Ugandan dictator Yoweri Museveni once called AU, then OAU, a club of dictators, though he later became one of them.
This monumental amalgamation of African countries headed by another stinking dictator, Muamar Gadaffi (Libya), is currently engrossed in tussle with the new regime in Madagascar. It’s boycotted it under the pretext that it came to power by means of coup d’Etat!
Apart from this, AU is saying the recently sworn-in president, Andy Rajoelina, is too young to become president thanks to Madagascan carbuncular constitution that states that one must be forty years old and above to become president!
Ridiculously, for African parasites age hampers and matters only when and if the person so assuming power isn’t the son of president or his protégé. When Joseph, who despite being in power for long has never hit 40 and Faure Essozimna Eyadema, that took power shortly before hitting forty were sworn-in to replace their fathers it’s wasn’t an issue! Verily, they’re embarrassing themselves once more even if they always have been an embarrassment to Africa.
Essentially, age is nothing but numbers. If old men like Robert Mugabe or the late Joseph Mobutu would behave like boys, what is the essence of age limit? If expired and retired old men like Mwai Kibaki, Robert Mugabe, Hosni Mubarak and other centurions can rule, even though they’ve nothing to offer, what of an energetic young man? Corruption and ineptness does not consider age but one’s probity. If age were a factor to shy away from stupidity, many African rulers wouldn’t behave in stupid way as they’ve proved to behave and be.
To this writer, Rajoelina is mentally and politically older than many African dictators and thieves in power that behave delinquently like adolescents. He has the support of the people. While these parasites take this as a pretext to ban Madagascar, they don’t apply the same to King Makhosetive Mswati III (Swaziland)!
Another point, these self seekers do not uphold the will of the people! If people say even the baby can rule them so be it. Tell me. How many dictators and coup makers does AU have? It’s headed by the guy that came to power by the means of a coup (four decades ago) they’re castigating. What hypocrisy, myopia and double standard and better than thou! This shoptalk thing (AU), headed by a tin-pot dictator, has never attained anything meaningful. It recently failed to solve the crises in Kenya and Zimbabwe.
Let us look at coup makers making AU among others. Gadaffi, Yoweri Museveni, Theodor Obiang Nguema, Dennis Sassou Ngweso, Yahya Jammeh and Meles Zenawi came to power by the same means. Others are Paul Kagame, Francois Bozize, Abdelaziz Bouteflika Foure Eyadema, Zine El-Abdine and Ben Ali.
There are others that manipulated elections to come to power. Jakaya Kikwete (Tanzania) is renowned for coming to power by stealing billions of shillings from the Central bank to bribe voters. True, this has destroyed the economy of Tanzania. This electoral thief was recently the head of AU. Robert Mugabe came in under the banner of liberation. But he ended up becoming despotic and corrupt. Mwai Kibaki in Kenya is in power thanks to rigging election and causing tribal chaos not to mention Albert Omar Bongo of Gabon that has been in power for almost four decades. Another is Paul Biya of Cameroon who is renowned for using the central bank as his private estate.
Swahili sage has it that the chimp does not see its bum. This literally means that someone can commit a certain evil but the same can laugh at other committing the same as in the case in point.
What occasioned in Madagascar is the will of people that changed the corrupt regime that was in power to self-serve instead of the people. And this is not the first time it happened in Madagascar. The deposed president, Mac Ravalomanana knows too well how the same Malagasy weakened Didier Ratsraka so as to lose elections.
Under his youth movement, Tanora malaGasy Vonona (TGV) or “Determined Malagasy Youth”, Rajoelina‘s set a precedent for other African youth to follow shall they deserve to live worthy lives. What appalls is the fact that this movement is looked down while former terrorist groups like Museveni’s NRA and Kagame’s RPF are highly regarded so as to avoid being indicted for crimes against humanity!
For example, you can not equate TGV with CCM (Tanzania), KANU (Kenya) and such. Though these outfits are registered as per the law of the land, what they’ve done to their countries is as good as terrorism.
What happened in Madagascar must be emulated. It’s a new method by which Africa can get rid of corrupt and tired regimes Africa’s had for over five decades. If comparison is rightly made between how dictators like Museveni, Kagame and Zenawi came to power after killing thousands of innocent people, what happened in Madagascar is noble and peaceful mass revolts.
I know why African dictators and filches are taking this hard line towards the new regime in Madagascar. They’re afraid. The wind of change may sweep the whole continent. And this endangers their all-time thievish regimes. They fear the ambers of this fire can pull down their family empires we wrongly call countries. They know too well. They committed many sacrilegious crimes against humanity not to mention betrayal of the people that supported and enhanced them to reach where they’re now.
Most of African king presidents live like oil-rich-Gulf states kings. They’ve ruined the economies of their countries and turned the lives of their people into miseries. Under current crop of rulers, Africans are endangered creatures.
AU is playing games and double standard just like the west when Hamas won elections in Palestine. The west financed the elections hoping Palestinians would goof and voter for their stooge. When they found that their choice was rejected, they turned tables against Hamas branding it a terrorist group!
AU does not specify which coup it favors and which one it abhors. And, indeed, this is total nonsense. If it’d hold water, dictators mentioned above would have been the first to be shown the door and tried.
Another thing to prove that AU’s actions do not affect anybody, the same depends on begging just like any other African countries. So the ban from it is nothing and can’t hinder any country. How can a club of beggars and thieves curtail anybody’s ambitions to serve his people?
Sadly though, to them a good president is the one that looks like or come from them. They’ve turned their countries into their private estates for which their wives, kids, cronies and them to ruin and plunder. This time is over. Africa needs new blood with new ideas and goals.
AU shame on you!
Today’s wisdom comes from St. Jerome. “Dum excusare credis, accusas”: “When you believe you are excusing yourself, you are accusing yourself.” (St. Jerome).
Nkawzi Mhango is a Tanzanian living in Canada. He writes regularly for “The African Executive” and also has a blog entitled “Free Thinking Unabii”. He is a guest contributor to AfroSpear.
It is not an issue to dream for Change, to have ambition, but I feel that this self-elected Leader with no experience but only illusion to feel that he is the only remedy to move forward his Country.Coming from Burundi, I have seen many Military Coup, and I can predict that the same way this Leader has brought himself to power, will be the same path taken to oust him from power.