The Ways to Put an End to Ethnical Orientation Politics in Guinea: the Need to Eradicate the Extreme Poverty and Provide Security

Abstract

Despite the democratic multiparty-system being implemented in Guinea since two decades, the governance has barely improved and things have practically not changed; the hope for the need to eradicate the extreme poverty and provide security has reached its peak as people get involved in politics for unsuitable reasons. Poverty is discussed along with its extreme causes and effects in Guinea. The need for a genuine change is addressed together with behavioural and operational change at all levels and by Guineans themselves. The scope to examine human resources opposed to natural resources is outlined, while education and training, agriculture, hydroelectricity infrastructure and mineral resources are addressed. The concept of security, is deeply and concisely, analysed. Finally, overall conclusions are presented.

1. Introduction

Political independence had brought into being an immense optimism for our “young new” nations in every domain for much better living standards across the African continent. However, dissatisfactions, frustrations and hopelessness have been the main obstacles to challenge that expectation in Postcolonial Africa due to, mainly, bad governance. Despite what has just been stated above, most African politicians both ruling parties and oppositions act irresponsibly, which has been further deteriorating the already appalling situations.

These horrendous conditions of ours have ever increased our needs for positive change. Having said that, there is only one way for the masses to achieve this positive change, which is to become political. They see politicians of the last half century as causes of their problems, which is a genuine truth.  In fact, the problems in African countries are very similar in nature – that is to say similar illnesses and diseases require similar diagnoses and, apparently, similar prescriptions for treatments, remedies and preventive measures. That why, I have decided to narrow the case down to my native country, the Republic of Guinea-Conakry, in order to try to highlight its major dilemmas and challenges as well as to provide some suggestive solutions towards satisfying its very primary basic needs – where everything is yet to be done, almost, from scratch.

The need for the protection and satisfaction of Guineans has ever been dramatically increasing due to “piling up” of workloads, which should have been dealt with many decades ago. Guineans, as whole, are all victims of current situations in one way or another, especially after the emergence of the so-called “globalisation”, which is the integration of the world (Mrak, 2000). Das (2004) states that globalisation has got infinite potential for the growth and welfare of mankind, on one hand; it is nothing but an absolute evil, out to drive the poor countries back to their colonial days in order to  abject poverty, on the other hand. Both of the above statements about the globalisation are true vis-à-vis the human nature – the greed and the moderation.  It can be arguably stated that pro-globalisations are driven by greed. It is very obviously noticeable that all industries in the developed world are protected by their respective governments through subsidies and quotas, directly or indirectly. This kind of act is a double standard, which make rich richer and poor poorer – as most governments in the third world – developing, least developed and underdeveloped – countries cannot afford this kind of assistance. Eventually, infant industries in the third world countries die down and their markets are taken over by their giant competitors from the developed world – this is how it works and that is the way the “globalisation” is. Conversely, con-globalisations are driven by moderation towards a just balanced global market place and society, where competitors and citizens are equally treated and protected.

It is a truth to reckon that globalisation is an evitable scene today. In fact, as Guinea is a third world country and one of the poorest on earth, yet one of the potentially rich because of its mineral deposits, fertile soils and water sources in abundance. With efficient and effective national strategies by patriot leaderships, Guinea can take advantage of globalisation in terms of intercommunity unity, education and both economic as well as moral upliftment. That is, Guinea should go global in moderation and with all precautions for the benefits of its citizens who have suffered enough and deserve much better living standards.  If managed as it should be, the country’s natural resources can help it to eradicate its extreme poverty, improve its governance and provide security through win-win contracts with Multi National Companies (MNCs) – like Rio Tinto. This may be a great benefit of the globalisation for Guinea as it has not got means to exploit its natural resources by itself. For this reason, the Government should make sure that all its contracts are win-win deals with multinational companies and counterpart governments, especially in the mining sector.

In the paper the following points are addressed; extreme poverty and its causes as well as its effects, a genuine change through the application of different approaches, human resources versus natural resources and security. Following these, the overall conclusions are provided in the final section relating to the study covered in this paper. In other words, to put an end to ethnical orientation politics in Guinea can be attained by implementation of these excellent measures to eradicate the extreme poverty and provide security for the needs of its citizens, which is to create a fair society of One Nation Guinea.

