I am following up on the subject of small arms that was well debated in the article “The Role of Small Arms in African Civil Wars" This subject to me is at the center of whether or not Africa understands democracy and can successfully rule itself for prosperity.

Let me make my standpoint clear. I am of the belief that Africa should lead on matters of moral values and reduce tendencies towards a malcontented society.

There is an argument of convenience that asserts that religion is being used (there is no such phrase) to cushion resistance to, and acceptance for child soldiers. I find it hard to accept because even in the animal kingdom children are always protected under the wing of parental care. We cannot look at child soldier practices as merely exploitation. They are completely and totally below animal behaviour.

There are issues worth noting as they move hand in glove with tyrannical governments, such as the tendency to abuse human rights, and in particular the rights of young people. Armed Conflict sits on top of all priorities for a government disregarding human rights.

Many of our leaders are wayward characters from broken families or other strange historical backgrounds. They are shy to tell their childhood stories, aware that media would draw conclusions as to why they behave oddly. I am sorry to say we are forced to think that upper radicalism and hatred shown by many leaders in power comes from youthful backgrounds, which are either religious based or fundamentally atheistic and therefore animalism.

All the pictures we see of child soldiers give a clear indication that the government will be running away from good reasoning by cheating the young minds into savagery. The young are easy to instruct without causing a coup. The young do not plot subversive activities, which intrinsically and fundamentally come from lack of faith in leadership. More distressing is that young girls have been used as mistresses of top guys and this is done privately, but results in unwanted children and deaths through HIV/AIDS.

Ironically, to facilitate the agony of child exploitation, the government of the day must make sure that there is a definite collapse in the economy. This does not require too much intelligence apart from employing vanity and corruption.

It is these same rulers who, argue against freedom of the press and, seek to silence it so as to conceal their obscene deeds. Africa must make it a serious crime for anyone to do anything to a child. Africa must invoke tradition mixed with modernity in preserving the values of young persons.

If these values are less important to those we put in power, or to those who force themselves to power, the cry for morality among societies and communities will remain a cry in the wilderness. We have to look at our family concept and practices. We should revise these and then consider suitable leaders who will transmit these values without fear of being questioned on their moral standing. Africa needs to unite on child abuse, of any measure, as we aim to eradicate poverty. God bless Africa!

There are many similarities between the Ugandan political situation and that of Zimbabwe. While Uganda did not have political parties from the post Idi Amin era, Zimbabwe has had a dictator in President Robert Mugabe.

The Congo crisis of 1998 was a political situation which benefited the Uganda army as well as the Zimbabwe army in addition to all top officials in these countries. The visit in Congo was not nationalistic at all but very selfish, causing clashes between African states

Considering that after the first shock at the coming back of Besigye from exile and his announcement of the formation of the opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), Museveni launched a militia to suppress the strength of opposition, a replica of what Mugabe did in 2000.

Zimbabwe has gone through the militia era but not through a military coup era as yet and I do not see many of us longing or wishing for any such experience anyway.

The difference between Uganda's passage to freedom and that of Zimbabwe is that Uganda has a rich background of very able leadership, unlike Zimbabwe which was born and is dying under the pillage of a dictator of the magnitude of Idi Amin. Ugandans need to be praised for sustaining a fight for democracy. Besegye like many other heroes of liberation should be encouraged to fight on and set a better face of Uganda. Similarly, Morgan Tsvangiarai has to be given exhortation to carry on.

As a Zimbabwean in the Diaspora, the Commonwealth stance on Zimbabwe is good but not good enough.

The toothlessness of Commonwealth gatherings is occasioned by the presence in the forum of African leadership that never come up with substantive ways to change tyrannical regimes.

Maybe due to the nature of the composition or constitution of this body, we witness the failure of a radical approach to grievances of human rights abuses. In recent years Zimbabwe has remained a matter of both regional and world concern, with strong recommendations coming mainly from the west but however moderated by the sympathizers of Robert Mugabe in personalities like Thabo Mbeki of South Africa and Benjamin Mkapa of Tanzania.

One gets a strong feeling that African leaders fear being criticized and that they would defend each other irrespective of the wrong. Politically the notion of being criticized brings with it the negative connotations of failure. Because many of the leadership in Africa has done something that could cause protracted legal battles, there is a phobia for former African leaders going through trial, hence many have either died in exile or run away.

This could well explain the silence from Africa.

The above should therefore help us to understand the stand taken at the Malta Commonwealth meeting which made Zimbabwe a reference in passing rather than an issue on the agenda.

