The Lower Eastern Times Opening The Third Eye
By: Editorial Team
Democracy is often described as government by the people, for the people and through the people. Yet across Africa, the experience of many opposition leaders raises a difficult question: Can democracy truly exist where those who challenge the government are routinely threatened, arrested, restricted or forced into exile?
From Tanzania to Uganda and Kenya, concerns over the treatment of opposition figures continue to attract public attention. Leaders such as Tundu Lissu in Tanzania, Bobi Wine and Kizza Besigye in Uganda, as well as opposition figures in Kenya, have faced various forms of political pressure, legal challenges, arrests or restrictions.
The issue is not whether opposition leaders should be above the law. They should not. Political leaders, whether in government or opposition, must be accountable for their actions. But the law becomes dangerous when it is selectively applied to silence political competition.
A functioning democracy requires disagreement. Opposition parties exist precisely because citizens must have alternatives to the government of the day. They must be able to hold rallies, criticize policies, organize supporters and present alternative visions for their countries without living in constant fear of arrest or violence.
Security agencies also have an important role to play. Their responsibility should be to protect citizens and maintain public order, not to become instruments for suppressing political competition. When peaceful political gatherings are met with excessive force, tear gas or arbitrary arrests, citizens naturally begin to question whether their democratic rights are being respected.
The same applies to the judiciary and electoral institutions. Courts must be independent enough to make decisions without fear or political influence. Electoral bodies must inspire confidence among both winners and losers. If citizens believe elections are neither free nor fair, political tensions are almost inevitable.
Perhaps Africa’s biggest democratic challenge is not the absence of constitutions or elections. Many African countries have constitutions that guarantee freedom of expression, assembly and political participation. The bigger challenge is the failure to consistently respect those principles in practice.
Political power should not become a licence to intimidate opponents. Likewise, opposition status should not provide immunity from legitimate accountability. The solution lies in applying the law equally, regardless of whether someone occupies the State House or sits on the opposition benches.
Africa also needs a political culture where losing an election does not mean losing one’s livelihood, freedom or security—and where winning an election does not give leaders unlimited power over their opponents.
Ultimately, democracy should be measured not only by how governments treat their supporters, but by how they treat those who disagree with them.
If African nations want mature democracies, political competition must be treated as a legitimate part of governance rather than a threat to be eliminated.
The real test of democracy is not whether those in power are free. It is whether those who challenge power are also free.