2. Poverty

Poverty is a lack of well-being and it is clearly multidimensional (Edward, 2006); “poverty is pronounced deprivation in wellbeing[1]”. It is obviously noticeable that there is no true wellbeing in Guinea as a whole.  In fact, the main cause of political unrest in Guinea is the absolute poverty – the country has to build every basic need infrastructure from scratch. In such a retarded situation, it is very easy to get deprived jobless destitute impoverished youth to the street. Guinea lacks self-sufficiency in staple food supply for its people even though it has fertile cultivable soils in profusion; it does not have safe drinking water though it is nicknamed the “water tank” of West Africa; it suffers from an acute shortage of provision of decent health care; it lacks road infrastructures both urban and interurban; it has no electricity albeit it has plentiful water supply for hydroelectric power; and above all it has a very poor corrupted education system – education is the best you can be, so education no future prosperity. No wonder why there is often political unrest in the country because people have no confidence in the system. Given all these problems, Guinea as a country is absolutely extremely poor and destitute. The origin of Guinea absolute extreme poverty mainly lies in a lack of willingness of different regimes to build solid basic infrastructure despite the fact that it can be argued that there are also international causes. In this section, the international causes are ignored; the national causes are discussed along with their effects. That is to say there is, therefore, clear relation of causes and effects between the country’s current problems and how it has been ruled by different governments.

2.1 Causes of Extreme Poverty in Guinea

Causes of extreme poverty in Guinea refer to the lack of basic necessities that the country should have gotten as a whole in order to have a decent living standard for its people; consequently the causes of the situations are incredibly clear. The aims of this subsection are to point up the reasons why this bad thing – extreme poverty – happens to the country in the first place. Such attempts must be based on thorough impartiality of the author in terms of precisions and concerns from the origins to current status of analyses. Thus, the fundamental cause can be stated as bad governance and poor leadership.

2.1.1 Bad Governance and Poor Leadership

Bad governance is failure of a ruling body of a particular sovereign country to carry out their responsibilities at the same time as taking advantage of available public resources in terms of embezzlement and taking bribes – being incapable to run public institutions, matters and resources; and poor leadership is inability to get subordinates and followers carry out/ complete their tasks and failure to be their immediate role model. These two phenomena are, according to me, are inseparable – poor leaders cause bad governance.   In addition, there are numerous features and concerns that encourage the very crime of bad governance. According to Mead (2014) some factors constraining the process of good governance are: ignorance; corruption; politicisation of administration; weak democratic institutions; ineffective parliament; and absence of the rule of law.  All these Mead’s factors have become chronic serious ailments in governance of Guinea in the past few decades and their eradication is not an easy process – the systems of governance in Guinea must be absolutely reformed from bottom up and in zero tolerance discipline.

Bad governing is number one and, perhaps, the only cause of the extreme absolute poverty in Guinea – all other bad practices are results of it; be it corruption, lawlessness, you name it. It, bad governance, is the main enemy of the economic prosperity and wellbeing because no investors would want to operate in an environment like that, it also affects the quality of human capital as it makes impermissible permissible, which is suicidal and destructive for a country. Further, it paralyses observing establishments and pressure groups.

The above IMF statement shows how bad governance and poor leadership can fail a state. It is not an exaggerating to argue that Guinea is a state as its governments have been so ineffective and inefficient in providing very basic infrastructures and public services they ought to grantee for the wellbeing of the people as well as spreading corruption. A state does not necessary have to lose its national integrity or sovereignty to fail; however it can be characterised so when it is unable to assume its responsibilities. In such environment, the members of parliament, the judiciary system, other institutions of the republic and pressure groups are all, allegedly, corrupted. Thus, the decline of the economy is inevitable– the back bone of wellbeing.

2.2 Effects of Extreme Poverty in Guinea

Effects of extreme poverty in Guinea can be numerous but the most frightening and worrying of all is the political instability, which has further penalised the country in last few years – it keeps investors away and disastrously consume destroy the already flatten economy. Besides, political instability has resulted in violent demonstrations. Whenever there is a political demonstration it ends up ugly, deadly, disastrous and, most dangerously, ethnic. Clashes of different political supporters take place during most demonstrations, which cost businesses fortunes; they cost families lives; they cost the country a bad reputation; and they discourage investors. As a result, the country becomes poorer and unemployment rises.

as well as abuses linking public and private actors such as bribery, extortion, influence peddling and fraud – it arises in both political and bureaucratic offices and it can be petty, grand and looting. A petty corruption is the most related type of corruption to extreme poverty – since people receiving this type of bribe are clerks and low ranked police/gendarme officers – blue-collars. For example, paying a police officer GNF 75,000 (US$10.50) to let you drive an uninsured car or paying a customs officer GNF 500,000 (US$70) to let your imported goods into the country without paying customs duty. In the similar way, a grand corruption takes place when projects are not worth their values. For instance, a road that costs US$1,005,000 is built but its real value may be US$500,000 – as it does not last long enough, in one to two years’ time, it is in worse condition than it used to be. Likewise, a looting corruption happens when payments have taken place in goods, services and projects that are never delivered. The last two types happen among top government officials/white-collars – this is how they unlawfully enrich themselves in frauds at the expense of poor citizens.

