We expect election dramas in emerging democracies but to see a circus (for lack of a better word) in the world's number one economy has been unexpected and disappointing.
This includes the shocking assassination attempt on Donald Trump. I am not qualified to comment on the politics and choices made by the citizens of any country, but I do believe that America (even after Joe Biden dropping out) is not being represented by its best, Democrat or Republican. What, however, is worrying are the consequences of the choices people make in the U.S. at the end of this year and its impact on global geopolitics. I will be equally surprised if the Democrat or Republican loser will give a speech in the Senate to match Rishi Sunak's speech as the leader of the opposition in the British parliament.
Closer home, an outcome that we were anxiously awaiting was the result of the South African elections. There were no surprises for anyone, including members of the ruling African National Congress (ANC), as despite some being in denial, the writing has been on the wall for a long time. The long-awaited change from a single-party (ANC) rule has finally arrived. It's a new dawn for South African politics and an inevitable pathway to a multi-party democracy.
I have been speaking about this outcome since I first raised it at an event in Stellenbosch in Cape Town, South Africa, in early 2008. I had drawn a parallel to the maturing democracy in India. The conversations ended with an agreement to disagree. Over the last three elections, I continued alerting my friends about this and gradually over the last decade, I could see that people had come to align with my point of view but through their own analysis.
I would like to recap my Publisher's Note in the December 2021/January 2022 issue of FORBES AFRICA.
This story is from the August - September 2024 edition of Forbes Africa.
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This story is from the August - September 2024 edition of Forbes Africa.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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