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They Practice Democracy, We Practice ‘Idiocracy’

February 2, 2009
I see democracy as a traditional western formulation designed to in most cases enable people of a progressive entity to popularly select their desired leaders within the ambits of civilized conducts, norms and composure. My dictionary expatiates on it as ‘power held by the people under a free electoral system’. It is interesting to note that not a few are beginning to question the general proposal and application of democracy to all and sundry. A visit to international political blogs reveals not a few pundits across the globe currently reflect and analyze on whether democracy fits in to every people of various mannerism and vice. They peg this debate on the ability of the people to determine and keep check on the leadership especially in the developing countries. Notably most of these blog discourses have often ended with phrases like ‘what is then the alternative’, ‘what do we practice momentarily’ and ‘what do we call it’.


Democracy was bequeathed to Nigeria by its colonial masters the British to help resolve differences that will arise when electing leaders for such a diverse and multi ethnic nation. Today our own terrorism - corruption, malice, debauchery and naked greed have debased that laudable ideal. In Nigeria, democracy is currently an albatross that provides opportunities for only rogues and stone hearted scoundrels to attain leadership through a mixture of bribery, intimidation, kidnapping, threats, robbery and thuggery.  The will of the people is deliberately subverted hence the relegation of good, learned, skilled, capable, peace loving and well meaning patriots to the background to observe, get angry and carry out at most paper weight criticisms. Major players in our ‘democratic’ experiment are mostly mentally challenged individuals with very brief intellectual CV’s, they are failures and riffraff’s who only exhibit glaring buffoonery while excelling in nothing positive but all that is crooked, evil and diabolic; they triumph only when it comes to looting and laundering stolen funds.


 The word ‘idiocracy’ doesn’t exist in any form of literature, but I can make an attempt to coin meaning into the word if I am to make drawings from the Greek designed ‘dimokratia’. But why I am I going through all these ‘wahala’ to dabble into areas which are the exclusives preserves of the Pamuk’s, Gordimer’s, Soyinka’s and etc? I do so because what is practiced in Nigeria under the smokescreen of democracy is a synergy of idiocy and craze. Nigeria’s version of democracy dictates political activism that is characterized by jamborees called campaigns, contraptions called elections, vices called rigging and deceptions called results. The outcomes of these so called ‘experiments’ are always a source of heart break and stunning surprise to the people, if not how can a real democracy practiced properly in all its ramifications return or enthrone characters like Musa Yar’adua, Olusegun Obasanjo, Bukola Saraki, Andy Uba, James Ibori and etc? It’s not possible; these mentioned anti-democrats would all be subdued and cowed in a democratic setting beautified by healthy electoral debates, rich manifestos, ideological campaigns and transparent vote patterns.
 
My recent trip to Nigeria confirms the fact that it’s either you are in the winning party or you keep losing elections your entire political career; what a pitiable terrible mindset that has been cultivated in the mind of the electorate. With this reality a good number of the enlightened Nigerians don’t bother to go out and vote again understandably while those who have been compromised with bags of rice, bicycles, goats and wads of low denomination notes rush out as instructed to thumb print behind the green white coloured umbrella, the same icon that has symbolized the obituary of our ‘democracy’ since 1999.


But where lies the solution to this quagmire we have found ourselves? How do we wriggle out of this cesspit crated by misfits of the likes of Tony Anenih and Ahmadu Ali? Some say the solutions lies in the convening of a National Sovereign Conference, some say a re draft of the 1999 constitution will do the job, and others conclude the take over by a benevolent dictator will tidy up the process. All these options especially the formers seem laudable for a multi ethnic entity like Nigeria but it shouldn’t be forgotten that those that will make it to the CONFAB and Constitution Review committee’s are mostly compromised criminals who have been nominated by their ilk in the leadership realm. The argument for a benevolent dictator is stunted as the Nigerian environment makes it suspect; how would he or she come in, is it through a democratic or the despicable military setting?


Nigerians alone possess answers to the resolution of this retrogressive experiment that has left us worse than the military did; we should develop a positive attitude towards checking governance in the country, while demanding accountability through practical means. Making demands or criticisms on the pages of newspapers or from the confines of a PHCN darkened sitting room wouldn’t take Nigeria to where we collectively seek; it is time to unite along religious, cultural and ethnic lines because these divisions is what they have used to sustain their rape on the system. Collaboration across these lines would give Nigerians a good bargain power, an unprecedented ability to change governments at will while directly influencing the way and how we are led. We don’t need historical pundits to analyse cases studies in other countries for us to appreciate this truth. 

 Desperate times just as we are with this current government calls for desperate measures. Protest marches are currently rocking countries like Russia, Spain, Germany and France over poor government response to economic issues affecting the citizenry, why then should we all in more dire circumstance be different.
It is time we stop celebrating Obama a product of a transparent electoral process built by patriotic sacrifice spanning decades, and focus on how we can build up a system were a million Obama’s of change can be raised in Nigeria.

Last year thousands of Thai’s under the aegis of People’s Alliance of Democracy protested against the then government of Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat, they laid siege to his office and he scampered to a make shift office at the Bangkok airport were they followed him to and grounded the whole international airport preventing entries to and fro the country till the man kowtowed to their demand and exited disgracefully. The same group was at the forefront of protests that led the removal of the deeply corrupt Thaksin Shinawatra government.
  May 4, 2005, President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt was shocked when demonstrators protested against his dictatorship. After a period of being subdued, thousands under the platform of Pro reform activists defied ethnic and religious sentiments to campaign for constitutional and political reforms in Egypt, fighting for an end to the Mubarak two decade tyranny.
In Zagreb, Croatia thousands gathered after a protest tagged, ‘tighten your own belt you gang of knaves’ was organized on facebook to protest the gross ineptitude of Prime Minister Ivo Sanader, the result was an unprecedented shift in government leaning and policies in favour of the people.
   September 26, 2007, there was a bitter protest against the repressive Myanmar junta by thousands including Buddhist monks and progressive dissidents, who defied tear gas canisters, gun shots and other means of force to make case for a reversal of the fuel price hike and other draconian tendencies of the out of touch regime at the time.
The people of Iceland after a period of economic downturn marked by the fall of their currency the Krona, zero unemployment rate and virtual collapse of their banking system stood up against the government of Prime Minister Geir Haarde’s till it fell face flat last week.

 We can keep going on and on but the fact remains that change cannot be achieved by muffled rejections or protests; what is going on in Nigeria today would continue except there is a practical firm rejection of despotism and misrule by the people. Based on my journey to different parts of the country, the poverty and pain witnessed by the people transcends ethnic and religious considerations without giving any preferential treatment. 
From first hand on ground assessment, Nigeria is at the brink and nothing and I mean nothing is working over there; there is a collapse of basic infrastructure, power generation, security, name it. The ineptitude of the current government can be felt directly and with Maurice Iwu intentionally stationed at the INEC, this national destruction will continue till 2015.

Nigeria is our collective heritage and most importantly that of our children and those yet to come; we must start thinking of that future and security even though ours have been ruled out. Democracy is the best option for Nigeria but with these ‘knaves’ we would feel and benefit nothing while our country free falls. It is time to start playing with all cards on the table, it is time to start unlacing and throwing those shoes; the situation I witnessed on ground in Nigeria is alarming, painful and insulting. Nigerians lets be bold, stand up and do away with this ‘idiocracy’.



Norris Benedict
[email protected]
London

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