Leadership (Abuja)
Ambassador Sulaiman Dahiru
30 December 2008
opinion
Ofr — The military dictator of Guinea, General Lansana Conte who ruled for twenty four years (1984-2008), died on December 22, 2008, after a protracted illness. His long and brutal rule, politically emasculated his people, socially abridged their freedom and economically pauperized them. Since he did not brook any opposition and did not allow his courtiers any, he did not groom a successor, despite years of failing health. It is instructive to note that he himself seized power in 1984 not long after the death of President Ahmed Sekou Toure who became President in 1958 after independence and who was himself a dictator.
While Ahmed Sekou Toure stood up to France, the colonial masters, and insisted on independence, he never gave his people the independence and democracy which they yearned for. How the former Secretary General of the defunct Organisation of African Unity (OAU) Mr. Diallo Tellj died, has remained mysterious. It is rather unfortunate and a sad commentary that the people of Guinea have the dubious honour of knowing ONLY two Presidents since independence in 1958- late Ahmed Sekou Toure (1958-1984) and late Lansana Conte (1984-2008). It is equally unfortunate that due to unimaginative and visionless leadership) Guinea which should normally be rich, has remained poor and largely underdeveloped despite its vast mineral resources. When it became clear that France did not want to grant Guinea full independence, Ahmed Sekou Toure declared that "Independence in poverty is better than slavery in abundance". The French granted the independence but tried to send Guinea back to the stone age by carting away everything, including telephone heads. Yes, Guinea became independent but the citizens became slaves not to colonial masters but to local masters. I doubt if the people of Zimbabwe ever imagined that the disastrous situation they have now found themselves in, is what they bargained for when they became independent in 1980. It is clear, therefore that, most of Africa suffers from Leadership Deficiency Syndrome (LDS).
Some people have argued that history repeats itself, while others have argued that history does not repeat itself but human beings keep on repeating mistakes. Like General Lansana Conte who seized power upon the death of Ahmed Sekou Toure, Captain Moussa Dadis Camara seized power upon the death of Lansana Conte, forming a National Council for Democracy and Development (NCDD) which will rule for two years before general elections in December, 2010 and thereafter announced himself as President. It is hoped that he will honour his pledge just like BrigadierGeneral Toumani Toure of Mali did, thus saving himself from the odium that has continued to trail Yahaya Jammeh of Gambia and Blaise Campoare of Burkina Fasso. It is rather unedifying that most third World leaders cannot be trusted with power- they easily get intoxicated. They suffer from Integrity and Honour Deficiency Syndrome (IHDS).
As should be expected, the ECOWAS, AU, EU and US have condemned the coup and called for a return to constitutional order. However, while the condemnation was going on, the coupists were consolidating their grip on power. Whether resigning to fate or not, the people of Guinea appear to have accepted the situation and the Prime-Minister who was initially making some clumsy noises, has now pledged his loyalty and even addressed Captain Camara as " My President". Therefore, lamentation and condemnation by the ECOWAS, AU, EU, and US will appear inconsequential. What is the point in barking but cannot bite? Neither the ECOWAS nor the AU has any standing army to ensure that member-States adhere to the tenets of democracy. As a Continental Organisation, the AU is cash-strapped whereby some members are in arrears of their assessed contribution. To me, therefore, it is futile to call for the return to constitutional order which has, in any case, largely been ignored like Mauritanian coupists ignored the call and nothing happened.
While it is generally accepted that military rule is an aberration, what do you do with a military regime that has dug in? Also, what do you do with a government which came to power through constitutional means but has adamantly held on to power by refusing to allow for a free and fair election? Or, what do you do with a government that has come to power through the fabled constitutional means but has woefully failed to deliver and has not allowed any democratic change?
Under such a scenario, does ECOWAS or AU close its eyes to the reality and allow the people to continue to suffer under the yoke of misrule as is being seen in Guinea and Zimbabwe? These are the internal contradictions which the ECOWAS and AU must find answers to. For example, President Laurent Gbagbo of Ivory Coast cannot defeat Alhassan Ouattara in a free and fair election. Therefore, he has devised disingenuous means to keep out his rival. Despite his senility, and disastrous rule, President Robert Gabriel Mugabe still believes that he is the Messiah that Zimbabwe needs. In reality, many African countries pretend to be democratic but are, in the main, autocratic or dictatorial, ranging from Libya, Algeria, Tunisia, Sudan, Egypt, Ethiopia, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Chad, to the monarchy in Morocco.
When the ECOWAS, -AU, EU, and the US called for the return to constitutional order, which order? The Prime-Minister (then), Mr. Ahmed Tidiane Souare has since pledged his loyalty to Captain Camara whom he addressed as "My President" and the Speaker, EI Hajj Aboubacar Sampore, has since read the hand writing on the wall. Again, the President of Senegal, EI Hajj Abdoulaye Wade who has since spoken with Captain Camara, has called on the international community to accept the reality of the situation. Senegal is an important member of ECOWAS and AU, thus giving clear indication that Captain Camara is the de facto and de jure ruler of Guinea.
What should be of ominous concern to the leaders of ECOWAS and AU, it is how Generals, like eunuchs, watched a Captain seize power under their noses. The concern in ECOWAS should be on domino effect and not a futile condemnation and return to the constitutional rule. Whatever the case, the weeks and months ahead may unfold an interesting drama.
• Ambassador Dahiru is a retired career diplomat.
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