A message from the Chair
Officially the centenary of The Round Table journal (started in the Edwardian era) did not start until 2010. But the preparations, started ahead of time.
And I thought it would be good to provide a monthly update for readers and supporters of our journal, starting in July 2009 after my re-election for a final year as Chair of the editorial advisory board, (known since the early twentieth century as the Moot).
Richard Bourne
View the messages by selecting any of the links below:
July 2010
How free and fair will elections be in the Commonwealth's newest member, Rwanda? Its presidential election is planned for 9 August, and already the UN Secretary-General has demanded a full inquiry into allegations of politically motivated killings of opposition figures. We should assume that the Commonwealth's Kamalesh Sharma, who has sent an election observation team, will have done the same behind the scenes.
The Rwanda case points to the relevance of The Round Table's final centenary events, a Democracy and the Commonwealth conference at the School of Oriental and African Studies, London (SOAS) in late June, a historical review of the journal at Rhodes House, and an address by Chief Anyaoku on 5 July on the modern Commonwealth. The conference at SOAS emphasised that democracy is still insecure and aspirational in many states -- even in the Caribbean, as Cynthia Barrow-Giles, from the University of the West Indies at Cave Hill pointed out. Chief Anyaoku referred to his failed attempt, at Durban in 1999, to stiffen up the terms of reference for the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group, the rules committee which can recommend suspension of governments. He had wanted it to intervene when an election is postponed, the judiciary is interfered with, or the media stifled.
In Rwanda two opposition papers have been banned, and human rights groups harassed. Although Commonwealth leaders invited francophone Rwanda to join at Port of Spain last November, this was after a thorough report from the non-governmental Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) had warned that it would be premature. Rwanda came in under an exception to the general rules on admission even though Yash Ghai, the constitutional lawyer who wrote the CHRI report, stated that Paul Kagame's Rwandan regime did not conform to Commonwealth principles. Realpolitik, and the support of Uganda and the UK for Rwanda's application, had trumped strict adherence to the Commonwealth principles of just and accountable governance, the rule of law, and fundamental human rights.
The Commonwealth, which has yet to bring an end to Paul Biya's dictatorship in Cameroon, 15 years after that country was admitted to membership, may have a serious problem on its hands in Rwanda. Following its conference at SOAS The Round Table has authorised use of its name for a Round Table network on democracy and the Commonwealth. This network, for scholars and practitioners, will be energised by Philip Murphy, Director of the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, and Melanie Torrent, of the University of Paris, Diderot. It will have plenty to discuss.
Richard Bourne