It is in this context that I find the Commonwealth stand on Zimbabwe misplaced in terms of human sympathy for ordinary Zimbabweans, given the atrocities gone and going on in Zimbabwe under the Zanu PF regime. If Uganda and the Maldives shall be the subject of investigations on human rights abuses, one would have hoped that Zimbabwe should have been given the same treatment.

As the UN investigations have shown, beyond a doubt, that human rights are being breached in Zimbabwe, the Commonwealth must call on higher organizations to intensify the inquiry into the need for a free and fair elections to establish justice, freedom and a democracy.

The interview with Prof Issa Shivji is in many respects straight outright which, is what I think, lacks within the African leadership as they dine and wine around diplomatic polemics while the ordinary people suffer from the outcome of indecision by its leadership. The comment by Prof Shivji sends strong signals that Africans are intelligent and know exactly where problems emanate: "….It is African leaders who like poodles dance to the tune; the African people in their villages have little time to engage in such dances." Might I add that not only do villagers not have time but will not be given the chance to meet, let alone to attend to some of the arenas when Africa is openly sold to the G8 markets and mortgaged.

Basically the Professor was making a comment on the hopes Africa may entertain, if any, on the forthcoming G8 summit in Scotland. The title under which it appeared in Pambazuka News was as given above and adopted by me for this critique. The title of this brief expose is therefore to the credit of the Pambazuka editor.

What really could come out of the G8 summit which African leaders can keep hoping about without learning to look unto themselves and their peoples? Again, I find the comment of Prof Shivji quite intriguing if not a ridicule to African leadership: "Isn't it a cruel irony that a leader of a country that followed Bush into destroying a developing country (Iraq) and that has increased its arms sales to Africa fourfold in the last four years should be spearheading the fight against African poverty. If this is not cynicism, what is it?"

The Professor eludes Africa's leadership problem to lack of vision and failure to distinguish between the devil and his messenger which ultimately always ends up with the same mission, which is, aid with unbearable interest rates and strict conditions which cripple efficiency. Coupled with rampant growth in unethical accounting practices that beset African political governance, the G8 is never willing to provide expertise to help put packages to fruition and induct their African counterparts to carry on with continuity. It also could be argued in contrast that the G8 would not dare do anything like continuity assurance for fear that they may be labeled with the same brand that is historically remembered as imperialism.

If for over two decades the imperial empire was able to show cases of shining independent former colonies which they had supervised that may put most of the vocal African voices to silence. The G8 suffers from the same problems she accuses African leadership of - 'talk without action' because of corruption. The G8 s corruption is of being very imperialistic in nature and behaviour, finding joy in babying a child for ever and not allowing him/her to grow into maturity to take her/his own decisions. While it is true that leadership has ordinarily become corrupt on the African continent, the G8 unless otherwise, should design financial assistance packages based on partnership rather than on a slave-master plan which yokes someone into everlasting debt because the repayments plus interest rates are far too high.

But why though, does African political leadership spend more money on guns and why too does the G8 partnership not impose sanctions on the sale of ams to less developed nations who are recipients of development loans? If the G8 are able to address limitation of arms manufacture by those countries and companies, why not talk of tying the world into a similar protocol on buying of arms by the less developed; so that resources are spent on humanitarian and infrastructure for democratic development? As a practical business man I have found that the G8 work favourable terms among themselves, while adopting different protocols that cripple African capacity to deliver.

Having been colonial masters of Africa, many in the G8 owe Africa much and should either play ball straight or just stop covering by arranging another ploy to watch Africa go deeper into debt and the crisis of failing to feed herself. I believe that the propensity for corruption has grown as an emulation of world leadership who have manipulated situations to fit their economic gains.

I suppose the honest position is to say to Africa, you will not get better from getting loans but will improve from your will power to control and use efficiently the little you have and bargain for bigger gains on an efficiently managed economy.

I want to make brief comments on World Press Freedom day in relation to Zimbabwe. No matter how Shabir Shaik may have misconstrued his sentence or remarks on him from the media to justify what happens in Zimbabwe as a result is an insult to humanity and the dignity that we talk of in freedom.

To say Mugabe may have gotten up one morning and say enough is enough, for who through? If it was enough for him then he should resign and let someone else run the affairs of the country rather than assign oneself the role of a monarch. I think, irrespective of who Shaik is and where he comes from, his sentiments underline our greater problem of SELF is bigger than EVERYBODY.

Mugabe cannot argue with everybody in Zimbabwe to say he is the best and no one is better than him. That is what lack of freedom to the press means in Zimbabwe, Mugabe taking everything arround him including what to say and when by citizens. It is the freedom of the press, in my opinion, which brings with it the willingness of those in power to bow down to the wrongs committed while in office and resign. Denying press freedom, as is alluded by Shaik, is saying the opposite: Leave us in power and mind your own business. But we say how can we mind our business when our lines of communication cross with yours and yet you do not want us to go and repair the lines in order that we mind our business. How sincere then is the statement mind your own business?

