Ayittey endorses the celebration of Aggrey, and points two fingers, one at another hero, and another at the bad boys.



 Dr. J.E. Kwegyir Aggrey has unfathomable faith in the inherent ability of the black man. But, in contrast to you, Dr. Aggrey would NOT rue over the Bush's presidential election victory
because Aggrey would not sit there and hope that America would come and solve Africa's problems.

Here is another Ghanaian philosopher, John Mensah Sarbah (1864 1910), who said:

"For any reform to be permanent and enduring, it must be based on and rooted in the principles of the aboriginal institutions."

As you already know, African leaders have been trying to reform their political and economic systems as well as their government institutions. The results have been abysmal.

Most African leaders are simply not interested in reform. Period. Pressured to do so by the international community and aid donors, they perform the "Babangida boogie" -- one step forward, three steps back, a flip and a sidekick to land on a FAT Swiss bank account. Much ado about nothing. The democratization process has stalled. In 1990, only 4
African ccountries were democratic. Today, the number is STUCK at 16,
out of the total of 54 African countries.

Even in the countries where a serious effort is made to implement democracy, the results have been disappointing. Nigeria is a classic case, as well as Zambia, Malawi and others. As Africans would say, "We vote one cockroach out of office and the next rat comes to do the same
thing."

If you are wondering why the record of political reform has been so
abysmal, it is because, as John Mensah Sarbah, would say, it was not
"rooted in aboriginal (or indigenous) institutions."

Guess who has been preaching on the net and in his books that: "The
salvation of Africa lies in returning to and building upon its own
indigenous institutions." Guess where Ayittey took that idea. And how
many African countries went back to their roots and build upon their own
indigenous institutions?

Only Botswana did that and it is the shining Black Economic Star. So why
are we talking about the Asian Tigers or miracle when the blueprint for
Africa's economic prosperity lies right under our very noses?

George Ayittey,
Washington, DC
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