Onumba.com — What’s currently unfolding in Guinea should represent an alarm bell for power gluttonous politicians in Africa who misguidedly believe that military coups being largely a thing of the past means that nothing now stands in their way of clinging on to power for as long as their little hearts desire. The impetus for believing that, of course, comes from feeling little or no trepidation of some recalcitrant military dude staging a putsch.
Well — not so fast. True, coups are for the most part an anachronism in Africa. But that does not mean African leaders should start feeling warm and fuzzy, believing the path is now clear for them to rapaciously monopolize, aggrandize and abuse political power. No —– it is not that kind of shindig. Bear in mind that while the soldiers are in the barracks, they are neither comatose nor dead. Something else to bear in mind is that democracy in Africa is work in progress, often requiring scattershot remedies and other non democratic moves to bring home the bacon for the masses.
Democracy in Africa is simply not yielding expected economic pomes and social dividends for the masses. And when the shortcomings result in a smorgasbord of pain and ululation among the masses, change of government becomes necessary. Of course, change through elections is what we all would like to see. But when you have slick and pig-headed buffoons such as Alpha Conde standing in the way, electoral change becomes frustratingly elusive, potentially paving the way for change by any means necessary.
It is profoundly depressing that much of the problems in Africa is man made. The slow progress of achieving boffo, transparent and fruitful democracy in the continent is largely rooted in the reckless and willful conducts of atrocious leaders who are brazen charlatans, political dilettantes and empty-headed throttle-bottoms —— in short, leaders who openly flout the constitution, pretty much say to hell with everyone and then somehow expect to face no consequence. It is that kind of arrogant, narcissistic and tyrannical impunity, that kind of nauseating nonsense that easily strengthens the case in favor of military coups being a fitting patriotic move to flush these unfit leaders out, even if the soldiers themselves are flawed and fallible and their intervention arguably constituting a setback to the tedious trek to civil rule. At the end of the day, presidents are not kings, but even then, kings are not immune from purge from royal throne either.
The fantastic news is that in Guinea, Col. Mamady Doumbouya has proved that military coups backed by the people can be a smashing success ——- never mind the torrent of codswallop from the hyperactive and apoplectic AU and ECOWAS headquarters.
Former President of Ghana, the late Flight Lt. Jerry Rawlings was right when he said, “If the people are crushed by their elites, it is up to the army to give the people freedom.”
Towering history scholar and African affairs juggernaut Professor Patrick Loch Otieno (PLO) Lumumba agreed.
“If you want soldiers to remain in the barracks, the civilians must conduct themselves.” About African leaders, he said: “We have a crop of leaders who think they are demigods.”
Well said.
One of those ‘demigods’ was 83-year old Alpha Conde who certainly did not “conduct” himself when he ignored critics and tinkered with his country’s constitution to retain power.
Well, it all caught up with him. (Obu ife dia mma) Col. Doumbouya squalled out of the barracks to lead a military putsch on September 5, ousting the government, becoming the interim president and recently naming 68-year old Mohamed Beavogui, an international development gadfly, as Prime Minister.
“It was our duty as patriots,” to yank the corrupt and feckless Conde government, he said.
But wait a minute. Is Col Doumbouya now irrevocably at the helm of affairs in Guinea? You betcha. (Ofuma, ofuma) A coup is triumphant, most scholars agree, when the putsch leaders are able to fend off domestic critics, pushback outside detractors and then hold power for at least seven days. Doumbouya, 41, has surpassed that trifecta of thresholds. He is hastily moving ahead with governance of Guinea, a former French colony, now an impoverished country of 13 million people.
But the newly minted leader has vowed to hand over power to civilians, though he is buttoned up about timeline.
ECOWAS continues to insist that elections be held within six months, which is a retreat from the group’s initial demand on Doumbouya. In the days following the coup, ECOWAS had issued a plethora of ultimatums, including call for grandpa Conde to be reinstalled back to power. But a stoic and unflappable Doumbouya shot that down faster than you can say ‘no way,’ expressing the view that “the people needs to be protected by ECOWAS.” He successfully warded off the AU and ECOWAS onslaught of brickbat, eventually turning the tide of the push and pull in his favor where now the standoff is over when to hold elections and no longer about restoring grandpa Conde back to office.
Put him back in office, for what? (Maka gini). Please. Grandpa Conde should go and enjoy his sprawling loot and grand kids.
Meanwhile, the new prime minister opened up a tad about election timeline, telling reporters outside his home in Conakry the “conditions” that would determine when the new government is going to hold elections and bring the civilians back.
“We want to ensure the country works properly,” Beavogui said.
“We are here, as the president said, to serve, to create these conditions, and to leave,” Beavogui said.
“We want to put in place reforms that will be irreversible.”
Most of those reforms are spelled out in the “transition charter” recently unveiled by the new Junta addressing matters involving the constitution and electoral rules, aimed particularly at ensuring the country is able to hold “free, democratic and transparent elections.”