We concede to the fact that some of these business men who fly across Africa are champions in seeding corruption and kill, virtually kill tenets of freedom of the press when they bribe their way into the heart of governance in Africa. This undermines freedom and we mean it sincerely when we say in Zimbabwe Mugabe's action on the media are the last kicks of a dying horse.

We are grateful of what the international community is doing in the fight for World Press Freedom and want to draw their attention to atrocities that took place immediately after the stage-managed-2005 elections, and are still taking place in Zimbabwe. We are loosing count of loss of human life and barbaric action taken against others by Zanu malice directed as vindictive and punitive assaults on freedom against association and belonging. We condemn these.

I notice many efforts African heads of states put towards the betterment of the continent and one feels most obliged at the foresight and vision. The spirit is excellent and cannot be faulted at all.

I feel though that what Africa lacks is that political will to sincerely eliminate her burdens. There has to be collective will to permit leadership circulation.

For as long as the Africa Union cannot create fear for abuse of authority in her member states there will always be those leaders who do not care for their national development. It must be remembered that some of the most insightful thoughts and contribution to the former OAU were contributed by men like Seseko Mabutu. Mabutu was an American agent well known to many African scholars and leaders, a dictator of renounced record, and yet still he played a useful role in shaping the future of Africa. Does that render African institutions credible at all and does that show leadership of integrity at all on the continent? What fails us as a people is not lack of intelligence nor ability to perform but lack of political sincerity to evaluate each other and put a realistic standard to be followed by all as we compete with the world at large and not only among ourselves in poverty.

Let me look at the issue of HIV/AIDS and TB on the continent. The continent has both herbs and skills which could, if harnessed and collectively used with better rewards for creativity, have long taken Africa out of the dark ages but instead Africa goes deeper and deeper into dark ages from both financial dependence and cultural hegemony of solicited imperialism. From 1999 Africa has been making very good resolutions on paper that have failed to work practically. The strong resistance from those who have taken political power from colonial masters has been a greater cause of set back than it has been a blessing to Africa.

Africa committed itself to try and spend 15% of her GDP on medical improvements so that her people will not suffer. The salaries nurses are paid are the poorest in the world even though their dedication is equalled to none. The lack of motivation firstly from political leadership will not see Africa come out of its current impasse without a big price to pay in human loss of life.

Since 1999 and every respective year Africa heads of states have met and among other things they have talked and resolved on the African condition with very minor progress made. Why? The following are partly the reasons:
- Lack of proper and strict accountability for donor funds and not having tangible set goals for what has to be done with funds.
- Too much political interference
- Sometimes the seeking for donor funds is caused by the greed of those in power.

Every African country has suffered from the self inflicted exodus of skilled personnel. Africa's human resources are a pride to other nations in the world and not to Africa because of poor African political leadership and subsequent decisions at national levels. Its all very good to talk of resolutions but when there is no political will to see those decisions followed to the letter Africa cannot be blind to its own down fall for too long. Where resources have been put to good use there has been substantial improvements in health standards of living even though some nations still suffer from wanton unaccountability of resources which have often found their way into accounts of ministers and presidents. Thank you to President Kibaki of Kenya for having engineered the genesis of African financial recuperation by instituting leadership declaration of wealth.

Let me end with comments on Zimbabwe as my home state. When one considers health facilities in the context of what was there in 1980, there is a serious degeneration in services standards, personnel availability and dishonesty in implementing funds to medical programs. Zimbabwe has receieved sizable donations through numerous NGOs who have as a result only received a thank-you of banishment from the country. HIV/AIDS has grown with too much rhetoric coming from the government of the day.

Mugabe could have long left power to some capable person if he trusted what he has done in the last twenty years. Even when all these human degradations are taking place in Zimbabwe, at every forum of the Africa Union the same Robert Mugabe is ululated and receives aclaim from African leadership without any questions. It's embarrasing what Africa make us go through honestly. It will take the British and the French once again to give us decency in managing our own affairs by recolonizing us while we cry foul.

Good resolutions came out of Abuja once again in January 24-31 in 2005, and I bet no better than those of 1999 but the African condition has barely begun to change. Talking of debt forgiveness is just to soften it for the guys who have made money out of using our governemnts as collateral for thier personal gains while in power. Africa needs to establish a leadership accountability court. African needs to take control of its own destiny now.

Finally Africa should stand behind the SADC Protocol on Free and Fair Elections and work to follow principles so that dictators can be reduced.