What is Godfatherism?
Godfatherism is a political arrangement in which some powerful and influential citizen called godfather relies on his/her wealth, relations or authority to assist an individual in securing a political spot. The godson in turn is supposed to be loyal and listen to the directions of the god father and in most cases take the interests of god father amid the needs of the people.
Such practice is very widespread throughout the world and more so in areas where there is a high prevalence of corruption. True democracy may be hampered by Godfatherism, as merit cannot bring the preferred leaders to the power of people, but the influence will do it. It has a tendency of resulting in bad governance, non-responsiveness, and power abuse since those elected can answer to their godfathers rather than the citizens.
Have i faced Godfatherism before?
Well, I have been a witness to Godfatherism second-hand, and it was frustrating yet informative. In a case between two local communities one of the local community tried to discourage a very respected youth with good plans and ideas to contest since he did not have the support of a strong political figure. In its place, the position was given to a lesser experienced person with powerful godfather. Merit had nothing to do with the system but loyalty and control. With time, such a leader would not be able to make his own decisions and he would always do what he is told by the godfather. It showed the extent to which Godfatherism is hurtful to real leadership and development. It denies reasonable voices and keeps power limited in the hands of the minority which, in some cases, proves against the people.