Freedom at Issue

Fodder for Governance Eggheads Unveiled

The World Bank recently released its annual World Governance Indicators (WGI) report. The WGI is one of the most widely utilized and analyzed indicators. For those who don’t follow indicators in all their stultifying minutiae, the key element of the WGI is that it is an aggregate indicator. This means that rather than attempting to measure governance directly, it draws on the ever-growing army of indicators, including those produced here at Freedom House, and combines them in order to detail the gains and losses made in governance across the world. Utilizing a definition of governance as “the traditions and institutions by which authority in a country is exercised,” the report offers measurements of six different aspects of governance: Voice and Accountability (VA), Political Stability and Absence of Violence (PV), Government Effectiveness (GE), Regulatory Quality (RQ), Rule of Law (RL), and Control of Corruption (CC).

Civics Lessons May Be Lacking in Algerian Schools Overhaul

A New York Times article this week explored the choices faced by young Algerians as the government attempts to reform the education system and prepare them for a changing economy. The overhaul is aimed not just at reducing the high dropout and unemployment rates, but also at curbing the appeal of Islamist militancy. Unfortunately, the effort may be doomed to failure if it neglects broader governance problems that continue to stifle public debate, block democratic accountability, and deter private investment.

Malaysia's Ruling Party on the Ropes

The United Malays National Organization (UMNO) has governed Malaysia since independence from Britain in 1957, maintaining its hold on power with a blend of authoritarianism, macroeconomic growth, and race-based patronage. However, UMNO and its coalition of more than a dozen smaller parties, the National Front, suffered what may prove to be a mortal blow in the March 8 parliamentary elections, losing their two-thirds majority in the Dewan Rakyat, the lower house of Parliament, for the first time despite control over the media and other advantages. Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi’s government now hangs on a 30-seat margin in the 222-seat chamber, and the opposition People’s Alliance, a coalition that rode to victory in five of federal Malaysia’s 13 states on a platform of racial harmony and reform, has vowed to woo away defectors. The weakened administration has already been forced to adopt elements of the opposition’s program, which could have positive and lasting effects on the country’s beleaguered institutions.

New Administration, Same Modesty in Nigerian Anticorruption Efforts

The end of May marked one year since the historic elections that saw Nigeria’s first transfer of power between two elected presidents since the country gained independence in 1960. While the transition was highly touted by the international community as potentially marking forward progress in democratic governance for the most populous African nation, the elections were deeply marred by irregularities and dismissed as invalid by outside observers. Indeed, the Nigerian Supreme Court is still hearing cases about the validity of the balloting that led to Umaru Yar'Adua’s election as president and a number of “elected” governors have been forced to step down.

Armenia Awaits Judgment on Postelection Reforms

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) will meet next week to discuss Armenia’s progress on a set of reforms prescribed by the international body in an April 17 resolution. The document came in response to the country’s flawed February 19 presidential election and the government’s deadly March 1 crackdown on the subsequent opposition protests. If PACE deems the government’s progress insufficient, it could revoke Armenia’s voting privileges, a humiliating blow for a country that relies on fairly close relations with the European Union (EU) and the United States. However, if Armenia is given a pass, it would not be the first time. Armenian officials have previously managed to placate international observers, only to fall back under the spotlight when the same unresolved governance problems reappear at the next elections.

Setting Anticorruption Priorities in Bangladesh

Freedom House recommended in the 2007 Countries at the Crossroads survey that the Bangladeshi Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) be given the powers and autonomy needed to “confront rampant extortion and bribery.” The ACC was founded in 2004 and worked sluggishly through 2006. Following a bloodless military coup on January 11, 2007, its pace picked up, although concerns about partisan policies and financial dependence on the government remained. Last month, the Commission launched a drive to put more than 25,000 offenders behind bars. This news looks positive, but must be weighed carefully.

