African taxpayers are increasingly awakening to the fact that they don’t have to be passive in matters of governance and service delivery. The ongoing wave of civil protest against soaring food prices (Sierra Leone); withholding election results (Zimbabwe); high cost of living and using citizens as pawns in power plays (Kenya) attests to this. This awakening is a warning to governments that have long disregarded their citizens that their days are numbered.
A good government ought to promote the prosperity of its citizens by creating a framework within which ordinary people can create wealth and keep more of what they earn. On the contrary, most African governments are not only predatory, but they do not speak the same language with their people. They don't peg the number of legislators on productivity.There is a gulf between the rulers and the ruled as a number of adverse factors seriously undermine peoples` confidence in their governments.
Taxpayers are major stakeholders in terms of their investment in the ‘government’ institution. Consequently, they must demand efficient services and accountability from their governments and decline to be taken for granted.
Comment on this article!
