Patronage & Clientelist Politics Presentation Essay

Patronage & Clientelist Politics Presentation - Essay Example However, upon a closer inspection, it you will realize that these institutions have nothing compared those found in the western countries. Simply put, they lack validity because no one trusts they are fulfilling any social contract to serve neutrally on behalf of each and every citizen. South Africa has civil services, or bureaucracies, but yet again, they are badly "patrimonialized" to their core, and only few (if any) bureaucrats uphold the societys interests before their own individual benefits (Lindberg, 2008). To be brief, there is no separation between the public and the private in South African politics. You will wonder on why this remains so. It could be for the reason that the British colonial rule never left adequate liberal democratic institutions fully installed in the last almost two decades, or it could be because the independent state of South Africa moved too hastily toward authoritarian decree. Opinions vary, and no one has the definite answer to the problem. What is undeniable, however, is that South African and other African governments are highly centralized politically. Power is not dispersed or diffused properly among the distinct branches of government. They lack "checks-and-balances" (Myers, 2008). There lacks presence of pluralism in their civil society individuals and diverse society interest cannot influence the public policy. In South Africa, only elites are paid attention to, and rivals- reformists are oppressed. Political opposition parties, for instance, are often beleaguered. Or, if a challenger or rival does manage to go past the oppression, they become eas ily subject to co-option (known also as co-optation) whereby their threat is defused by being offered a position in the state structure. There, they are used as political machines. Although there are vibrant inequalities within these clientelistic relations, the patrons suffer considerable constrictions. In