The African Union By Hon. Chen Chimutengwende (M.P.)

Transcription

1 The African Union By Hon. Chen Chimutengwende (M.P.) In Africa, the greatest event in the year 2002 was the launching of the African Union (AU) in July, Durban, South Africa. It was a major milestone in African politics and is bound to change, for the better, the content and pace of African political and economic development. The greatest issue in Africa from 2002 to 2010 will be the African Union s consolidation and development or its failure to do so. If Africa succeeds in consolidating and developing the African Union, it will make Africa more cohesive than ever before. Africa will be able to speak with one powerful voice in protecting and advancing its own interests in the international relations system. The existence of a strong, antineo-colonialist, independent, self-reliant and democratic African Union leading to a United New Africa, which is sometimes referred to as the United States of Africa, will make it impossible for the West to continue to divide, manipulate, marginalise and exploit Africa. Such a United New Africa is the only guarantee for Africa s survival as a fast developing and democratic continent which would be free from all types of exploitative schemes, corruption, oppression and socio-economic instability. This situation is caused by forces which are either foreign or local or both. Only a United New Africa can bring about stability and ensure that the vast resources of Africa are primarily used for the benefit of the peoples of Africa and not the opposite, which has been the case from colonial times to the present neo-colonial period. Many African leaders from Kwame Nkrumah to Muammar al Gadhafi, contributed greatly and so selflessly to African liberation and to the development of African unity which has now resulted in the formation of the AU. These leaders must be applauded by all people who want to see Africa unite, develop, prosper and gain its rightful and dignified place in the international relations system. The AU will be a very different entity from the Organisation of African unity (OAU) which it replaced. First, the main objectives of the two entities are different. The primary objectives of the OAU were to support liberation movements, and to mobilise Africans and friends of Africa internationally in order for them to effectively fight colonialism and for African colonies to gain their independence. This was achieved under the OAU leadership. Therefore, in terms of its main objectives, the OAU was a great success. The aim of the AU is to lead an intensified, well co-ordinated and sophisticated struggle against neo-colonialism and for the total unification, democratisation and the development of Africa and its peoples globally. This will be done through the second liberation of Africa which must be unequivocally based on Pan-Africanism. The first liberation struggle for African independence was led and co-ordinated by the OAU and the second liberation of Africa will now be led and coordinated by the AU. These two organisations with different objectives and belonging to two periods in history could not have the same organisational structure. This second liberation struggle is also equally about fighting for the re-structuring and the democratisation of the current and unjust system of international relations including its 1

2 institutions and the international trading regime which are all totally unfair to the developing countries and are in favour of the interests of the industrialised world. This exploitative system is controlled by the West for its own benefit and at the expense of the developing countries especially Africa which is the most foreign dominated, poverty-stricken, fragmented, manipulated and vulnerable region in the world. The western powers have even tried to treat the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD) not only as an independent programme but as an organisation which should replace the African Union. This is why in a reply to a letter from the Canadian Prime Minister, Mr Jean Chretien, President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa had to clarify this issue when he wrote on November 6, 2002: The AU is the primary organisation that unites the people of Africa. NEPAD is its socio-economic development programme. Accordingly, NEPAD is not an organisation separate from and independent of the AU. It has been authorised by the AU in all its elements, including the peer-review mechanism..indeed, there is no way in which there can be a NEPAD independent of and outside the AU, in as much there can be no socio-economic development programme covering the member states of the EU independent of and outside the EU. Therefore those who say the AU is just a change of name for the OAU are Africa s detractors who are anti-african progress and committed to creating or promoting anti-african western propaganda. They attack the OAU saying that it did not achieve anything. According to such western racists and their brainwashed non-white puppets, whatever Africans try to do is always denounced as a failure even before it starts. But patriotic Africans including the African Diaspora must never forget that they are all at war with these powerful global forces. These forces are determined to continue to use any possible methods to plunder the resources of Africa primarily for their own benefit. This is the real essence of neo-colonialism and imperialism. The AU will also have institutions which the OAU either did not have or whose content has changed and these are listed here not necessarily in the order of precedence or the importance attached to them by the AU but according to the writer s own emphasis. Most of them are contained in the Constitutive Act of the African Union as follows: - 1. The Assembly of the Union The Assembly of the Union shall consist of Heads of State and shall be the supreme organ of the union. 2. The Executive Council The Executive Council shall be composed of Foreign Ministers of Member States and is answerable to the Assembly of the Union. The Council shall co-ordinate and take decisions on policies in areas of common interest to the Member States. These include the following: - 2

