Who You With?

I think one of the biggest surprises for me since being in Zambia has been the lack of freedom within the “democracy” of Zambia. Every couple of years, The Economist produces a ranking called the Democracy Index. The Democracy Index measures the democracy of each country based upon a series of questions and then ranks the countries based upon their respective scores. While living in America, I understood the basics of this index, but since being in Zambia, this ranking has taken on new meaning for me.

The fact remains that there is a lively debate on how and if one can measure democracy. My goodness there is even a debate on what constitutes a democracy. But living in a place like Zambia, that is not classified as a full democracy, for an extended period of time has provided me with the unique opportunity to see the differences in “democracies” and to understand how a systems can be rated as full democracies, flawed democracies, and hybrid regimes.

For example, I heard a rumor last week. Remember that this is a rumor. I cannot substantiate this information, but I do think that this information is credible. Presidential elections are to be held in Zambia next year, but in order to vote, one must possess a National Registration Card (NRC). Most people have a NRC, but those applying for new cards are supposedly asked one question: “Which party are you with?” If you answer the ruling party (MMD), you are allowed to obtain a NRC. If you answer the opposition party, you are turned away and cannot obtain a NRC. Not having a NRC means that you cannot vote.

If this is the case (again I call it a credible rumor), then it is very easy to predict who will win the election. Little maneuvers like this add up over the long haul to stall the progress of democracy.

One major issue though is the fact that Zambia is constantly comparing itself to its neighbors, and therefore, overlooking their own issues. They say, “We are not as bad as Zimbabwe, Angola, or the Democratic Republic of Congo.” My goodness China rates better than all of those countries on the Democracy Index. It would be like the Georgia Bulldogs comparing their football achievements to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. My goodness Tech plays in the ACC! Who wants to lower themselves to those standards? Next, we are going to be comparing ourselves to North Korea (or the Big Ten, Big 12, or PAC 10) (Yes, I just made a college football and foreign policy comparison!)

I am not saying that the Democracy Index is law. Zambia, by the way, is rated as a hybrid regime and 97 out of 167 in the 2008 results. I just wanted to add a little credibility to the index. I guess that is assuming my opinion means anything.