> >This is a free advice to Uganda's President. It probably applies to the >Gambian. Have a go at it. >________________ > > > Feb. 7, 2003 > Hello Mr President > > Power -- especially the political one-- is never for ever. > But how often people forget about this truism as they go about loading > it on others. > However long it takes, it is a matter of time and it will surely fade > from someone's hands. > The dictator next door ? the late Mobutu Sese Seko -- ruled his country > with an iron hand for donkey's years. But just as he was basking in the > glory of power in old age, he was sent packing into exile. Out of > power, his body quickly gave way to ailments and he died a miserable > fugitive in Morocco. > Even the billions of dollars he had stolen form his country and stuck > away in accounts abroad ended up being of little use to him. He had > grown too much used to power that the slightest absence of it sent his > body disintegrating in just days. > Uganda's own history probably offers the best examples. At one time > Uganda was almost synonymous with names like Milton Obote and Idi Amin. > To the extent that 23 years after Amin left power, he is known more > than the country he led abroad. > The first time Obote was ousted by Amin in 1971, his exit attracted an > assortment of ridicule. There was a Luganda song that described him > begging the late Tanzanian president Julius Nyerere for asylum in > exchange for washing his (Nyerere's) under clothes! > These were some of the people that had waited for ages to see Obote out > in disgrace. They waited for long but as it was bound to happen, their > wait was not in vein. > Those with political power know this even better. They are aware that > their bad actions will earn them all sorts of reprisals one day. But > while the logical thing would be to cut the costs short by quitting in > time, they do often succumb to the temptation to hold onto power. In > the process, they even make their bad record worse. > I was told of some president in the Southern Africa region who is > considering absurd laws to deal with waning popularity rather than > quit. He is considering introducing a law that would make it > treasonable to stare or laugh at the presidential motorcade. Just > because the presidential motorcade no longer attracts waiving and > cheers in town! > I was also told of a government official who landed himself in trouble > for shaking the first lady's hand a second too long. > Such responses to dealing with political challenge simply worsen one's > record. But it is never too late for those who still go around > bullying, torturing and jailing others at will. A crime is a crime. And > a case never dies. It is a question of falling out of power and the > case will be resurrected. > The case of Maj. Gen. Yusuf Gowon illustrates the point better. He was > arrested last year on charges of murder, almost three decades after the > purported crime in the early 70s. > The Kenyan experience is another lesson to those who may want to learn. > A number of contracts, land allocations and deals sealed in corrupt > ways during the Daniel arap Moi days are being revoked. A judge is > being hounded for his role in cases of political persecution. Many more > heads will roll soon. > Let no one think that these things will not happen in today's Uganda. > If you are a corrupt leader, do not forget that you will one day have > to account for it, or at least your offspring. It is never too early to > return your ill-gotten wealth. > If you work in security, you probably may want to start making good of > your past unlawful adventures. Reach out to those you arrested, > tortured and injured unlawfully. Remember regimes can come and go but > cases never die. > Those that have distinguished themselves in political arrogance should > not lose sight of this logic either. For all the years you spent acting > the big bellied and hurled abuses at the politically weak, the people > could be waiting around the corner for the day power will dodge your > steps. Perhaps it is time you scaled down on your arrogance and abuses. > Start calling your challengers political opponents, not pigs or ducks. > There is always a reward in treating people nicely. Even when your sins > outweigh your good acts, people will always try to judge you by the > former. > There is more to this. Besides disarming the opposition, it will go a > great way in dealing with the negative images associated with our > politics. > Power is not about threatening the public into submission through > political monopoly, arrests, and detention in safe houses. It is about > winning their support to implement programmes that will change their > lives. > > >> sams _________________________________________________________________ STOP MORE SPAM with the new MSN 8 and get 2 months FREE* http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: [log in to unmask] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~