Trampling on basic rules of democracy

“The military finally relinquished power and handed over to a democratically-elected government, marking the true beginning of a government of the people, by the people, for the people.”In deference to what the president referred to as “the current mood of the nation”, the occasion was being marked in a low-key manner but “there can be […]

“The military finally relinquished power and handed over to a democratically-elected government, marking the true beginning of a government of the people, by the people, for the people.”
In deference to what the president referred to as “the current mood of the nation”, the occasion was being marked in a low-key manner but “there can be no doubt that the past 15 years, the longest period of sustained democratic governance in our country, have been a blessing to us, as a people”.
Further down, he elaborated on the issues that contribute to “the current mood of the nation”, namely the ongoing insurgency in parts of the North East region, which he, again, tried to link to Al-Qaida, although Western governments and intelligence organizations have dismissed such claims as tenuous at best.
The other issue apparently is the continuing crisis caused by the abduction of 276 schoolgirls from their dormitory in Chibok, Borno State, by Boko Haram gunmen on April 14. The scale of the abduction and the well-known brutality of their abductors has riveted the world’s attention and focused intense scrutiny on the conduct of officials of the Jonathan administration in the effort that has gathered global momentum to secure their release. Particularly irksome, not just in the estimation of Nigeria’s partners that have offered to help with logistics and intelligence, but also to cross-sections of Nigerians across religious, political and ethnic divides, has been the government’s timorous response to internal dissent regarding its handling of the girls’ plight.
Jonathan’s self-congratulatory message yesterday about the gains of democracy rang hollow when it is placed side by side with the action of the government since the hashtag Bring Back Our Girls to keep the abduction in the consciousness of the public began a month ago.  Presidents and prime ministers have identified with this movement; and the prospects of the dire consequences of inaction to rescue the girls have galvanized the world and prompted messages of support from Presidential Palaces to nursery schools to street vendors around the globe.
On the eve of Mr Jonathan’s democracy homily, just as activists gathered to fine-tune strategies to persuade his government to be more forthcoming in its engagement to addressing the girls’ abduction, a counter-movement, obviously sponsored by officials of the administration physically attacked the #BringBackOurGirls group at the Unity Fountain in Abuja on Wednesday. Newspaper accounts described the attackers as ‘thugs’, but eyewitnesses said they came in government-marked vehicles, and had an elaborate arrangement to disperse the protesters and prevent them from using the venue. They destroyed property in the process.
It was precisely the possibility of such divisive encounters occurring, and escalating to dangerous levels, that we were afraid of when we suggested on this page only a couple of days ago, on Children’s Day, that “Government officials, particularly at the federal level, should ponder on the long-term implication of endorsing a counter-movement that seems to foster the notion, prevalent in government circles that the girls’ abduction-and the trauma that their parents are going through-is a charade”.
One of the simplest tests to determine if a country respects democratic traditions and obeys constitutional provisions is the extent to which it protects basic freedoms, particularly those that bother on assembly and speech.
The government failed on both counts in its handling of the dissenting public, whose only interests have been to call on the government to demonstrate genuine commitment to ending the suffering that the Chibok schoolgirls must be going through.
President Jonathan’s words “that it is fitting that we pay tribute once again to all those who played a part in restoring our nation to the true path of democratic governance, built on the foundations of rule of law and freedom of expression” would have meaning only when they are backed by a conscious commitment to abide by them.  Last Wednesday’s despicable episode at Unity Fountain did not indicate that the government is willing to do just that.