Bear with me; I am going somewhere with this...
Rush Limbaugh is the most popular radio talk show host (at least he says =
he
is) here in the US. Many have theories as to why this is so but the most
credible is that he says things most people only think about and are poli=
te
enough to keep them to themselves. A typical Rush Moment includes harsh
criticism of political figures he dislikes, some humor and phone calls.
Pronouncements any one of us would consider stating the obvious ("The UP=
S
strike will end soon; mark my words!") are presented by Rush to his audie=
nce
as if they are bold predictions resulting from his unique insight. When
these fairly obvious "predictions" come true, he hails that he is "docume=
nted
to be 99.4% right."=20
David Letterman is one of the most popular late-night TV talk-show hosts =
here
in the US. Many have theories as to why this is so but the most credible=
one
is that he is a typical midwesterner who has the sensibilities of a typic=
al
easterner. A typical Letterman Moment includes razor fire wit, ferociou=
s
irony, biting sarcasm and self-deprecating humor.
My favorite David Letterman moment happened several years ago when his gu=
est
was Rush Limbaugh. Rush was in the middle of delivering a well-rehearse=
d
Rush Moment when Letterman interrupted by asking: "Do you ever wake up in=
the
middle of the night and say, `boy, I am full of hot air'?" The only thin=
g
louder than the applause Dave received was the sound of Rush's heart
breaking=85
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
Yoweri Musevini is the Rush Limbaugh of Africa. He is 30% insults; 30%
second-rate analysis; 40% pure luck.=20
Insults: The Western journalists love him because he says things they
wouldn't dare say. Which is to say he is very critical of Africans. For
example: "I have never blamed the whites for colonizing Africa; I have ne=
ver
blamed these whites for taking slaves. If you are stupid, you should be
taken a slave." Or, reflecting on Zaire "look at those clowns." These a=
re
things we Africans say but it is pretty embarassing when a "leader" says =
them
apropos nothing. =20
Second rate Analysis: His fear of losing power leads him to believe that =
one
can have elections without party bases or organizations. And where did h=
e
get this idea? From Mozambique, you know: that shining model of democrac=
y
and human rights. He believes in a dead-and-buried idea: Pan Africanism.
But mostly, he believes in authoritarian capitalism. He is the African
Pinochet. =20
This squares off perfectly well with Western media and Western intelligen=
ce's
assessment of Africa: that we are immature, uneducated idiots who need a
strong father figure to whack us once in a while. See, look at Somalia.
Look at Chad. Give these Africans a tiny taste of democracy and they ju=
st
go wild. They are not ready. =20
Pure, Dumb, Luck: Yoweri Musevini came to power in the same geographic a=
rea
that produced Isias Afwerki (Eritrea), Melles Zenawi (Africa) and General
Kagami (Raunda). He also came to power a few years earlier than them. In=
the
lazy mentality of the Western media, if A came before B, A must have caus=
ed
B. You know, the old story that since rooster precedes the sunrise, the
rooster must have caused the sunrise. (Analogy courtesy of Al "No
Controlling Authority" Gore.)
Every article presents these three gentlemen--men whose intellects are va=
stly
superior to the Cowboy's, and men who have been fighting for a cause long=
er
than he has--as if they are his prot=E9g=E9. Remember, Yoweri Musevini d=
idn't
take to the bushes until 1980 and then only because he lost an election. =
I
guess his rationale for not holding open elections is that either outcome=
is
not very attractive: if he loses the election, he loses the power; if he =
wins
the election, his opponent will take to the bushes.=20
The last issues of The New Yorker magazine and TIME magazine credit him f=
or
influencing Isias Afwerki, Melles Zenawi, General Kagami, Laurent Kabila =
and
Colonel Grang. This conclusion is not drawn from interviewing these lead=
ers
and asking them, "were you influenced by Yoweri Musevini?" No, that woul=
d be
too much of a journalistic headache. Instead, inferences are drawn. But=
a
closer scrutiny shows this ain't so.
The legacy of Musevini is free-market capitalism and authoritarian politi=
cs.
Is there any doubt that, after the collapse of the USSR, all would have
adopted free-market capitalism whether or not there ever was Musevini? In
fact, the EPLF gave up on Marxism before the USSR did. In the words of
President Isias Afwerki "You cannot be more Catholic than the Pope"--the =
USSR
being the "pope" of communism. What about the second part of his legacy:
authoriatarian "home made" democracy?=20
=20
Melles Zenawi is clearly a democrat in the best sense of the word: he
actually has faith in the ability of his people to make the right decisio=
n
when presented with information and choice. Many of our Amhara neighbors
don't think so but is there any dispute that Ethiopia has made further
advances towards democracy than Uganda has?
General Kagami has the brain power to run a revolution in lightning speed.
Not only did his military acumen bring the horrible Rwandan regime to its
knees, he was able to repeat the feat in a neighboring country ten times
bigger than his. (He admitted he was the architect behind Kabila's rise t=
o
power in the New Yorker article). In fact, one can credibly argue he
single-handedly destroyed the immoral French foreign policy. Meanwhile,
Yoweri has trouble putting down a tiny rebellion of the Lord's Resistance
Army. =20
In Eritrea, during the constitution drafting process, I am sure Musevini'=
s
bankrupt no party democracy was given a hearing (at least here in Dehai) =
and
was resoundly defeated as evidenced by our ratified constitution which
clearly enumerates rights of freedom of association and party formation.=
=20
Laurent Kabila is more of a Kagami creation that a Musevini one. Which le=
aves
us with Colonel Grang of Sudan as one of his proteges. Well, I am not ver=
y
impressed so far by Grang, are you?
Truth is, Musevini's brand of authoritarianism is basically a more palata=
ble
brand of the "I know best" African dictatorship. The difference is not i=
n
content; just the seasoning. =20
Now if I were Letterman and visited Musevini at his cow ranch and listene=
d to
his theories of "no party" democracy, I would probably have said, "Do you
wake up in the middle of the night and say, 'boy, I am full of cow manure=
.'
?"
Saleh
Fremont, CA USA
(never asking for a Ugandan visa:-)
PS: All private mail branding me as a "hamburger-intoxicated imperialist =
pig"
or such-like abuse will be forwarded to Paulos Natnael and Mobae Afeworki.