Introduction
My principal theme in this brief essay is centered in the democracy in political parties and above all in Party MPLA'S last VI Ordinary congress.
As academic I will make a critical and deep analysis of the political moments of a Country Governed by a unique party that so much spread the term democracy in his last VI Ordinary Congress accomplished in Luanda from 7/12 to 10/12/2009, the swinging and strategies for the next challenges as party and as Government.
The structure of this essay obeys a historical glance of the political parties and the case peculiar of the party in the power of my Country, concretely his ideology and political strategy as party and as Government. I will also make a brushstroke in their guiding lines, programs and statutes according to the democratic principles in them prescribed, the own democracy in the party and the reality adopted for the political power in his Government.
The historical glance of the political domain by leaders governing more time in word, Africa and particular case in Angola are treated deeply. I will show my dislikes according my vision on this situation, critical positions in and how they are in political power, concretely his ideology and political strategy adopted as party and as Government. My principal bases on this essay is to alert that in current world, change is the cyclic movement, they happen at what time either in the politics, in the economy or in the nature, without waiting. Nobody can sleep or to ignore such facts… late or early they arrive… still more when it places in the center the man and the problems that afflict him.
In generality, principally in countries of third World, all the political movements or political parties that assumed the political power of State after decolonization or independence proclamation failed very much in objectives of national liberation against their peoples. Why?
Body
My principal theme in this brief essay is centered in the real political happens in the third World, in Africa, of revolutions and auto-determination of people, and simultaneously to resemble the reality of Angola with a State governed under domain of only party, since 1979 for the same current President.
The functioning of contemporary democracies depends of one serious of mechanisms that give the right form to noun idea of participation of citizens in political decisions of their countries. From them, are set in evidence the political parties, fundamental mechanism to form and to organize the public opinion in political communities and as vehicle of democracy of mass.
The democratic regimen of government were seen with more reserve or same free hostility during almost the occidental political history, because of demagogic degeneration that astonished during the classic antiquity. In virtue of this problem, the democracy passed to be seen as regimen where imperia the uncontrolled passions, poked and manipulated by demagogues of bad-faith in reaching the personal objectives and sterile honors, to the detriment of good governance of the community.
The political history narrates that, the political parties began to appear in England, in the century XVI, as polarization of political forces, but only in the century XVII is defined precisely.
According to Maurice Duverger, the political parties were born and they grew at the same time that the electoral and parliamentary processes. They appeared firstly under the form of electoral comities, occupying the paper of giving to candidate the patronage and the notability of competing politically, as of gathering the necessary bottoms to campaigns.
The political parties appeared to oppose the crises of the political power verified in States and Governments, in the competition search or competition in the exercise of the political power, and to influence to Government the best solutions of the political problems, in the way of to make deep of the representative democracy, mainly of increasing the democracy degree in Government's system.
It means that the appearance of political parties developed a new vision of political participation of societies politically organized. This political participation is one form of exercising one right because of belong to some group, society or State. All this political process is possible when the citizens live together in difference of opinions and in the diversity of culture.
The democracy is the fundamental condition to be able to favorite the political relations between the citizens with Government; citizens with States; political party with Government; and Political party with State vice-verse.
In case of political parties, their political participation result of one mechanism of political competition, in presenting a government program with alternative proposes, to transform the participative democracy in the representative democracy.
To look at the representative modern democracy today, difficultly we can concept it separate from the political parties. Like this, in the societies of masses, the political parties are had as organizations or individuals' associations that defend an own ideology with much defined objectives to conquer, to exercise and to maintain the political power.
Those social and political institutions, because they are resulted of a social and political will of the people, they assume fundamental importance to assure the representative democratic system, (political parties as spokesman of the society and of the voters), because they organize the political currents for the electoral competition and they coordinate the participation of those currents in the process Governance of the State.
