President Thabo Mbeki has rejected criticism that the African Peer-Review Mechanism (APRM) will be ineffective because of its voluntary nature.
Writing in the African National Congress’s online publication, ANC Today, on Friday, he said the peer-review process enables each African country to assess the progress it is making towards achieving shared goals.
”This is a country review rather than merely a review of government performance. This is simply because national development in any country is driven by a variety of social forces, and not just the government,” he said.
The APRM also gives the countries and peoples of Africa an opportunity to strengthen the relations of solidarity among themselves.
”First of all, they open themselves to mutual critical assessment, departing from the previous African practice according to which everything is categorised as ‘internal affairs’, in which no other country is allowed to ‘interfere’.”
This departure from past practice makes it possible for African countries to learn from one another, enabling each to adopt the best successful practice that might have emerged in any one country.
This will help to speed up development, responding to the expectations of the African masses for a faster process of progressive change.
”In addition to this, the peer-review process will create the possibility for us to help one another in practical ways,” Mbeki said.
Once the APRM has identified any shortfalls in the participating countries, it will be possible, through the APR Forum of Heads of State and Government, for each country to appeal to its peers, the other African countries, for the necessary assistance to address those shortfalls.
The New Partnership for Africa’s Development (Nepad) will also intervene to give the necessary support to enable them to meet the benchmarks set by the APRM.
”There are still some people in our country who think that the African peer-review system will be ineffective because it is voluntary and does not include sanctions.
”Clearly, these sceptics have not understood the commitment of the masses of the African people to overcome the problems that have afflicted our continent for a number of decades.
”They believe that these masses and their leaders should be threatened with punishment to persuade them seriously to engage the challenge of the renaissance of Africa.
”We know that the masses of our people need no compulsion to persist in the struggle for the achievement of the goal of a better life for all and the fundamental social transformation of our country.
”Neither do the masses of the people anywhere else in Africa.”
As has already been demonstrated in two of the countries that have already been reviewed, Ghana and Rwanda, the people of Africa have responded to the APRM with great enthusiasm, understanding the potentially powerful impact the African peer-review system could make in helping to change their lives for the better, Mbeki said. — Sapa