However, it can be argued that the reverse of the above claim is true. That is, the effect of the corruption – grand and looting – is the extreme poverty. One of the numerous causes of the extreme poverty, in Guinea, is the generalised corruption. When you take a genuine look at the matter, you can see that the looting and grand corruptions are the two types that impoverish a nation. Those committing the corruption get healthy financial statuses. Their life style is much far largely above the average national living standard. Though this counterargument makes sense, I maintain that an effect of extreme poverty in Guinea is the corruption based on the country’s historical situations from its creation/independence to present. It has never known prosperity; it has always been extremely poor. Therefore, I assert that another dangerous harmful effect of extreme poverty in Guinea is the corruption.

corruption and governance survey estimates that annual bribes come to more than GNF 500 billion (US$7,000,000,0), to the detriment of the public treasury in lost revenue.[1]

The figures below show how corruption can increase effects of extreme poverty in Guinea. A petty corruption decreases economy as discourages businesses and investments and the costs of transactions increase. Less businesses and investments mean much fewer jobs which create more economic inequality. Eventually, poverty increases.

Similarly, a grand/ looting corruption decreases government revenues, as a result the government has no resources to build primary infrastructures to improve living standard. Ultimately, there is increasing level of poverty.

Similarly, a grand/ looting corruption decreases government revenues, as a result the government has no resources to build primary infrastructures to improve living standard. Ultimately, there is increasing level of poverty.

3. A Genuine Change

A honest, real and sincere change is what the Republic of Guinea needs in order to build itself and it has to start working on its shortcomings now rather than later – the more a change is delayed, the more difficult and expensive it becomes. Change is a very broad concept and it does not mean absolutely getting rid of all existing ways of doing things at the governance level – it simply means to be positively different. According to Cambridge Online Dictionary change refers to becoming different – the act of becoming different, or the result of something becoming different[1]. A change requires making difference, transformation, amendment, reformation, modernisation, imitation and, of course, development.

A great organisational rationale based on improving performance and increasing employee satisfaction is vital, which creates effective employee involvement and it will deliver appreciation of the need for change and the willingness to embrace it, through a visible commitment created from senior leaders which will drive the change agenda throughout the organisation (DTI, 2005). In fact, the approach of change studied in this section is that of management, which can be applicable at a government level – management is the control and organisation of something and it refers to a group of people responsible for controlling and organising a company; similarly, a government is a group of people who officially control a country[2]. There is a positive possibility of change in Guinea if the government is willing and ready to appoint honest patriot technocrats and experts based on meritocracy – when people are given position because of their ability and not because they are part of a crony – especially strategic positions. In addition, technocrats and experts also must have nationalism mentality – neither ethnic nor tribal – to support the government in running and developing the country. They must be given enough power to carry out their duties in the best interests of the country.

Guinea needs to reform its public service workforce as a huge number of the employees in the sector are past their retirements or have reached their retirements at least. They have worked their careers and continue to consume the careers of their unemployed children; they are outdated in terms of Information Technology and modern knowhow; and they are addicted to the old style of doing things in terms of corruptions. So, the implementation of any change with the current ageing Guinean public workforce is difficult. That is why; I argue that the Guinean State needs to rejuvenate (rajeunir) its workforce at all levels – to make it look younger. Evidently, prevention is much easier than cure. That is, the ageing public servants are too obsessed with the corruptions as I mentioned earlier, so a chance of improving the situations with them is unlikely and that is why the currently régime, despite the efforts, is struggling too much because it has, allegedly, ignored rejuvenating (le rajeunissement) its labour force – as the country is being run, mostly, by the “old technocrats” of the last two régimes. Unlike the old generation, a young/ rejuvenated public service is updated in terms of Information Technology and modern knowhow, they will be much more likely to accept the change with all seriousness because they have been victims of the old practices and they are fresh, ambitious, frustrated with current situations, innocent, enthusiastic, flexible and desperate to develop. That is why I argue that preventing corruptions with zero tolerance among a young new public service workforce is much easier. This also means less employment and relatively reduced poverty as the old public servants will have their pensions as incomes and new young entrants will also have incomes in terms of salaries. As a result, there will be relatively less crimes and troubles in our communities and on streets.