Therefore, they are legitimate and necessary the debates and electoral processes, so much inside of a party as between different parties. The pluralism of opinions is a constitutional element and it should be recognized by the parties as foundation of his own existence.
But now I treat of a party type MPLA – Popular Movement of Liberation of Angola, with a realizable government program, to which disciplined adheres their militants and candidates, once chosen put in practice his program. This party has a great importance in any process of formation of democracies, as constitutional agent of formation of the will of the State. Because it exercises the political power and it controls all of the means to the disposal of the State.
This political party was founded to the December 10, 1956, and that for force of the circumstances assumed the political power and proclaimed the independence for 11/11/1975 in the capital of Angola, Luanda.
Party that Governs Angola more than 30 years, with his ideological line of socialism communism, readjusted his political Government according to the historical contexts of each time, since 1991 to the centralized democratic socialism and it is assumed to be a party of left masses.
The party in his action guides their militants for two more important documents: the Program and the Statutes of MPLA.
1. The Program establishes the global strategy of the party, that is, the objectives and general orientations, as well as the methods and the forms of his accomplishment tend in bill the concrete historical conditions, constituting the platform theoretical and political of the party.
2. The Statutes establish the organic structure of the party, the rules of the democracy in party, the norms of the supporting life, as well as the organization principles, operation and of direction of the party.
As their statutes in his Chapter II – Basic principles of the operation of the party, it defines in his art. 6th – democracy rules in party, in the points 1 and 2. The c) of the point 2 it defines the Title-holders' of the organs election and organisms of the party and control and revocability of the mandate of the organs, organisms and militants chosen.
When we are doing analysis of the program and of the approved statutes in the V Congress of the party in 2003 to the recent and last VI Congress of 10/12/2009, attentive and patient we concluded that inside of the party MPLA the democracy goes by the law of iron, that is, a party that their militants don't know the opening to critical discuss, difference in the thought and in the opinion even inside of the party and between militant.
According the statutes of MPLA"s Party in their articles 55º and 59 defines that – The Congress is the supreme organ of MPLA that determines the character and the ideological orientation of the party and to whom assigns to appreciate and to define the general lines of the national and international politics that their guide the action and activities of the structures and militant of MPLA, as well as of the social and associated organizations and establishes, the objectives and the periodical of realization of the Ordinaries Congresses.
The Congress constitutes, such as, one moment of reaffirmation of national unity, coercion and internal stability of organs and organism of direction of the Party and constitutes the guarantee of maintenance of standards of organization and mobilization in all of continuations and sphere of societies.
Like this, in terms of article 61º of statutes of Party a) the Central Committee met in 27 of March of 2009 decides to realize the VI Ordinary Congress of MPLA"s Party.
The VI Ordinary Congress of Party traced the following objectives:
1. To appreciate and approve the report of Central Committee to VI Ordinary Congress of Party;
2. To appreciate and approve the alterations and adjustments to the Program of Party;
3. To appreciate and approve the strategy of motion;
4. To elect the President of MPLA;
5. To elect the Central Committee of MPLA;
6. To approve the Resolutions and Motions.
Composition of Congress
The composition of the VI Ordinary Congress of Party must have in consideration the base of militants of MPLA, their structures of direction, their intermediates organs and their social organizations and associated.
In this case they participated in VI Ordinary Congress 2100 delegates elected and by right.
So, in terms of the number 1 and 2 of article 57º of statutes of Party, the Congress has the following composition:
a) The President of Party;
b) The members of Central Committee ceased in use of their rights;
c) Delegates elected in provincial conferences;
d) The members of parliament group militants of Party;
e) The members of Government militants of Party;
f) Representatives of JMPLA (Youth of MPLA) of OMA (Woman"s Organization of MPLA) and others social organizations associated and elected in their organizations;
g) Delegates elected by assemblies in structures of Party in outside of Country;
h) Representatives of intermediate organisms.