3 foreign trade, energy insurance, mineral resources, food, agricultural and animal resources, livestock production, forestry, transport, communications, water resources, irrigation, education, culture, health, human resources development, environmental protection, humanitarian action, disaster response and relief, science, technology, nationality, residency and immigration matters, social security, African awards, medals and prizes. 3. The Pan-African Parliament The Pan-African Parliament shall initially be composed of five Members of Parliament from each of the Parliaments of Member States. It will also initially be consultative and advisory only; and without legislative powers. But the aim is to make the Pan-African Parliament to evolve into an institution with full legislative powers, whose members will be elected by universal adult suffrage. 4. The Court of Justice The Court of Justice of the African Union shall initially be advisory but eventually should be the Supreme Court of the African Union. 5. The Executive Commission The Executive Commission shall be composed of Commissioners and shall act as the Secretariat of the Union. 6. The Permanent Representatives Committee The Permanent Representative Committee shall be composed of Permanent Representatives and Plenipotentiaries of Member States. Its responsibility is to prepare for the work of the Executive Council. 7. The Specialised Technical Committees The Specialised Technical Committees shall be responsible to the Executive Council and there will be seven such committees. These will be composed of experts from Member States dealing with the following areas: - a) Rural Economy and Agricultural Matters; b) Monetary and Financial Affairs; c) Trade, Customs and Immigration Matters; d) Transport, Communications and Tourism; e) Health, Labour and Social Affairs; f) Education, Cultural and Human Resources; and, 3

4 g) Industry, Science and Technology, Energy, Natural Resources and Environment. The Assembly of the Union may establish more committees if and when it becomes necessary. The functions of the committees shall be to prepare projects and programmes of the Union, and to follow-up and evaluate the implementation of the decisions taken by the organs of the Union. 8. The Economic, Social and Cultural Council The Economic, Social and Cultural Council shall be an advisory organ composed of different social and professional groups of the Member States of the Union. Non-Governmental Organisations will also contribute through this Council. 9. The Financial Institutions The financial institutions of the African Union shall be as follows: - a) The African Central Bank; b) The African Monetary Fund; and, c) The African Investment Bank. 10. The Peace and Security Council The Peace and Security Council shall be composed of 15 members from all the five regions of Africa and appointed by the Assembly of the African Union. According to the Draft Protocol Relating to the establishment of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union, the functions and powers will be as follows: - a) to promote peace, security and stability in Africa, in order to guarantee the protection and preservation of life and property, the well-being of the African people and their environment; b) to anticipate and prevent disputes and conflicts, as well as policies that may lead to genocide and crimes against humanity; c) to undertake peace-making and peace-building functions to resolve conflicts where they have occurred; d) to authorise the mounting and deploying of peace support missions; e) to lay down general guidelines for the conduct of such missions, including the mandate thereof, and undertake periodic reviews of these guidelines; 4

5 f) to recommend to the Assembly, pursuant to Article 4(h) of the Constitutive Act, intervention, on behalf of the Union, in a Member State in respect of grave circumstances, namely war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity, as defined in relevant international conventions and instruments; g) to examine and take such appropriate action within its mandate in situations where the national independence and sovereignty of a Member State is threatened by acts of aggression, including by mercenaries; h) to support and facilitate humanitarian action in situations of armed conflicts or major natural disasters; i) to submit, through its Chairperson, regular reports to the Assembly on its activities and the state of peace and security in Africa; and, j) to decide on any other issue having implications for the maintenance of peace, security and stability on the Continent and exercise powers that may be delegated to it by the Assembly, in accordance with Article 9 (2) of the Constitutive Act. In order to enable the Peace and Security Council to perform its responsibilities with respect to the deployment of peace support missions and intervention pursuant to article 4 (h) and (j) of the Constitutive Act, an African Standby Force shall be established. In its role, the African Standby Force shall, where appropriate, co-operate with the United Nations and its Agencies, other relevant international organisations and regional organisations, as well as with national authorities and NGO s. The detailed tasks of the African Standby Force and its modus operandi for each authorised mission shall be considered and approved by the Peace and Security Council upon recommendation of the Commission. The African Union is currently working flat-out to produce details of, and setting up these institutions and planning many more new ones which will make Africa become a powerful, independent and a most formidable anti-imperialist force in the world system. These institutions will help to bring African states, their peoples and the African Diaspora together for antiimperialism, democracy, human rights which are both economic and social, peace, development and prosperity. It remains true that united, Africa will stand and divided, it will fall. The AU needs and must facilitate the maximum involvement and support of the Africa Diaspora at all the levels of its organs, programmes and activities. They played a highly crucial and commendable role in the first liberation struggle and must continue that role in the second liberation struggle of Africa. Their capacity for playing that role is even greater now than ever 5

6 before. The African Diaspora must get citizenship in the African Union on request because it is their primary base and home in this world of white racism and imperialism. In its tasks, the AU is and must be supported at both the continental and global levels by many NGOs which are Pan-Africanist, anti-neo-colonialist and liberationist, and these organisations exist all over Africa and internationally. The collaboration between the AU and such NGO s like the Harare based New Africa International Network (NAIN) will need to get closer, systematic and well co-ordinated in order for the AU to swiftly achieve its objectives. It is important, therefore, to strongly urge all patriotic Africans in Africa and the Diaspora, and genuine friends of Africa internationally, to actively participate in the consolidation and development of the AU and turn it into a strong, anti-neo-colonialist, independent, self-reliant and democratic United New Africa. (Chen Chimutengwende s is chenchim@yahoo.com or nain@unitedafricastar.com ) (End) April,