Senegal: Is Abdoulaye Wade Destroying his Legacy?

The man we thought to be a doyen of democracy in Senegal, Abdoulaye Wade, professor of law and the winner of Liberal International Prize for Freedom in 2003 used the Parliament to illegally extend his five year term to seven years!

Encouragingly, the opposition boycotted this gimmick. Police threatened to arrest anyone who dared to demonstrate or come near Parliament that blessed this pernicious plat. Tumultuous rumour is rife. Possibilities are, though without denouement, Wade is paving way for his son Karim to succeed him. What a disgrace-cum-sacrilege of the kingship in the making! If, indeed, this is the elite Africa has, Sophocles’ wisdom that when wisdom brings no profit to be wise is to suffer will hold water for ever!

Wade’s struggles to the top took him over twenty years. He first ran for presidency in 1978. He’s touted as a liberal and democrat altogether little knowing he’s but a self-seeker. When he clinched victory, many thought the saviour they had waited for had come.

"The first great objective of my political life was to get rid of a system in Senegal. Midnight has struck, the system is dead," he said after being elected president. He said he wanted to get rid of a rotten and dead system. Which system? Did he mean something else as we see it today? Maybe, and indeed yes.

This Machiavellian gimcrack ploy is becoming an order of the day in African tawdry politics. It started in Zambia. Former president, Fredrick Chiluba threw all caution to the wind and wanted to run for a third term. His madness was foiled thanks to the mature Zambian parliamentarians.

Next came Bakili Muluzi in the neighbouring Malawi. The parliament did not consent to being used against the people. It blotted the genie from getting out of the bottle. Since then, Muluzi has become another symbol of shame after Dictator Kamuzu Banda.

Thereafter, Nigerian Olusegun Obasanjo after tasting the honey wanted the whole beehive. He, too, was broken off by democratically mature Nigerian parliament. Now Senegal is the limelight of political predatory.

Slowly, Africa is cascading down to this civil coup d’Etats perpetrated by those we wrongly thought were there for the people. A couple of days ago, the scenario in Senegal forced me to re-read Chinua Achebe’s Man of the People turned into Henrik Ibsen’s Enemy of the People. Indeed, I found a typical replica of what these two doyen writers predicted; the chief Nangas of today. This was the then Africa.

If this is the way Africa is being abused; chances are that military regimes are likely to resurface. For what was done in Senegal can instigate armies to contemplate taking power as it was before they were banned. And it’s tantamount to military take over.And shall this happen, nobody should blame.

Most of those attempting to defalcate in the constitutions as it happened in Senegal are the same betes noix that came to power by the support of the majority.Wade, just like Mwai Kibaki in Kenya and some others came to power as the harbingers of second liberation in their countries. But sadly, after sipping a lot from the cup of power, they become absolutely intoxicated and insane so as to attempt abuse the same hand that fed them.

We’re talking of post-democratic beings. There’re those that came to power illegally such as Yoweri Museveni (Uganda), Paul Kagame (Rwanda), Meles Zenawi (Ethiopia),Yahaya Jammeh (Gambia), Muamar Gadaffi (Libya), Dennis Sassou Ngweso (Congo), Foure yadema (Togo), Omar Bashir (Sudan) and other many more that are manipulating their constitutions to remain in power.

I can’t believe why a professor and a president like Wade can behave like illiterate Samuel Doe or Valentine Strasser. Apart from that, Wade, an octogenarian is acting like a rookie that in lieu was supposed to admonish others in the matter pertaining to democracy and good governance.

Importantly, Africans must stop yelling and believing that the AU can solve this anathema. Think tanks all over the continent should organize themselves to see to it that we enlighten the people to turn against such contraband regimes. These self made regimes should go without any proscriptions.

As a professor Wade is supposed to know: his maniac can cause political instability and chaos. This apart from endangering the country politically, will send it into economic mayhem. Kenyans know this too well thanks to the recent political predatory and vandalism.

"We have told everyone we will shave our heads to be like Mr. Wade," "After that we are going to stand naked in front of the presidential palace to proclaim that we are like new-born babies and that a new Senegal is born."

These two quotes come from Wade’s supporters then when he was an illuminating figure- not the let down he is today. Will such courageous voices keep mum as their man becomes another self made African tyrant? This is but a challenge to Senegalese and Africans in general. Will Senegalese fluff and bluff or blot the genie though it is out of the bottle? Will those who vowed to strip naked and shave stop doing it for the sake of their nation?
Source: The African Executive Magazine August 6, 2008.