Could it be that this widespread dysfunction of political parties is to blame for the current dysfunction of wider state institutions and the laissez faire attitude of some state officers? Within societies that practice winner take-it-all type of elections, the space of political competition is so narrow that defeat always spells political oblivion. These factors taken either in isolation or combined provide for us a lens through which we can therefore see the current disorganisation within most of the dominant political parties. Because, while the ultimate goal of every political party is to capture power, the same is never done in isolation of structures and systems that should upon inauguration run and manage core state. So before we talk about strengthening state institutions, should we be actively looking at how we can strengthen our political parties first?

Source: Standard Digital April 23, 2017 18:40 UTC