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Political Parties and Democratic Consolidation
in Botswana: Challenges and Opportunities
-- Robert M Molebatsi
Since its first pre-independence elections in 1965, Botswana has maintained its democratic tradition, holding regular elections every five years without interruption. To this extent, it is a multiparty democracy. In Botswana, political parties are allowed to form and freely contest for political office. However, the development and institutionalization of political parties remain a major challenge to democratic consolidation in Botswana. This paper, therefore, argues that party development and institutionalization are major obstacles to democratic consolidation in Botswana. There are a number of factors that work against the development and institutionalization of political parties. In the light of these challenges, the paper concludes that probably the level of democracy in the country is the best that can be expected given the democratic stature of political parties in Botswana. © 2014 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
Prebendalism as an Albatross to Democratic Practice
and National Development in Nigeria: A Critical Discourse
--Barrister Okeke V O S and Ugwuanyi, Bartholomew Ikechukwu
There is, indeed, the rising crisis of misgovernance, glaring undemocratic practices, increasing cases of fraudulent elections, clear evidences of poor political representation and apparent signs of general underdevelopment in Nigeria. All these are largely the results of the pervasive and endemic prebendalism in the country. Very worrisome is that prebendalism is ever getting more critical and damaging as it continues to eat deeper into the political fabric of the Nigerian polity. Against this background, the study critically examines the issue of prebendalism in Nigerian politics and governance, and analyzes the implications of prebendalism on the nation’s democratic practice, particularly as it concerns the conduct of democratic elections, effective representation and national development generally. In carrying out the study, information and data were collected through secondary sources like data collection. Consequently, content analysis technique was adopted for analysis. The findings of the study reveal that the prebendal intentions that induce fraudulent electoral activities and the actual use of public offices as prebends result in flagrant waste and corruption and hinder the conduct of democratic elections, forestalling effective representation and impeding overall national development. Given the fact that prebendal culture nurtures corrupt instincts and practices and should have no place in modern democratic practice and for which it needs to be drastically controlled, the study recommends, among others, that the entire Nigerian citizenry should be reorientated to a better value system that essentially would entail seeking, occupying and using public offices purely for the interest of the citizens and for effective administration of national development. To effectively realize this, however, there needs to be a conscious and systematic effort by the government to create and preserve the growth of public sentiments and values that are consistent with selfless service, political democracy and overall good governance. © 2014 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
China as a Factor in Japan-India Relations
--Brijesh N Mehrish
China has asserted its rights over Senkaku islands, a disputed archipelago claimed and controlled by Japan. The foreign policy of China towards India has been principally directed and guided by the objective of striking India’s power position in Asia. India considers Japan as a “natural and indispensable partner in quest for stability and peace in the vast region in Asia.” The Indo-Pacific region is witnessing profound social and economic changes. This paper also examines the factors responsible for the tensions between China and Japan. © 2014 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
The Afghan Community in Kelantan:
A Preliminary Survey
--Laurent Metzger
The Malay Peninsula has been a land of immigration for a long time. Several communities and individuals have left their homeland and migrated there, seeking fortune. Several studies have been conducted on such movements and historical migrations. Some of those migrations are quite well known, but some have attracted less attention from scholars. True, some were not as important in size as the others, but we believe that all communities deserve some kind of historiography. This is the case of the Afghan community which settled in the north-eastern state of Kelantan after World War I; hardly any mention can be found in historical documents either concerning their country of origin or their country of settlement. Hence, this paper tries to unravel the mysterious past of the said community. The paper also presents the reasons for such lack of information as well as a few points regarding the status of the Afghans who came to Kelantan. © 2014 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
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