Since Guinea has been suffering from mismanagements and that make it badly in need of change for better in a strict zero tolerance system, especially in revenues and finances. According to my analyses, there are two main ways of managing change namely behavioural and operational changes.

3.1 Behavioural and Operational Change

Behavioural change is a way of making difference in actions and reactions of employees in an organisation through motivation; whereas operational change refers to including or excluding of a work process and demonstrates how it can enhance the overall operation through teachings and trainings. Thus, no government or organisation can be successful by applying operational change alone in the long run – behavioural change is also essential to provide strategies to manage the resistance from different stakeholders to change. To put it differently, changing systems and changing attitudes must be kept parallel in a government or organisation for it to succeed and to avoid resistance. There are reasons for resistance to change that are fears of failures and uncertainty. Plant (1987) asserts changes in the organisation are challenging tasks and they may be encountered with resistance from the stakeholders in two forms: systemic and behavioural – where the former comes from lack of appropriate knowledge, information, skills and managerial capacity; and the latter is the reaction, fears and perception of individuals or groups in the organisation. Change can originate in any part of the organisation, for it to be sustained; it requires strategic efforts from the top and buy-in from the bottom (Berge and Dudink, 2006). This statement indicates that the change comes from within the country – top down and bottom up – but not from without the country – foreign aids and international organisations.

3.1.1 The Change Must Be a Two Way Traffic System: Top-down and Bottom-up

The change must be implemented top-down and vice versa. Mere rhetoric and slogans cannot make changes and reforms, but true actions of all stakeholders – particularly senior hierarchies. Guinea needs a nationalism awareness campaign to awaken the conscience of its people in all walks of life to change, which is why two ways traffic systems are necessary, though emphasis should be given to mass at the bottom.

Changing things from top-down alone is more likely to work when things are stable; unfortunately this is not the case in Guinea at the moment. Indeed, the country has seen the change of leadership – executives and senior hierarchies – at its summit since December 2010, but things have not been going as expected. That is why it can be argued that top-down approach cannot work alone in the Guinean case. Thus, things will remain the same even if a change of régime happens in 2015 election unless a true change takes place in bottom and middle hierarchies. However, the reverse is the case when there is turbulence or unstable condition – as it is sadly the case in Guinea today – in which case the bottom-up approach is also needed. When an urgent and decisive decision has to be taken, bottom-up may certainly not work. This means there are different techniques to launch change and there is no an absolute strategy which fits every situation. Berge and Dudink (2006) state that top management should look to local line leaders in order to gain true commitment to change for initiating and spreading the change. Therefore, for a fruitful change to happen in Guinea there may be a need to start at the grassroots of the smallest local governments/authorities to national level/the central government and vice versa – sectors, districts, communautés rurales de développement (CRD)/ Rural development communities, sous-prefectures, communes, prefectures, administrative regions and, the last but not the least, the ministerial departments as well as the presidency.

3.1.1.1 Reconciling the Views

The question is: Are the two views irreconcilable? The answer is: No. However, there is no such thing as a small change – any types of change may be challenging if it is not responsibly and sensibly handled. A key element for a successful implementation of change should be based on consultation – especially the most concerned departments and divisions. The two concepts are reconcilable through the followings:

• Human Approach

Executives in charge of handling a change need to be transparent in their approach. They should not be seen as dictators. The change must be compatible with the environment. It is also important to provide proper trainings to employees, which allow them to face changes positively. There should be top-down consultations regarding sensitive problems and areas which need changes. Both levels of management plan and implement actions collectively towards a change (BHP, 2008).

• Synergy Team

To succeed in an approach to change, there is a need for a sincere commitment at every level of command/ management. In the case of Guinea, senior and executive public servants have to believe that changes in running the country would never be achieved on their own without the teamwork and commitment of the bottom hierarchies. Therefore, the government needs to balance their approach with lower hierarchies’ views so as to find a common ground that allows the state affairs to reach a consensus for a successful change implementation.

• Whistleblowing/ Transparency

An independent national audit institution office must be set up for whistleblowing and transparency. Its members must be elected for a non-renewable office term and they must have clean hands for eligibility; also it must have its regional offices in every administrative region and prefecture in the same manner. Its members’ collaborations with any type of corruptions must be dealt with a heavy punishment including jail terms and life ban from working in public services or running for offices/positions. This independent body examines and investigates the behaviours, structures and the systems in place to allow successful whistleblowing incidents and transparent public affairs.

