|
Gadafi’s Demise: African
Leaders’ Collective Hypocrisy
By Gbemiga Bamidele
Newsdiaryonline Sat Oct29,2011
Bamidele
Watching the
recent development in Africa particularly in Tunisia, Egypt and
of late Libya is distressing, heart-rending and pitiable. Not
too long ago, The African scene belonged to Ghadafi, he
crisscrossed the continent in flashy caravans as throngs of
supports waved and cheered from the road sides.
Fellow African
Leaders bestowed upon him endearing nicknames such as
brother-leader, king of kings of Africa and Libya was among the
African Union’s largest contributions paying dues for some of
the fifty four member nations.
Thus, it was easy, soon after the summit of Heads of State held
in Libya in March 2011, to declare Africa Union into existence,
for certain multi-nation media corporations to embark upon the
deliberate distortion that the Union
was the brain child of a particular Africa leader, rather
than the product of the entire people of Africa. Nothing could
be further from the truth. However, it must be admitted that
like the proverbial catalyst in a chemical reaction, Gadaffi
played a role in accelerating the transformation of the
organization of African Unity and the African Economic Community
into the African Union.
The decision to established the African Union was part of a
package of decisions taken by OAU Heads of State, in Sirte,
Libya at the 4th Extraordinary Session of the
Assembly on September 8 -9, 1999.
Gadaffi was said
to be known for handling out large sums of cash wherever he
thinks he can buy friendship. In Algeria, where his son, Saadi
stays presently, Gadaffi’s influence is evident.
A state-of-art
mosque his government built in Niger in the 1970s still stand
tall in the capital, Niamey where thousands attend prayers. In
nearby Mali, Gadaffi was believed to have funded the
construction of a popular mosque in the Capital, Bamako, and
helped to pay for a Malian government complex. Gadaffi’s
affluence also touched tremendously the neighboring Chad and
Burkina Faso as well. Such investments scaled Gadaffi's clout in
sub-sharan Africa.
In Africa,
Gadaffi’s influence extended beyond his generosity. His ideas
and eccentricity were also a big draw. His support of brutal
dictators such as former strongman of Liberia, Charles Taylor
helped intensified the bloodshed in the region. Taylor, who led
Liberia from 1997 to 2003 is accused of fueling a bloody civil
war in his nation and neighboring Sierra-Leone that led to wide
spread murder, rape and mutilation.
Gaddafi was also
accused of helping armed Arab militias in Sudan’s violence
wrecked Dafour region. He was also said to have backed rebel
groups in several countries including the Tuaregs in Mali and
Niger who were responsible for violence in the 1980s.
In all these,
whether as an individual or collectively no African leader
pointed or accused Gadaffi of any wrong doing rather they were
celebrating his impunity. There were other Africa dictators who
had passed away. These were despots who have seized African
States by the throat. They include, Samuel Kanyon Doe of
Liberia, Hissene Habre in Chad, Franciso Marcias Nguema of
Equatorial Guinea, Jean Bedel bokassa of Central African
Republic, Mobuta Sese Seko of Congo and Idi Amin of Uganda among
others.
Most of these leaders at the initial stage of coming to power
showed some seriousness in contributing to the development of
their nations.
For instance, there are many in Uganda who swear till today that
Idi Ami Dada used to be a nice chap before he seized power, and
even at the early stage of his regime. How else could one
describe a government that ensured that every Libyan live the
good life by adequately providing them not only with the basic
necessities of life but also with life’s little luxuries. The
country had consistently prospered for the forty-two years
Gaddafi remained in the saddle, ranking among the countries with
the highest per capital income in the whole world. The country,
which had wallowed in poverty and groaned under the burden of
debt. When Gadaffi seized power in 1969, became the country with
the highest standard of living in Africa under Gaddafi. The same
Libya was officially the poorest country in the world in 1951.
Today, all Libyans own their homes and cars. Gaddafi built up
infrastructure and provided health care and education but all
these were not enough! No amount of what money can buy can
replace that priceless commodity; the human yearning for
freedom.
In all these, what
are lessons to be learnt especially by African leaders. African
leaders bear responsibility for their spinelessness and lack of
moral courage. Hiding under the principle of non-interference in
the internal affairs of other nations, they permitted Gaddafi to
thrive for so long with all his atrocities. He even was once the
Chairman of African Union (AU).
The declaration of
the African Union (AU) at Sirte in Libya in September 1999 is
appropriately located within the wider provision of the Treaty
establishing the African Economic Commity.
Indeed, the
constitute act specifies the fourteen (14) objectives of the
Union including “the promotion of democratic principles and
institutions, popular participation and good governance, the
achievement of greater unity and solidarity between African
countries and the peoples of Africa”. Libya under Gaddafi never
enjoy a bit of democratic principles or popular participation of
people in governance.
The media also
have its own share of the responsibility. It is an unfortunate
fact of human existence that most people, whether in developed
or developing societies, go along with what they see, hear or
read in the media and on the bases of that alone form their
attitudes.
The implication of this pervasive media dependency is that
opinions which influence policies and programmes of government,
are formed by the majority based on their media fed perceptions
and attitudes.
There is no doubt that the media constitute a very powerful
instrument of political and social engineering, which explains
why they are generally used by dictatorial regimes to their own
ends, often by saturating members of the public with only one
kind of reality and shutting them off from exposure to
alternative views.
In conjunction
with other institutions of the civil society, the media are
generally regarded as the major vehicles of communication
through which members of the public participate in the political
process and other matters that affect their destiny.
Hence, the mass media as the tools for the creation of linkages
between the society must be up to the task of highlighting
indices of bad governance. Gaddafi provided infrastructures for
Libyans but good governance also entails popular participation
in decision making based on political and social pluranism; and
on Freedom of association and expression.
Bamidele,
Assistant National Secretary 1 of NUJ can be reached on
liftmeahead@yahoo.com
or +234(0)8053000100.
|
