Zambia's One Party Participatory Democracy and Socialist Oriented Development: The Depoliticisation of the Masses and its Implications

bibliographic database
Line

Periodical article

Title:	Zambia's One Party Participatory Democracy and Socialist Oriented Development: The Depoliticisation of the Masses and its Implications
Author:	Sichone, Owen B.
Year:	1989
Periodical:	Journal of African Marxists
Issue:	11
Period:	February
Pages:	87-95
Language:	English
Geographic term:	Zambia
Subjects:	political economy one-party systems Politics and Government
Abstract:	On 13 December, 1972, Zambia formally became a one-party participatory democracy (OPPD) with the United National Independence Party (UNIP) as the sole legal political party. President Kaunda's preference for OPPD can be reduced to two propositions: in accordance with African tradition, OPPD means giving power to the people by involving them in decisionmaking; and for the sake of stability and economic development, countries like Zambia need a strong government that practises 'authoritarian rule by public consent'. In practice, OPPD democracy unites the Zambian bourgeoisie under one banner and coopts the unions, the military, the traditional chiefs and other leaders into the ranks of the ruling class; and uses party supremacy to prevent the other classes from engaging in any independent political activity. This has led to the erosion of democratic institutions, the decline of UNIP, and the depoliticization of the masses. In the absence of democracy, and as a result of the depoliticization of the masses, socialist-oriented development is not possible. Bibliogr.