The Arrogance of Power – By Dr. Dhanpaul Narine
It seems rather easy on paper. All that is needed is for someone to pick up a check and cash it. The check is worth $5millon and the added bonus is a $200,000 for life. But there is a small matter. The person who picks up the check must be an African leader who was democratically elected and who was ready to demit office at the end of his or her constitutionally mandated term. The award was announced in 2007 and to date only three of Africa’s 54 leaders have laid claims to it.
When Sudanese businessman Mo Ibrahim went before the world’s press he was careful to state the requirements of the prize. According to Mr. Ibrahim, ‘ We made it clear from day one that the award is an award for excellence in leadership, for people who have no blood on their hands and no messy hanky-panky.’
This idea has led to a governance index and this has established certain benchmarks. These are safety and the rule of law, human rights and participation in the government and economy, and human development. Ibrahim’s index has caught on in Africa and in 2015 it was reported that Mauritius was top of the list for good governance while Somalia was at the bottom.
