Polity - News this Week

South Africa

ADDIS ABABA - South African President Kgalema Motlanthe says at the African Union (AU) summit, that his government respects, and unequivocally pledges its commitment to the independence of the judiciary and the rule of law. He emphasises the importance of the judiciary as the cornerstone of democracy, in an address to the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) meeting on the implementation of South Africa's first annual programme of action in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The APRM seeks to strengthen efforts to build political stability and eradicate poverty in Africa. Motlanthe expands on the undertakings of the South African government that will ensure that "democracy is not eroded". He says that the South African government's policies and interventions will demonstrate the required flexibility to address the current economic downturn and reduce its negative impact on South Africa's economy. Motlanthe urges other AU member States to accede to the APRM and become part of the collecive seeking to strengthen the struggle to build political stability and eradicate poverty.

PRETORIA - South Africa's Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) states that political parties must ensure "unhindered public participation" during political campaigning for elections. IEC spokesperson Kate Baphela says that the commission is "concerned and dismayed by the signs of disregard for the freedom of association and the right to assemble for political campaigning", demonstrated with recent political violence in KwaZulu Natal. The commission condemns the "propagation and prevalence of political intolerance and violence". Baphela says that political parties must uphold the principles of a mature democracy by ensuring unhindered public participation during campaigning. She adds that the value of peace and tolerance among political parties cannot be overemphasised.

Africa & the World

NEW YORK - US-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) says that the US has turned a blind eye to abuses by its allies in Somalia and worsened the situation there by reducing a complex conflict to a front in its "war on terror". In a letter to African Union (AU) Commission chairperson Jean Ping, HRW says that the policies of many governments have been destructive in Somalia. US ally Ethiopia sent its army into Somalia to topple an Islamist administration in Mogadishu and rescue the Western-backed transitional government at the end of 2006. The Ethiopians begin withdrawing this year and Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, a moderate Islamist, has been elected as Somali president, raising hopes that a way can be found out of the conflict that has torn Somalia for 18 years. Ahmed has been positive towards the new US administration. HRW called on the AU to ask the United Nations Security Council to establish a commission of inquiry into rights abuses in Somalia.

HARARE - Former United Nations Secretary-General and current member of the group of prominent figures known as the Elders, Kofi Annan, has urged world leaders to help rebuild Zimbabwe's economy after the opposition agreed to join a unity government with Robert Mugabe. He says that this is an important step towards ending the political impasse, but it is not a guarantee that Zimbabwe's distress is over. Rebuilding the economy and helping suffering Zimbabweans will require the aid of the international community. Fellow Elders member and former US President Jimmy Carter says that while the power-sharing agreement is not perfect, it should be supported and the world should do what it can to give the resolution the best chance of success. The US has voiced skepticism over the deal, saying that implementation is key and that aid will come only when a representative government is in place.

DAVOS - United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon calls on world leaders at the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland, to use the global economic crisis as an impetus to form a ‘Green New Deal' that will help to create jobs and fight climate change, by investing in renewable energy and technological development. Ban explains that while climate change threatens the world's development, it also offers the opportunity of solving two issues at once - climate change and economic decline. Ban calls his plan, the ‘Global Compact 2.0', reminiscent of former UN chief Kofi Annan's ‘Global Compact of Corporate Responsibility' plan a decade ago. A "green economy" is low-carbon and energy-efficient, Ban explains, as well as capable of creating jobs. He emphasises that investment in sustainable technologies, means that the current economic crisis can be turned into sustainable growth in the future.

ADDIS ABABA - Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has been elected chairperson of the African Union (AU). He makes it clear that he will pursue his vision of a United States of Africa in his year-long tenure, despite reluctance from many AU members. Gaddafi states that his project to create a united continental government will be approved at the next AU meeting in July unless there is a decided majority against it. Gaddafi, supported by some AU members like Senegal's Abdoulaye Wade, has been pushing for a unity government for years, saying that it is the only way to meet the challenges of globalisation, fighting poverty and resolving conflicts without Western interference. Other States, led by South Africa, see the idea as a distant and impractical prospect that will infringe on the sovereignty of member States, although all 53 members of the AU have said that they agree with the idea in principle.