All these principles were reinforced by the resolution of Party to prepare the VI Ordinary Congress that remembered the principles defined in statutes and program of MPLA"s Party.
Therefore what is written in the statutes in democracy terms and elections is just an appearance of principles.
In the perspective of the modern democracies, it is easy to observe and to identify the party type that exercises the political power in this or in that system of Government according to democracy, and to verify who are the leaderships of this State, what opening that party gives the society to participate in the political decisions of the State? And it is enough to know that what qualifies and legitimates the democracy are the elections, like this, observing the organizative structure of the party starting from the base to the top of the hierarchy of the party, concretely in the precepts of the statutes of the art. 56th – Competences of the Congress, it defines in his d) to choose the President of the party, finished or interrupted his/her mandate. And e) to choose the members of the Central comity finished the mandate of the organ.
It is interesting to observe what is written in the statutes of the party and to verify uncoiling of the political practice. If they no impose alterations in the manner of political coexistence and to deepen the democracy interns in the party, difficultly that party when assuming the power will accept the government naturally for the democracy.
It is sad that the party MPLA founded to 53 years until today never lived moments of election of the direction organs in the party, the private case is going to the non election of the President of the party from the foundation to today, always it was left to compete as only unique candidate to his succession and elect for support motion. To the other positions of the party the scenery was always the same, just the nomination happens for indication always starting from the central structure.
That danger excessively the winds of the democracy in any society and it impedes the development of the State. Do I question myself also, how will a party that just cultivates only the obedience and the following allow between their militants and the society in general to deepen the democracy and to live together in the difference of opinions?
If we look the last VI Congress of the party, he had seven fundamental objectives in that I refer with more importance the points or objectives (5. To choose the President of Party) and the (6. To choose the Central Comity members of MPLA). The whole activity of elections was driven by the commission electoral competent organ to organize, to direct and to supervise the whole process of candidates and to proceed to the verification and validation of the electoral act. But that didn't happen like this in the true sense.
The great problem as academic and in my vision refer in fact that, during the 53 years ago, as more the President, as the militants of the party, never knew a contradictory political process for election of his President.
My deep anxiety goes on the sense of appealing to the future consequences of this political behavior, with serious damages to the image of the party and for the State. For me, the analyze of these consequence develop two ways in political processes: the first will be the lack of the freedom of expression in the party; the second will be the lack of the behavior of accomplishment of the rules, norms, regalements as principles that guides the social actions of groups, organizations, Political Parties, Governments and States.
It means that currently, all the political party that does not liberate their militants of following and obeying blindly, internally do not cult the difference of opinions, do not present more than two candidates for election of President of party.
As the case of the political party that I refer, is one in the same case the President of the Republic, the situation will be very complicated if one day in an internal electoral process out of the votes of motion or indications. Or in the same way become elected another President of Republic, all those men habituated to see the unique candidate as President, will be the first to claim, to reject and to conflict against the electoral results.
Another appeals, is directed to alert the political parties in not set the leadership above of the party, for not fall in total disappearance with changing of regimen or political system.
As it consists in the swinging of the end of the VI Congress, he says that the party came out more united and democratic, because it innovated and it reinforced the democracy interns of the party. It is contradictory, because the party contains her all of the levels a rigid discipline, in that the only form of participating in the political decision is to lift the hand to vote for a decision and to choose an organ of the party. Under penalty of who doesn't obey an opponent to be considered inside of the party and benefits loss. Same until today on this era of the democracy in the breast of that party never nobody showed like other candidate to compete for the presidency of the party, is it spoken ironically in democracy, how?
The VI Congress of MPLA approved the program and the statutes and it reaffirms to be a political party ideologically agrees in the democratic socialism, that it defends the social justice, the humanism, the freedom, the equality and the solidarity.
