Taylor Jr.'s Conviction: Ringing Alarm Bells ?

Major Keinerugaba Museveni(centre) with his parents.




During his father’s heydays, Charles Taylor Jr. was renowned for being ruthless. Being the son of the former Liberian President Charles Taylor, he violated human rights. He diabolically thought about making a name in his own sacrilegious way and did not think about the future.

And this is the mindset of the children of African leaders. Kenyans still remember Gideon, Jonathan and June Moi, the children of former president Daniel arap Moi who were involved in corrupt deals.

Differently from Taylor, Moi’s children have never faced the music. How could they if at all Moi’s successor just become his typical replica with grand corruption rocking NARC regime?

In Uganda Major Keinerugaba Muhoozi Museveni commands and mans his father’s elite army. The scandal in which his sister Natasha Keinembabazi Karugile used a presidential jet to deliver in Germany has never escaped from Ugandans sad memories. The country has now been turned into a private estate in which any of Museveni’s children can take whatever they like.

In Congo Brazzaville Denis Christel Sassou Ngwesso the son of the president of that country is a rain maker that can tell even World Bank to shut up after it poked its nose in his affairs. While most of Congolese citizens earn less than a dollar a day, in August 2006 alone, Nguesso, the head of Cotrade the marketing branch of the state oil company SNPC, spent $35,000 on purchases from designers such as Louis Vuitton and Roberto Cavalli.

In Eqatorial Guinea, Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, the quasi-prince of Equatorial Guinea as he is known, quietly purchased a 16-acre estate at 3620 Sweetwater Mesa Road in April 2006 for $35 million in cash — (as per 2007 California state records).

One important thing to note is the fact that this money abused and squandered comes from poor taxpayers. Isn’t this crime against humanity?

Going back to Taylor Jr., he was recently sentenced to 97 years on account of his brutality to the people of Liberia and Sierra Leone. Judge Cecilia M. Altanoga imposed this heavy sentence to send the signal that things have changed. When will others face the same?

Though what befell Taylor Jr. is victory to the victims and peace lovers, how many are still at large? All the mentioned children of presidents are criminals that are supposed to be brought to book expediently. But given that they’re not venturing out of their countries and if they do, there are no pending charges, they are free people. By allowing them to enjoy and benefit from democratic opportunities in their ruined countries, Africa is condoning their dirty deeds.

Many people wonder why social services like schools; hospitals and what not are all time in tatters. Simple answer is because our leaders can always get whatever they need abroad.

Currently in Tanzania, the government is denying loans for students of higher education saying it has no money. But the same government is able to purchase hundreds of VX fuel guzzlers not to mention to sit on scams involving over a trillion Tanzania shillings. It is only the children of Tanzania founding father Julius Nyerere who never went abroad for their higher education. They too have never served in any political capacity.

So to cut the story short, African youths who in essence are the victims of this anathema, need to come together and fight this degradation perpetrated by their rulers and their family members. What happened to Taylor Jr. should ring an alarm to children of our leaders who are involved in corrupt deals and crimes against humanity that justice will catch up with them.
Source: The African Executive Magazine January 28, 2009.