Of dictatorships and dynasties in Africa

THE TWISTER

 BY BRIAN LIGOMEKA

The Twister is keeping an eye on the political developments in North Africa and Middle East with keen interest. The sudden and swift collapse of autocrats in that region is astonishing and remarkable because just like the rest of dictators, we have on this part of the continent autocrats in the Arab world were egoistic, cruel, corrupt and extravagant. I never anticipated this political trend in that region.   

What I know is that some dictators in the Arab world took pleasure in depriving the populace of their basic human rights including freedom of the press and academic freedom while through nepotism they enriched a small minority of their minions, ethnic citizens and political puppets at the expense of national development.

Even when the winds of change started blowing in those dictatorial regimes, some despots attempted to hold their grip on power by using all forms of terror and repression, but their tactics never worked at all. Perhaps we need to go back in memory lane by looking at how mass protests resulted in the downfall of Tunisian leader Zine Al-Abidine Ben Ali and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

The Tunisian popular revolt amazes me because it was triggered by a mere vegetable vendor, Mohamed Bouazizi. The genesis of it was a police officer who slapped him in broad daylight and confiscated his vegetables.  The young man could not take that humiliation and he set himself on fire. Unfortunately for the dictator of Tunisia, the 26-year-old vendor died on January 4 and his death fanned a popular revolt whose consequence is well known.

Inspired by how Tunisians kicked out their dictator who had oppressed them for 23 years, Egyptians followed suit and toppled Hosni Mubarak within three weeks. Mubarak’s downfall reminds me of how Indonesian dictator Suharto who ruled for 31 years was also shown the political exit in 1998 after mass protests. The revolutions in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and Syria demonstrate that when people are tired of dictatorial rule, they can topple their leaders.

While in North Africa and Middle East revolutions are working miracles, we seem to have a different chapter on this part of Africa. We seem to tolerate dictatorships and even allow them to degenerate into monarchs where heads of state transfer their executive power to their off-springs and relatives.

Congolese allowed Joseph Kabila to inherit the presidency and run their country from his dad Laurent Kabila.Autocrat Gnassingbe Eyadema, who ruled Togo with an iron fist for 38 years, died in power and his son Faure Gnassingbe Eyadema took over power and revolved into a dictator.  In Gabon, Omar Bongo after four decades of being in power, his son Ali-Ben Bongo took over power from him .

The point I am driving at is that it is possible to stop relatives of dictators from taking over power from their dads and uncles, however that is only possible when you are not in deep political slumber.

Relatives of dictators can easily take over power from their dads and uncles in a political environment where the opposition is weak and citizens are docile. As far as The Twister is concerned, dictators must be stopped in their tracks regardless of their rhetoric or their exaggerated achievements which are obviously financed by donors and taxpayers money. Never dare to ask The Twister which dictator on this part of the continent is grooming to have his relative as the next president, because he does not have a ready answer.