Before these statements the national and international society was surprised, and does questions, if now the party affirms to have innovated the democracy interns even without verifying elections, and before? As Government, the party adopted always the political and administrative centralization, without the difference between being left and to be Government, without opening the citizens' participation in the political decisions, the means of communication of the State emit just everything in favor of the party that Governs, the politicized justice, the private sector to progress has to affiliate to the party in the power. What crossed!
Ruined the absolute system and opened representative government's system, it did with that the social forces that historically took the name of political parties passed to carry out a function of considerable importance in the destiny of all of the state Communities. The philosophers that idealized the origin of the parties and his functions, from Max Weber, Davi Hume, Hobbes, Rousseau, Bolingbrok, Tcqueville and so many other in spite of the direct critics to the political parties, but we can recognize in their writings the principal functions of the parties in the society.
Today in the modern democracy it grows more the public function of the parties, they are them assigned of showing to the electorate which the possible political options for the Government, to select and to indicate candidates of his trust at the same time to materialize their government programs, they organize and they supervise the electoral process. But for effect those purposes are necessary that the action of the party is not disfigured by the domain of the oligarchy, for the corruption, for the indiscipline, for a Government of commissions linked to interests of a group or of foreigners, of flatterers, those qualities are terrible as instruments the destruction of the democracy.
The worst position during the Congress was when in the speech of the opening to the VI Congress the President of the party and of the Republic he recognizes that during the government until today many mistakes and abuses of power were committed. That the confident people for certain public offices used the name of the State to waste the public properties, nobody was judged nor convict, and we attended an unjust enrichment of people that exercise the political power (make speeches of the President). More interrogations rise before these blaspheme, same they promise her tolerance zero for who inflict in the rules of good Government after the Congress! And what did the innocent citizen already pay the heavy price of this drama of Government, what can more wait people of this party for?
To finish this theme, I would say that every quality of a democratic political system of any Government has in his base the existence of parties and a strong opposition with alternative programs, last a responsibility of State that does a process of the democracy to deepen in all of the levels of the society.
Conclusion
I end in this essay with an short reflection and analysis about the historical notion of the political parties, particularizing the party of MPLA, founded in 1956, party that Governs Angola more than 30 years the. The fundamental subject of this theme was not to enter thoroughly in the elements organizations and functional of the party, but to the principal documents that guide the general political action of the party, and with larger analysis to the statutory principles that define them inside base of the democracy of the party and of the elections of organs of direction of the party.
As party and as Government, my critical thought was to observe the beginnings regulated in the statutes in contrast with the model adopted in the exercise of their activities and of the political power in relation to the principles of the representative democratic systems modern. When understanding that the qualities of the democracy are agrees in the political competition of ideas and programs, and resells the programs and ideological strategies taken to cable by the party from his V Congress 2003 until the recent VI Congress 12/10/2009, it is noticed that the will of Governing in the democracy is not an objective, in the party and in the State. Because, the democracy cannot be separated of the processes of elections or of the citizens' participation in the political decisions.
References
1. Democracy and the party system in the United State, Moises Ostrogorski, Reprint Edition 1974. Arno Press Inc.
2. Democracy in America, Alex of Tocqueville, Bruce Frohnen, 2002. Regnery Publishing Inc.
3. The struggle goes democracy in Chile, Paul W Drake; Ivan Jaksic rev. ed. 1995. Lincoln, University of Nebraska Press.
4. Political parties and democracy, Larry Jay Diamond, Richard Gunther 2001. The Johns Hopkins University Press:
5. Political Actors and social fights: The social movements and the political parties, Aloísio Ruscheinsky 1st edition 1999. Porto Alegre, EDIPUCRS.
6. http://www.mpla-angola.org/vicongresso/1.RESOLU.%
7. http://www.mpla-angola.org/estatutos
8. http://www.wiki.org
Autor:
Augusto Domingos Chinjamba
Master: Political Sciences
Atlantic International University – USA, Honolulu
Assignment title: Democracy in party and party congress (Document SUPLEMENT)
Date: 22/12/2009