Publication date: Wednesday, 18th April, 2007
Dr. Tajudeen
I get many embarrassing questions these days about a number of African leaders with whom many of the mostly hostile questioners and even curious friendly critics believe I have close association.
The questions are embarrassing because I am supposed to have answers or insights about them but my knowledge may not be more than that of an average observer.
On top of the list of these leaders is President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni followed by a whole club of leaders generally referred to as ‘New Generation of African Leaders’ that include Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, President Issias Afworki, President Paul Kagame and others.
In a class of his own among leaders about whom I get embarrassing questions is Uncle Robert Mugabe. He is not so much a ‘New Generation’ leader as a relic of a glorious liberation epoch. I am not complaining about these questions because they are based on concrete political realities of my personal ideological and political positions.
I supported all of these leaders, wrote and spoke positively about many of them for many years. Therefore those asking me about what is happening to these leaders now even when their intentions are hostile what they are demanding of people like me is to tell them what has happened to our Dear Leaders?
For instance, while the same people may ask me about what is happening in Nigeria they will never try to embarrass me by asking what has happened to General Olushegun Obasanjo since they do not think that both he and I have any shared ideological perspectives.
How I wish I had inside knowledge to explain to these questioners why President Museveni who came to power promising fundamental change has now raised to the status of theory the reactionary slogan of ‘No change’!
How can I explain that a president who opened up the political space in the country, introduced so many political reforms that arrested the country’s political and economic decline and historically sectarian politics is now accused by many of his former comrades of being guilty of political infanticide, killing institutions which he created because they no longer serve his political purposes?
Is it the same President who refused to allow any streets to be named after him that is now inaugurating his Saddam-like statues? How can one explain the recent attacks on the Judiciary and threats to liberty and the rule of law that is even turning sedate judges into judicial militants?
And even more what about the current controversy about the Mabira forest which has pitched even many loyalists of the President and a broad section of the populace including the Buganda royalty against the President and his dwindling band of hackmen and women?
As for Premier Meles he has in recent years bungled his way from one unpopular decision to the other. He locked up people who defeated his ruling party in the 2005 elections charging them with treason and genocide! Only two weeks ago has he started releasing some of them but a majority (including two CSO activists, Daniel and Natsenat) are still detained because they have cases to answer!
Those who were detained were luckier than the many demonstrators protesting the irregularities of the elections who were murdered by security forces.
How can one explain how a leader and ruling party that overthrew the Stalinist murderous regime of the Dergue/Mengistu is today as totalitarian as the regime they threw out?
Unlike the NRM, the TPLF/ EPRDF were very ideological but like the NRM they have become more free market than Adam Smith! Why do leaders who promise national rebirth and inspire their compatriots to believe in them end up disappointing them?
The one answer I can give to all these and many other questions about these leaders is: staying too long in power! No matter how great they may be, they are ordinary mortals even if their propagandists deify them. They wither, become tired but their wear and tear have serious impact on the body politic.
As they say “Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely”. When leaders become tired they tire the nation with them. It is not just in Africa, look at Britain, rudderless under Blair who is finished but refusing to go but sinking lower and lower.
But at least in Britain it is not a question of if Blair leaves, it is when and there is certainty that it may be soon after the local elections in May but definitely before the October conference of the Labour Party.
Imagine if he was an African leader! he would have dissolved the party by now and Gordon Brown would either be in jail or facing all kinds of charges, or in exile or even dead!
This article can be found on-line at: http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/20/560441
