No one should believe that the political and social structures of their own country necessarily harbour the only, let alone the best, possible administrative arrangements.
The study of government and administration is of little value unless it can lead to the development of better practice through understanding of alternative structures and methods.
Local governments are largely creations of the state and are sustained by it; although they may also, in turn have a major influence on central decision making. The origins and development of the local government areas reflect a general dichotomy between centre and locality which continues to colour most contemporary debate.
Councillors at local government level must be fully fledged members of their constituencies. They have the opportunity to listen to the views of the constituents and also have the opportunity to express their views. In dialogue, there is learning and either the councillors’ views will be modified by the community or he/she will change the opinion of the constituency. Dialogue must be regular and frequent. The councillor can never be so busy as to not attend ward or party meetings. He/she has to maintain regular contact with constituents. Local government democrats in African countries must ensure that there is openness in government’s decision making processes. Despite the compelling arguments in support of the government’s state development objectives and the obvious need to decentralise government to achieve them, there are strong forces preventing the necessary action being taken. As in so many African countries, there may be an intellectual appreciation of the need to decentralise and symbolic gestures made to do so, but the personal interests of those in power may prevent any real progress being made.
The strongest barrier to genuine decentralisation in Africa is the vested interest of the small but entrenched socio-economic elite. The elite recognise the need to create the impression of helping the rural poor and encouraging participation, but they also know that strong local institutions controlled by the poorer elements of society might jeopardize their interests in capital accumulation in the rural areas.
When African states gained their independence, most possessed a considerable degree of decentralised government.
• Dr Lwendo is in the Faculty of Economics and Management Science at the University of Namibia (Unam).