MWANGI: We can’t build integration on political quicksand

By Isaac Mwangi, East African News Agency, Arusha, Tanzania

Although an attempt by Burundi to recall four members of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) has been successfully defeated, the danger signals to regional integration initiatives arising from that attempt are clear.

It is not lost on observers that Burundi is going through political turmoil, and the efforts to recall the four legislators could very well be associated with local political manoeuvres. Fortunately, EALA stood its ground, making it clear that the attempted recall was in contravention of the Treaty for the Establishment of the East African Community.

As correctly noted by members who debated and passed a report of the Committee on Legal Rules and Privileges, partner states should cease introducing attempts to manipulate institutions, threaten EALA Members or undermine their status. In addition to being unlawful, such moves are actually an affront to the principles under which the EAC was established.

The debate arose from the threat of tenure of office of the four Members from Burundi. But we should look beyond this mere event and see the wider picture in East Africa. When our institutions are so week and subject to manipulation by the political elites, wouldn’t we be expecting too much to think these same elites would respect supranational institutions?

The debate that EALA has started, therefore, should not stop at protecting its turf and the interests of its Members. Much as this is important for the purpose of exercising its independence, that debate should cover all aspects of governance at the regional level.

But then, the loss of power by member states may scare them from proceeding with further initiatives at the regional front. That is a danger that EALA and other regional institutions must face.

This is particularly so in the political arena. While there have been obstacles in making progress in other areas, such as the harmonization of economic systems and activities, the challenges will take unprecedented proportions when it comes to political matters. It is perhaps this awareness that contributed to political integration being left to the end of the integration process – after a Customs Union, Common Market and Monetary Union would all have been achieved.

Yet, even for these earlier stages, it has not been smooth sailing. The Monetary Union has basically stalled. In fact, it would be foolhardy to talk of kick-starting Monetary Union when the Common Market is not working. The bottom line has to do with political will, which is plentiful in lip service but scarce when it comes to concrete action.

When countries decide to come together to pursue their common objectives through regional blocs, each must be ready to sacrifice a measure of sovereignty. That is why, for instance, Burundi could be overruled by EALA on the issue of recalling its Members at the regional assembly.

Progressively, therefore, the more each country moves toward integration, the more it loses its sovereignty, until the destination of political federation is achieved. As we do so, each country must forget its own myopic internal politics and focus on a new regional paradigm.

Implanting this paradigm in the minds of leaders and citizens is no easy task. Political godfathers who are used to impunity in their own nation states cannot countenance a situation where their power counts no more, one in which EALA and other institutions will make a mockery of their powers to hire and fire. And there lies the problem we are faced with today: This time from Burundi, but it could just as easily have been Kenya, Uganda, or any other partner state.

But the regional integration process should not be held hostage by political interests or be subjected to blackmail. The only way to achieve this is to have a self-propelling integration process that is governed by strong structures in a predictable environment.

While goodwill from partner states is absolutely critical, the process of crafting a constitutional framework for East Africa should now be taken a notch higher. This may proceed in stages, with countries initially accepting to cede certain instruments of power fully to regional institutions.

This will also be a way for each partner state to have a say in the running of government within the whole region without facing accusations of interference in the internal affairs of other states. After all, it will not be possible to federate without complete involvement of the whole citizenry in the region’s affairs. The time to begin moving in that direction is now.