[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 61 (Wednesday, May 17, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E857]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 A SUCCESS STORY OF DEMOCRACY IN AFRICA

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                           HON. BARNEY FRANK

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 17, 2006

  Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts. Mr. Speaker, since congressional 
districts were realigned in Massachusetts in 1992, I have had the honor 
of representing a large number of Americans who trace their ancestry to 
the Republic of Cape Verde. As with other Americans who trace their 
ancestry to other nations, the Cape Verdean Americans who live in my 
district are very proud of their ancestral homeland, and are very much 
interested in my working to preserve good relations between our two 
countries. In the case of Cape Verde, that is very easy. The Republic 
of Cape Verde from the day of its independence has maintained a degree 
of democracy, respect for individual freedom, and respect for human 
rights that is very impressive. In the nature of things, people tend to 
hear bad news about other continents, countries or regions. But while 
it is important for us to give attention to those places where 
correction is needed, we should not by silence about successes let 
people think that there are none. I recently had the chance to read a 
very impressive study by Dr. Bruce Baker and Professor Roy May of 
Coventry University in the United Kingdom, entitled Cape Verde: The 
Most Democratic Nation In Africa?
  In the acknowledgment to their report, the authors answer this 
question in the affirmative--We believe that the country fully lives up 
to the title of the most democratic nation in Africa.
  Sensible space limitations prevent me from asking that their entire 
article be printed here. I do note that it will soon be appearing in a 
leading academic journal on African affairs. But given the importance 
of refuting the notion that democracy is somehow unsuited to African 
countries, a justification occasionally put forward by defenders of 
autocracy, I do want to quote some important passages here from their 
article:
  One of the most striking indicators of Cape Verde's democratic 
maturity has been the ease by which power has been transferred, with 
defeated governments and their supporters accepting the electorate's 
verdict. Since the country's 1991 transition to multiparty democracy, 
Cape Verdeans have changed their government three times.
  Deputies from both main parties believe the National Assembly to be 
effective in adversarial debate. Civil and political rights are 
enshrined in the constitution and widely respected in practice. The 
judiciary is regarded as independent and therefore free of political 
bias.
  Mr. Speaker, the authors acknowledge that democracy of Cape Verde, as 
is true everywhere else, is not perfect, but they stress that there is 
an overall democratic atmosphere in Cape Verde in which those lapses 
can be pursued by people interested in improving the situation without 
fear of repression or retaliation.
  Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to call attention to the thriving 
democracy in the Republic of Cape Verde both because it deserves 
attention in itself, and is a counter to those who argue that somehow 
democracy and respect for basic human rights is a western doctrine that 
cannot travel to other parts of the world.
  Mr. Speaker, the Cape Verdean Americans whom I represent are very 
proud of their homeland, as they should be. It is entirely appropriate 
that the Bush Administration recognized the flourishing democracy of 
Cape Verde, among other aspects of that nation's governance, by making 
it one of the first recipients of funds under the new Millennium 
Challenge foreign aid program.

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