estimation of the West, because they still believe Africa cannot think for itself and doesn’t have the capacity to know whether an election is good or bad.

The statement credited to John Kerry, the United States of America Secretary of State, buttresses this thinking: “In light of substantial electoral irregularities reported by domestic and regional observers, the United States does not believe that the results announced today represent a credible expression of the will of the Zimbabwean people.”

“Though the United States was restricted from monitoring these elections, the balance of evidence indicates that today’s announcement was the culmination of a deeply flawed process,” he added.

His United Kingdom counterpart, William Hague, is in cahoots: “I commend the people of Zimbabwe on holding peaceful elections. However, we have grave concerns over the conduct of the elections,” Hague said.

However, China, which understands that Africa’s view on its internal affairs should be respected, holds a different view on the outcome of the elections. China did not reach its conclusion from Beijing; it sent an observation team led by its former envoy on Africa Affairs, Liu Gujin.

According to the Global Times, Gujin described the election as peaceful, orderly and credible. The report which quoted the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Hua Chunying, said that China appreciates the Zimbabwean people’s patriotic zeal and independent consciousness. Chunying further called on “the international community to respect the choice of Zimbabwe’s people.”  China’s recognition of the election as representative of the will of the Zimbabwean people emboldened other African leaders to congratulate Zimbabwe. The presidents of two of Africa’s largest economies, Nigeria and South Africa, have since followed suit.

Recently, when President Barack Obama of the US visited some African countries and left out Nigeria, officials of the Nigerian government did not lament their fate as they did in 2008, when Obama first visited Africa. The Nigeria government subsequently planned a highly publicised state visit to China, which suggests that there are alternatives. Though the Nigerian government has since debunked the allegation that the China visit was to get at the US, we know better.

In 2004, Angola was still negotiating the economic conditions attached by the International Monetary Fund to access loans when China offered it billions of dollars without any attached economic strings. Conventional wisdom suggests that the West should come to terms with the reality that China is an alternative and re-adjust its master-servant relations with Africa. In her  book, The Dragon’s Gift: The Real Story of China in Africa, Deborah Brautigam, emphasises that China as an alternative to the West is good for Africa’s development.

Though the West has expressed fears that China’s support for Mugabe and other African leaders of his ilk could give a moral backing to dictatorship on the continent, there is no truth in such anxieties. One consistent truth is that on the global stage, support is engendered by interests. Whether it is China, the US, the UK, or any other country, support is all about what is at stake for their home countries.

The singular reason China holds the ace for Africa is that it believes Africa should be allowed to make its choices, not to be dictated to from the outside. The truth is if Africa does not take its own decisions; if it does not fail or succeed, how will Africa come of age? Africa should be allowed to make its own mistakes and learn from them; else, it would continue to be spoon-fed.

 

Source: Punch

 

Link:http://www.punchng.com/opinion/zimbabwean-elections-how-china-emboldens-africa/