DOC PREVIEW
Civil society and democratization:

This preview shows page 1-2-3-4-5 out of 16 pages.

Save
View full document
View full document
Premium Document
Do you want full access? Go Premium and unlock all 16 pages.
Access to all documents
Download any document
Ad free experience
View full document
Premium Document
Do you want full access? Go Premium and unlock all 16 pages.
Access to all documents
Download any document
Ad free experience
View full document
Premium Document
Do you want full access? Go Premium and unlock all 16 pages.
Access to all documents
Download any document
Ad free experience
View full document
Premium Document
Do you want full access? Go Premium and unlock all 16 pages.
Access to all documents
Download any document
Ad free experience
View full document
Premium Document
Do you want full access? Go Premium and unlock all 16 pages.
Access to all documents
Download any document
Ad free experience
Premium Document
Do you want full access? Go Premium and unlock all 16 pages.
Access to all documents
Download any document
Ad free experience

Unformatted text preview:

Civil society and democratization: the CameroonianexperienceOBEN TIMOTHY MBUAGBO1 AND CELESTINA NEH FRU2ABSTRACTThis paper attempts to identify a new orientation for civil society ina Cameroon dangling on the eaves of democratic transition. Itpoints to civil society's current deficiencies in its efforts to assertitself successfully as an important and central player in effectingpolitical and social change. This is blamed on government's unwill-ingness to introduce genuine democratic reforms becauseanti-democratic forces remain strong and on the lack of politicalorganization and effective mobilization of civil society movementsthemselves, due in part to parochialism expressed in the form ofethnicism and regionalism. It outlines the potential of civil societyby drawing inspiration from the activities of some civil societyorganizations like the Church and concludes that an integration oftraditional social structures such as kinship associations and arevamping of the objectives of civil society could constitute aspringboard for popular participation. This could usher in asustainable democratic transition process in Cameroon.KEYWORDScivil society, democratization, ethnicity, governance, human rights, mediaBackgroundThe end of the twentieth century witnessed an increase in the debate overthe role citizens could play in the struggle to construct viable andsustainable democracies in sub Saharan Africa. This new urgency,coming in the wake of the massive failure by totalitarian regimes to ensureminimal social, economic and political resources for most of their citizens1 and 2 Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Faculty of Social andManagement Sciences, University of Buea, P.O. Box 63. Buea, CameroonVOL 18 NO 2 JULY 2003 JOURNAL OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT IN AFRICA 133and the deepening crisis of underdevelopment, have increasedpressure—both internal and external—on states to democratize. Moreespecially, the question has revolved around what strategies, optionsand forces could be harnessed to promote a democratic transition withininternationally recognized norms, while taking into consideration thelocal history and the political and economic peculiarities of the state orregion. In response to these concerns a new consensus has emerged inthe international community on the importance of citizens and citizens'movements to nurture institutions and practices that are conducive tothe establishment of viable democratic institutions and traditionsIn a country like Cameroon, which is still struggling to emerge fromthe vestiges of one-party rule, the challenge to civil society is to createan awareness in citizens that will encourage them to take responsibilityfor their individual and collective destiny. The individual and collectiveliberties that are enshrined in the letter and spirit of the nationalConstitution have not yet been brought out of the pages of documentsand given practical expression. Civil society is increasingly beingidentified as an invaluable player in creating and fostering a newdemocratic ethos and the present system of governance, which couldbe described as a Constitution without constitutionalism, can beredressed with the help of a strong, vibrant and empowered civil society.Civil society should be broadly understood as the domain of non-kinship based contractual relations comprising non-governmentalorganizations, professional associations, interest groups, such as creditand development associations which exist independently of the state'ssovereign bailiwick, but at the same time are capable of bringing pressureto bear on the state. For Carothers (2000) "civil society helps advancedemocracy, discipline the state, ensure that citizens interest are takenseriously, foster greater civil and political participation". In a similarvein,Fatton Jr. (1995) conceives of civil society as a critical element ofdemocratization and argues that the current failure of the process ofdemocratization in Africa hinges, in part, on the failure of states torespond to the pressing demands of their people. Popular frustration withthis state of affairs is sometimes expressed through mass political defiancesuch as strikes and protest marches. In Cameroon mass political rallies134 JOURNAL OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT IN AFRICA VOL 18 NO 2 JULY 2003Mbuagbo/CIVIL SOCIETY AND DEMOCRATIZATION IN CAMEROONand protest marches have frequently gone ahead in defiance of banningorders from over-zealous local level administrative officers backed bytrigger-happy policemen.Civil society is concerned with a gamut of themes. These include theenvironment, human rights, women's issues, election monitoring, anti-corruption crusades and so on. To attain these goals, civil society hasthe responsibility to construct institutions that defend basic individualand community rights and, to do so, citizens must see themselves asactive participants in the construction of this liberty. According toGalston (1997) this requires broad-based dialogue among citizens andcollective action to get rid of dictators and dictatorship.In a study of political transitions in Africa, Osaghae (1995) says thatcivil society, consisting of the "non-statist organizations that occupythe political and social space between the individual and the state", hashistorically functioned to limit the power of the state. To achieve thisand to arrive at various indices of democracy such as accountability,civil society should have the capacity to "check the transition processfrom backsliding". In other words, the momentum for the struggle tobuild a strong democracy should be kept up as long as certain individualsand groups are denied their basic rights. In the view of Hyden (1995)such forces should be kept fully alive until the disenfranchized segmentsof the population become incorporated in the democratic train.The potential of civil society in Cameroon has not yet been fullyevaluated, however, and Yenshu (2001) has raised the question as towhether talk about the role civil society could play in promotingdemocracy is only a matter of ideological conviction, given its currentinability to influence democratic governance significantly. The relevanceof this question lies in the discrepancy between the large numbers ofcivil society groups and associations that exist currently and theirperceived and actual impact on the democratization process. In Cameroonthis is yet to be determined.The bumpy road towards democratic transitionA consideration of the impact of civil society on


Civil society and democratization:

Download Civil society and democratization:
Our administrator received your request to download this document. We will send you the file to your email shortly.
Loading Unlocking...
Login

Join to view Civil society and democratization: and access 3M+ class-specific study document.

or
We will never post anything without your permission.
Don't have an account?
Sign Up

Join to view Civil society and democratization: 2 2 and access 3M+ class-specific study document.

or

By creating an account you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms Of Use

Already a member?