Whistleblowing is making disclosures in the public interest by investigating specific allegations of wrongdoing in the public sector; or in response to intelligence or claims suggesting that wrongdoing is probable. It occurs when whistleblowers raise a concern about suspicions, wrongdoings or misconducts in the workplace that have public interest aspect to them –   financial mismanagement, environmental damage, education weaknesses,  healthcare failings, social care and so on. The ultimate purpose of whistleblowing is for the protection and reassurance of the workforce as well as for the maintenance of a healthy working culture and an efficient public sector. Whistleblowing means transparency and accountability in all government departments and national institutions.

3.1.2 The Change Comes from Within the Country

Although the international organisations and institutions as well as powerful wealthiest nations may have good intentions and ideas to eradicate poverty and make it a history, aids and debts cannot solve our problems – begging and relying on/ receiving charities can hardly make you wealthier or better off than working people, let alone competing with them. The consequence of foreign aids and debts is the free rider problem – as the recipient country, Guinea in this case, has not worked for the funding and aids, consequently they become less productive, relaxed and more wasteful.

“I call on the international community at the highest level … to adopt the target of

halving the proportion of people living in extreme poverty, and so lifting more than 1

billion people out of it, by 2015.”[3]

“We are one moral universe. And the shared moral sense common to us all

makes us recognise our duty to others.”[4]

These are excellent humanitarian ideas if they could have been materialised. Instead, aids and borrowings from UN, powerful and wealthy nations and international financial institutions makes Guinea, in general, even more back warded and poorer. Firstly because of their conditionality attached to them and, secondly, you do not really value what you have not worked for – a free rider problem. As designed, the sets of conditions are meant to improve the situations of a recipient country like Guinea, but in reality things get worse.

The conditionality of aids usually includes giving the contracts of projects to donor countries’ companies. So, it is just a way of reducing unemployment and creating business opportunities for companies of donor countries. Donors are meant to help recipients but they go in with little and, then, come out with more. Further, recipient countries do not value aids – usually aids are mismanaged and embezzled. In addition, loans/ debts have lots conditions attached to them; recipient countries are obliged to implement policies that may further damage their economies and political stability in the long run, for example, cutting public spending, downsizing public service employment and privatisation. If truth be told, only the hard internal sustainable change and win-win trades between Guinea and the rest of the world can improve the conditions.

“Verily never will God change the condition of a people until they change it themselves (with their own souls) (Al Ra’ad 13:11)”. This statement shows that the change comes from within but not the other way round. Guineans have to be conscious of their conditions and work together for the advancement of one nation Guinea – only then the conditions of the country will change; else there is no way out. Moreover, there must be the rule of laws, however currently it seems that the jungle law is applied in the country as some people act and behave as they wish in all over the country – over shortages of power and water supplies; dissatisfaction with public servants; disagreement within the members of a political party/ different political parties; and inadequate medical care. Sometimes both mobs and security forces get violent and inhumane with losses of lives, goods and infrastructures. In these cases, the judiciary system must be independent from government influences, free from the political pressure groups and opposition’s manipulations, and it must be genuinely professional to hold guilty accountable and chargeable.

On one hand, political pressure groups such as unions and the civil society as well as the opposition can be a good means of analysing government actions. When things go bad, they can disagree, criticise for the sake of decency and provide alternatives through dialogues – they can do peaceful demonstrations and public awareness about corruptions, mismanagements and other malpractices if they are not listened to – but not through destructive street violence. On the other hand, the government have to respect the right of peaceful political gatherings and demonstrations – no deliberate crackdown oppressions. The government have to listen to and dialogue with the pressure groups and the opposition. In this way, the mutual respect will exist between them for the advancement of the country, which give way to national unity and together the people stand to fight hard the country’s “main enemy” – the poverty – and only then the hope for change can be materialised.

Fair nationalistic parliament also must be in place in the country for effective and efficient legislation. It is understood that members of parliaments are elected par their different political parties, however once in parliament they should act in the best interest of the country.  The parliament proves the existence of pluralism, consultation, consensus and tolerance building. A healthy strong parliament is important for providing wise legislation for the country – a parliament lacking the capacity to successfully influence government policies or influence them cannot be considered efficient or functioning. The parliament must be able to hold the government accountable through its different committees and making right laws to keep up good governance.