Authoritarian Rule Curdles Reforms in Russian Caucasus

The International Crisis Group (ICG) released a new report this month on the volatile Russian republic of Dagestan, finding that the growing Islamist militant movement there is fueled in large part by rampant corruption, massive unemployment, and an abusive security apparatus that persecutes observant Muslims. Government ministers, journalists, businessmen, lawmakers, and scores of policemen have been killed in recent years, and much of the violence is attributed to Islamist groups whose ranks have been replenished by angry young recruits. The unrest has escalated despite some attempts at political and anticorruption reform by federal officials. Similar conditions in neighboring Chechnya and Russia’s other impoverished North Caucasus republics suggest a pattern in which nationwide authoritarian governance effectively thwarts reform efforts and encourages the region’s downward spiral.

Battening Down the Hatches in Yemen

Violence continues to flare up in and around Sana’a, Yemen’s capital—and President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s government is backpedaling on its commitments to better governance. The pressures of an ongoing civil war and shortages in food and water have led Saleh and the ruling General People’s Congress (GPC) to substitute the rule of force for the rule of law. Despite advances like a promised liberalization of broadcast media and the recent election of governors by an apparently free popular vote, accountability, public voice, and civil liberties are waning in Yemen. The Saleh government has proven unable to manage popular demands through transparent democratic governance.

Mugabe’s Bishop Guides Flock with a Truncheon

In his ongoing effort to cow the Zimbabwean electorate ahead of the June 27 presidential runoff vote, President Robert Mugabe has deployed cudgel-wielding security forces and party militias against political activists, trade unionists, journalists, and any other members of society who are suspected of disloyalty to the regime. This campaign has even extended to the country’s Anglican parishioners, as major media outlets have noted. For several weeks, the police and other agents of the state have been invading churches in Harare and beating men, women, and children who attempt to worship in communion with the internationally recognized Anglican hierarchy, headed locally by Bishop Sebastian Bakare. The actions are meant to enforce the authority of Mugabe’s man in the miter, Nolbert Kunonga, who was dismissed as bishop of Harare by the Anglican Church of the Province of Central Africa (CPCA) in late 2007.

Africa Governance Roundup

Ethiopia
Ethiopia has just become the seventh African nation to join the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), a self monitoring instrument of the African Union designed to ensure good governance and accountability in participating countries. The Ethiopian APRM committee is expected to prepare a report on where it stands in democracy as well as in the economic and social sectors. As the 2007 Countries at the Crossroads report points out, Ethiopia’s level of democratic governance remains very poor. The Ethiopian ruling EPRDF party’s recent clean sweep of local council and parliamentary seats following an opposition boycott is evidence that Ethiopia continues to struggle with the sorts of serious issues of manipulation and intimidation that haunted the 2005 elections. The most recent election was marred by what Human Rights Watch described as threats, intimidation, and arrests of thousands of candidates and prospective voters.

Uganda

Nepal's Triumphant Rebels

As of May 28, the 240-year monarchy of Nepal has been replaced by the new Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal amidst surprisingly little violence, and the king has been politely asked to vacate the royal residence-turned-heritage-museum. The Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) dominated the April 10 elections for the 601-seat constituent assembly, the body charged with writing a new Nepalese constitution over the next 30 months, securing 33% of the popularly elected seats. Their success shocked not only the Nepalis and the rest of the world, but the Maoists themselves as well.

Ominous Grumbling in Thailand

Stagnation in Thailand’s political scene was highlighted again last week as street protests held in Bangkok left roughly two dozen protestors injured. The protesters, led by supporters of the civil society group People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD), clashed with supporters of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra in demonstrations aimed at stopping amendments to the new constitution that they say benefit Thaksin and his cronies. Tensions are growing high as protests have continued for more than a week, increasing fears that yet another coup might be lurking around the corner. Concern is high enough that US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, after meeting with Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej, stated that the US urges respect for Thailand’s civilian leaders and discourages any attempts at military intervention.