A bribe no president is willing to take

The Nobel Committee had shrewdly calculated that since USA presidents preside over the affairs of the most murderous empire in modern human history, it will be a smart move to sort of bribe Obama with the prize. This was cleverly done to ensure that when the greedy and callous operators of the most sophisticated military-industrial […]

The Nobel Committee had shrewdly calculated that since USA presidents preside over the affairs of the most murderous empire in modern human history, it will be a smart move to sort of bribe Obama with the prize. This was cleverly done to ensure that when the greedy and callous operators of the most sophisticated military-industrial complex nation on earth begin to beat the drums of war to advance their economic cause, Obama will not be enthusiastic in dancing to that beat as is usually the practise with USA presidents. You know, USA presidents appear to be natural war mongers and therefore do not bother too much to casually order their troops to kill, maim and destroy foreign countries in pursuit of the so-called America’s foreign interest.
 All that Obama had done to ‘deserve’ the award was that he had, during his campaign for the presidency, mouthed some rhetoric about steering America away from needless wars. He also had to his credit the distinguished record of being one of the few senators that had voted against the war of blame that the USA and others had waged against Iraq. Never mind that this positive bribe did not stop Obama from leading a coalition of the murderous to destroy Libya a once peaceful and well governed nation.
 Another prize that looks to me like a positive bribe for right doing is the Mo Ibrahim Prize for African Leadership which is meant to promote democracy and good governance in Africa. Instituted some eight years ago, the prize which is worth a handsome five million dollars is given to any democratically elected African leader who serves out his term and in the process must have improved the social and economic circumstances of his people and engineered a peaceful and democratic transfer of power to a successor.
Sadly in spite of the seemingly simple requirements for earning this attractive bribe for good behaviour, it does appear that African leaders are so incurably bad that no bribe can lure them to do good for their name and for their people. The Mo Ibrahim Foundation announced recently that for the fourth time in five years, it has found no recent past African leader worthy enough for the prize. Each one considered has either a blot on his character or his ability and therefore not deserving of a 5 million-dollar recognition.
Nwai Kibaki of Kenya tried to improve the economic well being of Kenya but he has to his eternal discredit, a fatally flawed transition in 2007. Kibaki had engineered the stealing of votes to favour his tribesman Uhuru Kenyata against a Luo man Raila Odinga who actually won. We therefore had a sadly funny situation in which a Luo man (Obama) living in a predominantly white country is president of that country where he is a minority of minorities while another Luo (Odinga) living in his own Black country be president of his own country. The post election violence which followed Kibaki’s infamy claimed over a thousand precious lives.
In another case that will continue to baffle observers of African leadership is that of former Senegalese leader Abdoulaye Wade a man who acceded to the presidency at the ripe old age of about 70. He stayed on for another 10 years and showed no sign of being willing to step down at the age of 80. He wanted to become an ‘indigene’ of the Presidential Villa through manipulation and for his bones to be interred within its precincts when the Grim Reaper comes for him. Caring neither for a name nor for the good fortune of his country, he, even at that age, was still susceptible to the twin African leadership diseases of grabbing and manipulation of the will of the people. He was therefore also found unworthy of the award, proving that age and the wisdom it confers, is no immunity against misbehaviour in African leadership.
The snub of these two old men who are supposed to have exhibited wisdom and integrity is very much in order. This has increased my respect for the Mo Ibrahim Foundation and given me a sense of confidence that it is not everybody in Africa who is ready to bend the rules or compromise in order to put a fine face to things that are horribly bad. One of the reasons for our failure to grow is the readiness to debase noble ideals in order to massage some huge egos.  As I said earlier, the requirements for the award are easily doable things. Anyone, therefore, who for whatever reason is unable to meet them no matter his status, deserves to be snubbed.
This huge continent will not develop unless we have leaders who are willing to do the right things by providing good leadership. Some of our leaders have masterminded some foolish acts that have led to some of the murders and destruction that have held the continent down. If they are not willing to take a good bribe that will also serve to boost their image, then it is to their shame.
In fact the fact that no one appears willing to work towards earning such a handsome prize shows clearly that they are actually ‘earning’ more than that while in office so the prize is not an incentive or motivation. But this is not saying that the prize money should be increased. There is something in it that is worth more than dollars and cents and if African leaders are not motivated by that something extra that comes along with the five million dollars prize money, then they are not a breed who deserves anything good and honourable.
I wish Al Shabaab militants had not killed the Ghanaian poet Kofi Awonoor at the Westgate Mall in Nairobi. He, more than anyone else, would have taken up a dirge in lament about the shame of African leadership.