This section is about extinguishing the biggest threat to the country’s economy that is political instability. The political instability makes divert foreign investors from the country, it kills local businesses and, hence, further impoverishes the country.

4. Human Resources versus Natural Resources

Guinea suffers from acute shortage of quality human resource supplies but, at the same time, it has supplies of natural resources in abundance. It is nicknamed a geological scandal – bauxite, iron ore, uranium, gold, diamonds, and many more –; an agricultural scandal – fertile soils for agriculture –; and the watertank of West Africa – some major rivers of the sub region take their sources from the country such the Niger River, the Senegal River, the Gambia River and some minor ones as well as its waterfalls and abundant rainfalls. One of the major obstacles to the country’s economy is its mining sector of its natural resources because of falling international commodity prices and endangering its environment as well as the risk of being a milking cow to multinational mining companies.

However, it can be argued that Guinea has got enough human resources, both within and without the country, to deal with its numerous problems and be an emerging prosperous nation. That is, with the implementation of the merit system policy, by calling upon those learned Guinean expatriates all over the world will help the country in giving a breath of fresh air to run a conscious responsible government, which can lead the country to a free nation from extreme poverty. Unfortunately, I affirm that Guinea needs quality conscious human resources to emerge itself from the well it has fallen into for ages even though the idea of bringing in the diaspora might work. To illustrate this, the country has been bringing in its learned expatriates/ intellectuals from diaspora from, about, 1985 to present but no concrete contributions have been noticed from them and most of them fall into corruption. In fact, you do not have to be a graduate from Cambridge, Oxford, Harvard or Sorbonne; a lecturer/professor at one of these said eminent universities; work at UN, other international organisations or international financial institutions; serve at high strategic positions in developed countries to be a quality human resource. The current Guinean government and presidency are full of ex-diaspora intellectuals but the results have been pending and they are yet to come. You can be national educated and do much better for Guinea than an intellectual from Oxford. The question here is honesty – patriotism and consciousness. Hence, I emphasise that Guinea has got to have quality honest conscious human resources to emerge; it does not really matter whether they are nationally educated or from the diaspora intellectuals.

The country should prioritise in its development plans. The prime priority should be given to the education and trainings, then the agriculture and hydroelectricity infrastructure, and much less consideration should be given to the extraction mining sector – safe offshore – of its natural resources to reduce the risk of becoming a milking cow, in which case the people do not get their fair benefits and sometimes they do not get nothing at all. In worst case scenario there can be ruin of the environment in general; destruction of agricultural lands; and aggravated poverty.

4.1 Education and Training

The role of the Guinean Government is to supply decent quality schooling for the citizens especially those in deprived and remote rural areas, which is necessary for the development of the country. Most Guinean families find education unaffordable without the government’s investments in schools. Most schools are in very poor conditions and are overcrowded and most academic staff are not up to the standard/ undertrained both academically and ethically. Investing in people is the best investment you can do and education is the best you can be. Two clear-cut examples of these are South Korea and Singapore, they are among the poorest countries in terms of natural resources, yet they are on top of the world because of their investments in their people – human resources – and they are among the wealthiest on earth. South Korea is rated as having the best education system in the whole world. In contrast, Guinea amongst wealthiest nations in terms of natural resources but it is at bottom of nations in terms of living standard in general – one of the poorest on earth – because it lacks quality human resources/capitals and quality leadership. Quality education is a crucial factor of the economic and social development, education system of Guinea has been always disastrous.

The literacy rate in Guinea is merely 41% (CIA World Factbook), which is very low when compared to emerging nations – as the country aims to be in this category. Besides, the country’s education expenditures are only 2.5% of its GDP in 2012 (CIA World Factbook). It is an essential urgent need for the country to intensively invest in education in order to have a world standard quality competing education system and maintain it so as to have a capable labour force for its takeoff. Likewise, the unlearned parents and the poor must be aware of benefits and opportunity costs of sending their children to schools. Education is for their betterment and uplift, in particular, and the development of the country, in general. To sum up, the country needs a high standard education system, enough school capacity a high enrolment rate of, around, 90% and maintenance to overcome its problems in this sector.

Training programme opportunities for updating, upgrading and maintaining skills and knowledge of the labour force in, both, the public and private sector must be available whenever the need arises – for the professional development and meeting the global labour force standard for the effectiveness and efficiency sake. Competencies are only preserved through regular trainings.

