The argument has often been made quite persuasively that an emergent nation beset with economic problems, a largely unsophisticated population and a desperate need to develop can- not afford the "luxury of the fine points of democracy".

All energies ought to be directed on getting the basic necessities, at the very least, for the people good drinking water, hospitals and clinics, housing, educating the young, roads and generally im- proving upon the quality of life of the people.

Those who are hungry and whose health is constantly being undermined by diseases long eradicated in other parts of the world, have no time for concepts like individual rights, freedom of the press and oppositions. The basic human rights are food and shelter and in the pursuit of these, there should be no dissenting voices and the entire country should be united in working together.

The problem is that experience has shown quite clearly that unless the "fine points" are respected, the soul of the nation gets lost in the impressive steel and concrete structures that will arise, and one needs not be a christian to appreciate the question: of what use is it to a man if he should gain the whole world and lose his soul in the process?

But then one needs not take such a stand to see the falsehood in the proposition that a country in a hurry should not have time for "fine points" when a regime takes the position that all energies, all voices must be directed towards developing the country, and therefore since the government in power is trying to develop the country, any voice in opposition must necessarily be against the good of the people, the next logical step is to invest the members of the government with virtual supernatural powers They then become gods residing on Mount Olympus looking down on mere mortals below and to come to believe that the very existence of the state depends on their personal existence.

What is more, since there will always exist among human beings those who will be sycophants, the insistence on a united voice will soon mean that all hopes of self criticism internally disappears for all that is needed to get any idea carried is to cite government as the originator.

When it comes to the press, the damage that can be caused by an insistence on united voices far outweighs whatever good can be gained by whipping up enough enthusiasm to carry out pro- jects in the fastest possible time. A country in a hurry needs a press that should play an adversary role, because when you are in a hurry the chances of going terribly off target are far greater than when you have time.

In much the same way, formal oppositions to governments are vital for governments in a hurry.

We in Africa have populations that are largely illiterate and unsophisticated in the ways of governments and they usually take the written word as gospel, they usually do not have a great number of newspapers or radio stations to choose from so that they can sift the truth from the propaganda. The press therefore has the duty to ask all the questions for the vast majority and when it becomes identified intimately with the government, it faces a real danger of losing all credibility with the people.

Why should a country be subjected to a monotonous existence? Life itself is full of surprises and differences,animals and plants alike thrive on these differences and surprises. A warm day with bright sunshine is always welcome, but if every day of the year were warm and with bright sunshine, there might not be life as we know it on this planet.

The enigma of Africa lies in its diversity and its peoples pride themselves on their differences. Why should everybody sing the same song or dance to the same rhythm in all things political?

There must be room even for those who want to be different just for the sake of being different. Some energies must be directed at different things and there must be some discords when the chorus starts and the country's leaders should not be afraid of making mistakes, unless they want to lose their humanity.

And if the press persists in leading the chorus, who will be able to tell when the song goes terribly out of tune?