Get ‘boring basics’ right
Failed African states shield corrupt; target law-abiding citizens
MANY African states since independence from colonialism have ironically been a burden, nuisance and even a threat to law-abiding ordinary citizens, yet give criminals and the corrupt a free pass.
A key failure of the African state, its agencies and apparatuses since the end of colonialism is that beyond providing sheltered employment to the lucky few, it mostly extracts resources from its citizens, but deliver very little public services in return.
In fact, the dilemma of the African state is that it takes from ordinary, law abiding citizens and gives very little in return in terms of quality public services; but has many corrupt, talentless and incompetent but political traditionally or ethnically connected people living off the public resources extracted from ordinary Africans.
For ordinary people getting a proper service out of the state is often rarely possible without paying a bribe.
The state is rarely trusted by many ordinary Africans to pursue policies in the public interest. This means calls for the state in African countries to play a greater role in the economy are in many cases distinctly misplaced because the state lacks public, market and business credibility.
Many Africans have given up on the state, except for grudgingly trying to get the absolutely essential services – registering a birth, applying for or renewing a driving licence or registering a property. Many more have even given up on reporting a crime at police stations because the chance of getting the “service” is remote.
Those with the private means in Africa often get their public services from the non-state institutions, such as private hospitals, security and education. For others, powerful nonstate actors such as militia, crime or traditional leaders often create their own parallel states, enforcing violence, extracting taxes and setting the rules for ordinary Africans under their “jurisdiction”.
Typically in an African country, the national, regional or local state will extract taxes from ordinary hard-working, law-abiding citizens. Ordinary citizens would pay for water, electricity or property rates. If they do not pay on time, the state will cut these services.
These law-abiding citizens, needing the public services, and having neither the finances to secure alternatives, have no other option but to pay up.
These public services are often of poor quality, intermittent and the public servants indifferent; and if these services break down, it takes a considerable amount of wasted time, effort and pleading to get them fixed.
However, big business, crime bosses and politicians often get a free pass, either paying for little or nothing in terms of property taxes, for water, electricity or rubbish removal.
Public servants rarely enforce the rules; but use their offices to extract bribes, unleash violence and intimidate. This is often obvious when one drives around in many African countries. In many failed African states there are often a roadblock every hundred metres. Often the roadblock is not to enforce the rules, but to extract rent. What appears to be law abiding citizens are often specifically targeted, while perceived to be delinquent actors are often spared scrutiny.
For example, taxis can be disobeying the rules in full view of the public “officers”, but are often impatiently waved past in favour of targeting those looking like law-abiding citizens. In some cases, an accident could happen a few hundred metres away from the public “officer” or there may be dangerous traffic congestion, but these would be studiously ignored, in favour of the opportunity to extract resources from law-abiding looking citizens.
Similarly, a drug dealer would sell drugs in front of a police officer, also in full view of the general public, but with no action taken by the officer. Instead the officer will very likely try to extract a bribe from a law-abiding member of the public, over, say, a supposed parking infringement.
Similarly, tax authorities in African countries often mostly target the law abiding middle classes. Big business, crime bosses and political leaders are rarely forced to pay their taxes. Yet, when ordinary law abiding citizens fail to pay up, harsh penalties loom.
Getting a service from the state, at national or local level, such as getting a licence to operate a small business, register a property or getting a passport, is often time consuming. It means taking days off, not only costly to the individual, but also to the whole economy. In fact, governing party leaders, elected representatives and public servants never realise that a state that only extracts, provides pedestrian services and treat citizens with disdain is costly to economic growth, industrialisation and investment.
It undermines ordinary citizens’ confidence in the state. If they have no confidence in the state, foreign investors, who often get their cue from locals, are unlikely to want to invest. But it also undermines the state’s credibility to adopt or implement policies that need buy-in from ordinary citizens, who knowing the state as incompetent at the service delivery coalface, won’t trust the state.
Instead of trying to implement complicated new projects, African states must concentrate on the boring stuff of getting the basics right. These include getting public servants to execute their duties professionally, cutting waiting times for services and getting law enforcement officers to focus on pursuing the real criminals, not to extract the last drop of blood from ordinary law abiding citizens. Getting the boring basics right will boost public, investor and market confidence.
Gumede is Chairman, Democracy Works Foundation (www. democracyworksfoundation.org), and author of Restless Nation: Making Sense of Troubled Times (Tafelberg)