4.2 Agriculture

Guinea is a land of fertility – it is naturally agriculture friendly for both crop soil farming and livestock breeding. This fertility alone is an opportunity for the country to emerge itself as a food self-sufficient and a food exporting nation. With a clear vision, Guinea can transform itself from a food shortage importing country to a food surplus self-sufficient exporting country based on short term and long term bases. In the short run, the country should work to satisfy its national demand for food with no recourse to foreign sources as it currently does – especially the staple food, the rice. In the long run, it should position itself as an exporting force of vegetables, fruits, cottons and rice. Having such a vision, there can be a means of eradicating poverty through the continuing transformation of the peasant farming into commercial/ professional farming.

4.3 Hydroelectricity Infrastructure

It is shockingly unbelievable that there is a country in the 21^st century which has been deeply suffering from power supply shortages/ lacking, given its immense energy potentiality, for nearly six decades. Guinea is rich in water resource and has possibility to meet its own energy demands and those of neighbouring countries if it seriously and diligently works on some major dam building projects of standard, which it has to. Hydro power Infrastructure buildings require colossal amount of money and must be built to a very high benchmark, but once in place electricity supply is almost guaranteed. The water used to generate hydroelectricity can be used for irrigation/farming, and water supply for domestic and industrial purposes. It is clean – no pollution –, renewable and can last for many decades.

4.4 Mineral Resources

The country has been extracting minerals – bauxite, aluminium and iron ore – in three major mines; namely CBG, FRIGUIA and OBK over 40 years. Guinea has been also extracting gold and diamonds. However, these mines are cut off from the country’s economy and they have not produced any major infrastructure – energy supply, roads, rails, or water supply – at the local levels, let alone the national level. These projects should have stimulated the economy but that has not been the case; all Guinea has gotten is environmental destruction. So, let us wait and see what will happen for Guinea as far as Simandou – SIMFER Project of Rio Tinto – is concerned. As SIMFER SA is a mega project, I hope it will be a stimulant for the Guinean economy. That is, the major infrastructure – the trans Guinean rail way and the deepwater port – will be the quality; at least 80% of the job to be created should go to Guineans; subcontracts should go to Guinean enterprises; SIMFER SA should buy nationally; environmental protection must be enforced by protecting water sources and replacing logged trees/destroyed rain forests; and helping in development local school and health infrastructure around the mine and around the deepwater port. Guinea may not lose out on SIMFER SA if these recommendations are considered. In addition, the government should be cautious in rushing into signing any other major mining projects and should be patient until this SIMFER SA becomes rewarding. Further, the government should do all it can to make the old existing – those in the country before SIMFER SA – mining projects integrated into the national economy and stimulant. However, I still assert that the mining sector should come as the last priority in exploiting the natural resources.

5. Security

The security of Guinea is at risk and the country needs to be rescued. As usual, Guinea has been living with the devils since its independence – a country divided, torn, without any compromise and unable to rally all its power for a joint performance of national development. Some recent examples of this disunity is the so-called Les Accords du 03 Juillet 2013. Why the mediation of UN? Why cannot Guineans mediate between Guineans in Guinean matters? The reason is the lack of confidence and trust among Guineans to handle and solve their differences by themselves; and the cause is the bad governance and the lack of meritocracy, which all the main political leaders – both the ruling party and oppositions –  are partly responsible, as they have all been involved in governance at some points in their careers.

It is known to Guineans that injustice has been chronically taking place in the country for decades, which has created frustration, violence and hatred. Of course, these problems have endangered the country’s security but they can be solved if a common front is formed for the national interest. The national interest includes getting rid of discrimination, inciting hatred and violence.  In a peaceful Guinea, the arsonists lose; the voice of those who plead for peace becomes stronger than that of those who plead for violence and hatred.

As far as I am concerned, security is the ultimate goal in life, and it is broad. It is to be freed from all sorts of vulnerability. In short, security is the achievement of happiness – not the absolute happiness, which is almost unachievable at the mass level – and to be unchained from extreme poverty, which is the first enemy of humanity.   Our nation’s security/happiness lies in social cohesion, political stability and economic wellbeing – the development is conditional on these points. The development has to be founded on equity, justice and peace.

All these three are interlinked. Social cohesion is achieved when united as a society/nation and we do no longer clash in our neighbourhoods, villages, towns and cities as members of different communities. With this, then the political stability comes along. The political stability gives way to a stable environment for the government to work for us as citizens and improve our lives in every walk of life. For example, the government must make sure that the people have access to an affordable quality health care system, which the country lacks since it comes into being 56 years ago. As a result, the country as whole will achieve economic development/wellbeing in the long run. The security is the justice – when we have fair and just system as a nation.

