African and Asian countries must adopt democratic models that put in context their cultures and history, rather than directly implementing those imposed or suggested by Western powers.

This was said yesterday during the opening of the second International Conference on Democratic Governance in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East in Kigali.

The conference attracted scholars, politicians and entrepreneurs from across the world.

Organised by Rwanda Governance Board (RGB), the United Nations and Cheyney University of Pennsylvania, the three-day conference seeks to explore constraints to good governance, as well as emerging opportunities of democratic governance.

Bulent Akarcali, a Turkish entrepreneur and a panelist at the conference, criticised Western donors for imposing policies on developing nations, arguing that directly copying democratic models from Western countries disrupts governance and undermines long-term development.

"Countries in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia were targeted by Western powers because of their wealth in natural resources. All that the big powers want is to disrupt governance and get what they want, so they forced developing nations to implement systems of democracy that undermine the history and cultures of people,” Akarcali said.

"Real democracy must not be complicated and must put into context the cultural systems of countries. Europe and America are not a monopoly of democracy and they should not dictate models to Africa and Asia.”

‘No rule book’

Akarcali’s views were echoed by Wellars Gasamagera, the director-general of Rwanda Management Institute, who argued that "there is no rule book for governance” and that every country is involved in a unique process basing on its own internal challenges.

"Citizen participation is key at all stages of democracy, yet levels of participation vary according to contexts and situations,” he said.

The Minister for Local Government, James Musoni, said all countries still on the path of development should seek home-grown initiatives in order to bring about meaningful transformation to their societies.

"It is generally accepted that ‘democratic governance’ comes as a pre-requisite to the broad socio-economic development of a society. However, in order to translate a principle into tangible results, first, strong political will for good, inclusive and accountable governance stemming from the very top, is key in the establishment of effective and citizen-responsive institutions,” Musoni said.

Accountability within democratic governance, he added, has been a hotly discussed topic for decades, but practical and locally acceptable instruments for instilling good governance into the public administration must be developed and pursued.

Sharing policies

Margaret Zziwa, the Speaker of the East African Legislative Assembly, told the participants that sharing good democratic practices among African states would help overcome particular challenges affecting them currently.

"Many of the things that East Africa aspires for revolve around good governance and democracy. We have diverse cultures in the region, but if we are going to achieve all our goals, including political federation, we must look at what has worked elsewhere as well as emphasise citizen participation,” Zziwa said.

The conference provides participants with an opportunity to learn about specific home-grown initiatives in various countries through sharing insights on development or democratic issues, constraints and opportunities for Africa, Asia and the Middle East.

It was organised in the premise that after more than 50 years of failed development, it is time for stakeholders to devise and implement concrete strategies geared toward building sustainable communities.

According to a concept paper, participants will revisit issues and constraints to good governance and democratic issues in developing countries, and assess different home-gown initiatives as tools of promoting good governance principles.

The biannual conference was first held in Philadelphia, US, in 2012.