MUCH ADO ABOUT ZUMA'S GOOF
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By Che Oyinatumba
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Jacob Zuma, the
embattled, ANC leader and potential South African President, bit the finger that
fed him last week at an Economic summit in Switzerland. In apparent bid to woo
the Western donors and Multi-national Corporation, to consider him as the next
talisman man in post Mbeki South Africa, Zuma castigated the April 2007
elections in Nigeria and said the Nigerian example is not a worthy one for
Africa. Furthermore, he exhorted Africans to emulate the smoking protest in
Kenya.
Wisdom is like a goat skin bag, every man carries his own. But when a man casts
a stone at a man suffering from elephantiasis of the scrotum, whatever abuse he
received, is justifiable. Indeed, a child seeking assurance of manhood, measures
the density of his beard with his father’s. For objectivity's sake, I will not
remind you my esteemed readers that taking a bath after sleeping with a HIV
infected person does not prevent you from being infected.
I agree with Zuma that the last election was below the previous standards set in
Nigeria. But unfavorably elevating the Kenyan demonstration blinds me to reason!
It may please Mr. Zuma to remember that in the days when Nigeria was a giant
with a giant’s foot step, Nigeria spear headed the liberation of South Africa
that has given Zuma freedom to defeat the incumbent in an ANC convention. But
things are no longer at easy in Nigeria and a cripple can now dare Tyson to a
biting/boxing competition. Zuma’s indictment should be a wake up call to
Nigerian leaders that Nigeria is now a giant with the footprint of an ant. The
leadership class should commit suicide if they can not evolve a refined class
and allow the oppressed class to take over leadership.
Agreed revolution is neither a tea party nor does any class willingly give up
power, this writer is of the opinion that the 1917 Russian, Cuban 1959, and
Chinese 1949 style tyranny of the proletariats is no longer fashionable. This is
premised on the drought of men of selfless characters like the leaders of these
revolutions. Secondly the “almighty” America with her military bases just
uncomfortable nautical miles off any shore line, makes this blood letting a near
impossibility. Thirdly revolution cost money. The active encouragement of NGOism,
structural impoverishment of the working class and the collapse of
Socialist/Communist parties into democratic quest (they now answer social
democrats and in some climes, the communist parties contest elections organized
by a capitalist incumbent) for power via the elections mandate, make an uprising
a suicidal mission. Hence it will be the emergence of a benevolent upper class
leader that can guarantee the uplifting of the suffering of the masses.
I also agree with Zuma to the extent that the civil society in Kenya are active
and the electorates well educated to their electoral power, unlike in Nigeria
where most Non Governmental Organisations are one-man laptop office, making
motion at World Bank, UNDP, etc conferences without a developmental movement on
ground in Nigeria.
Beyond this point, I disagree with Mr. Zuma.
The Kenyan democratic process is not better than that of Nigeria. Agreed the
grave yard peace in Nigeria, following the general election, may have been as a
result of the three top candidates coming from the same geo-political zone, but
the belief and recourse to the Judiciary shows that the Nigerian democratic
process is on course. And the Nigerian Judiciary has been on all cylinder
blasting off the concoction by INEC and PDP, with the dismantling of the
questionable victories of the imposed governors.
If Odinga won as he contends, why not go to court and allow the blindness of the
judiciary to be tested. This untimely marshaling out of his tribes men, has
unleashed the Frankenstein and another African country is on its slippery spin
towards genocide. The scars of Rwanda/Burundi, are still fresh on the mind of
Western donors.
Talking about Western donor that Zuma was prostituting to, how come they have
not taken a decisive step in the Kenyan crisis? Or has their economic interest
not been substantially affected by this ethnic cleansing?
All the candidates in Nigeria, whose mandates were stolen, have in their pouch
resources to multiply the Kenyan scene but their firm belief that politics is
not a zero sum game, has given Nigeria peace. I salute the doggedness of these
political gladiators in Nigeria. Their example should be a model to all
Africans. It won’t dry the tears, it won’t erase the scars on the mind of the
parents that have been murdered in Kenya for Odinga to smile into the camera
after shaking hands with Kibaki. Why put the cart before the horse? All
politically motivated war has been settled at a round table. Why couldn’t Zuma
advise the tribal war lords in Kenya, masquerading under “June 12th” election to
upload their grievances against the Kikuyi, that war is only justified when
other escape routes have been blocked?
What will Zuma tell the people worshiping in a Church and turned into a sweet
(sic) smelling burnt offering to the tribal gods? If indeed the agitation is
purely political, let the Orange Democratic Movement, call off or disown these
goons and follow the Kenyan constitution and respect the rule of Law. If they
have no faith in their judiciary, they should within the confines of their
constitution, find a lee way to either amend the constitution or remove the
erring judge. More also the ODM has majority in the legislature. Or is Odinga
bent on controlling the means of production at the expense of the life of the
people whose mandate he claims to have? The orange revolution in other climes,
wasn’t done in this manner. Even the father of passive peaceful resistance, whom
the world honoured his 6oth absence from this earth, bore injustice rather than
strike the first blow. Today Gandhi is worshiped and despite not holding any
post in India, he is reverenced as Bapu and Mahatma by all castes in India and
their brothers in Pakistan. Killing of fellow Kenyans, who in most cases are not
partisans
The innocent girls, whose innocence has been ripped off, would have been spared
the trauma had the Kenyan politicians taken a leaf from the annals of Buhari’s
election tribunal travails. The deepening ethnic tension in Kenya would have
remained at a bearable level had the Kenyan politicians consulted with their big
brother-Nigeria.
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