The full implementation of the laws and orders for the justice has to start at very summit of the State in order to have a guaranteed lasting security for all. The application of the laws and orders does not have to be for thieves, armed robbers, burglar, murderers, rapes and other crimes in society; but for also dishonourable and shameful white-collar and blue-collar crimes – briberies, embezzlements and corruptions – being committed across the government and public services from top to bottom. A truth judiciary system results in an ideal security system and, ultimately, a fair society.

6. Conclusions

The eradication of the extreme poverty and providing security are the tasks of a government for its people and the failure of Guinean State to deliver these has resulted politicising the people unsuitably. Causes of extreme poverty in Guinea have never been tackled sincerely despite the efforts of its successive governments since its independence and that is why the effects of extreme poverty have been very harmful to the people and badly damaging for the reputation of the country. The main measures to achieving a genuine change in Guinea include behavioural and operational change, willingness of Guineans to change themselves. There is a belief that human resources are far more important than natural resources in development of the country and enhancing the living standard of its people. Education and training are ought to be the priority in order to get the cream human resource supply for the country. As a result, with the human capital, the country can have an excellent agricultural system and a quality socioeconomic infrastructure. Eventually, security is the end goal of socioeconomic wellbeing and it is only attained when its antonym – poverty – is eradicated.

Guinea is a poor country that possesses main agricultural, hydropower, mineral and solar power resources. Historically, the country had been an exporter of agricultural commodities, but has lately become almost a net importing nation of the rice – its staple food. The causes of the country being poor lie with Guineans themselves, which include the lack of ambitions and visions, the lack of socio-political dialogues, widespread corruptions and mismanagements of public resources. To sum up, poverty is the problem and the solution is the achievement of security for all, which comes with awakening and willingness to reform and put our good ideas in actions in order to develop. However the most difficult thing in reform is that a million good ideas/policies will certainly not succeed if we wait for the outside world to help us develop. We Guineans must effectively reform from within, pure and simple – we must not blame on drastic cutbacks of external financings and aids. We have undermined ourselves and have let ourselves down, as a result the outside world has lost confidence in us and has got no respect for us – poor and beggars are hardly esteemed. We can turn things around provide that we work hand in hand and hard enough to catch up with emerging countries and only then the negative perception about the country can become positive. That is to say the change is us – only we can change our situations for better and no outsider can make lives improved if we are dormant even if they have the best plans and intentions to do so.

As far as I am concerned, it is not an exaggeration to state that Guineans are natural united; the disunity that seems to exist is artificially politically created. I do not claim that I do know Guinea perfectly, but I do know two areas of it not badly, namely Dabola and Kankan. The former is where I am originally from and it is bi-ethnical, and the latter is where I was born and grew and it has residents representing all ethnic groups of the country. There have never been any ethnic clashes in these two prefectures.

At present, there are no proper political parties in Guinea but ethnic/tribal associations. Partisans adhere to parties because of ethnicity of leaderships. Guinean politicians selfishly and openly divide and rule by delivering inflaming hateful speeches. The politicians present themselves as members of so ethnic groups and originals of so regions. They lack proper political agendas. That is why all “major” political parties are ethnically followed in Guinea. All the community clashes are artificially and politically motivated. The most recent example of this was the runoff residential election of 2010 between RPG – Rassemblement du Peuple de Guinée (the Rally of the Guinean People) –  led by a leader originally from the natural region of Upper Guinea (Faranah Region and Kankan Region) and UFDG – Union des Forces Démocratiques de Guinée (Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea) – led by a leader originally from the natural region of Middle Guinea (Labé Region and Mamou Region). This two natural regions were not battlegrounds as both candidates were sure that they would win in their respective regions; the battlegrounds were the other two natural regions) –Southern Guinea (N’Zérékoré Region) and Lower Guinea (Boké Region, Kindia Region and Conakry Special Zone). Please refer appendix A for 2010 Presidential Election of Guinea, which help demonstrate ethnic orientation politics in Guinea.

To put a stop to this, the government has to meet what the people expect from them in terms of delivery in general as discussed in this paper. As discussed in section 5 of this paper, we will be a mature nation when we achieve the security level and that will be the time when we will start following political parties because of their manifestos and political orientations; rather than because of their ethnic backgrounds and regions of origins. Only then One Nation Guinea will come into existence – united as ever and equal opportunity for a fairer and more just nation.

Partager sur :             Lu : 2013 fois