Sarkozy isn’t the first Frenchman to go hunting for Africa’s easy cash

By JENERALI ULIMWENGU

Every time I read about, or watch, rulers — serving or former — being penalised for infractions they have committed, I realise how far removed from rationality we on the African continent are.

Whereas the rest of the world accepts that individual foibles are necessary attributes attaching to the very fact of being human, the African ruler — however ordinary and plain she or he may be—is treated as essentially superhuman, and therefore infallible.

We seriously want in the presumption that all human beings are naturally crippled by certain avoidable traits that render them susceptible to making mistakes — of omission or commission — and that in the making of some of these mistakes penalties are due, and need imposing. And yet that is the natural order of things. Men and women can never be supposed to be above certain limitations just because they happen to occupy certain offices, however elevated

All humans are prey to some of the basest instincts, which manifest themselves in our likes and likes, love and hate, partiality to phenomena and allergy to others; anger at some people, favour to others, and so on. Our sundry weaknesses are as many and as diverse as there are humans in any given compartment.

Usually, your likes or mine, your favours and allergies or mine, should not be of too much concern to others, because you and I are private persons, and as long as we have no way of making your likes or dislikes inconvenience others, it is none of anyone’s business what we do with our personal choices.

However, once you have power over other members of society, and once your personal choices impact others in any significant manner, then the whole of the society in which you evolve may want to rein in some of your traits and want to limit your choices.

I was thinking along these lines recently as I read about Nicolas Sarkozy, former French president, who has been found guilty of campaign finances impropriety and sent to jail for a year, which comes some months after another court had found him liable for some other inappropriate conduct for which he was also penalised, though he has appealed conviction. Both cases tend to show a certain penchant on the part of monsieur Sarkozy to spend more money than French laws allow in political campaigns.

He is in the appeal processes, so, technically, the jury is still out. Still, what we know is that this particular law court has found him guilty, and that is important for us to know.

What I am saying here is that such judicial action as has been taken against Sarkozy is edifying, and should be noted by African governance systems. We need it so badly.

Whether or not the former president goes to jail, what is important is that he is not considered to be above the law, and he can be called out. We have witnessed this kind of treatment regarding former rulers in South Korea — where a couple of former presidents are behind bars.

Donald Trump (remember him?) could face his own music soon. But on our continent, this is almost an impossibility to think of, although no one is suggesting that our rulers and former rulers are close to saints

We need to get to the point where we recognise our rulers as just as infallible as any other human beings, not divine deities, and that in certain cases when they go overboard, they need to be castigated.

With the amount of corruption in our political systems. With the heartlessness with which our resources have been plundered and our people impoverished, there is absolutely no prize for guessing why Africa remains so poor amidst so much wealth. Our resources have been plundered by the very people we chose (or didn’t choose) to govern us.

The last point raises an interesting question. Since in most of our countries our rulers suffer a serious legitimacy deficit (with all the stolen elections we know about) should we concentrate on governance reforms so that our countries are run more democratically, or should the emphasis be placed on ensuring that those who govern us, however they came to power, do not steal from us?

That is one of the many conundrums the youth of this continent have to work on. We notice that in an earlier case, Sarkozy was convicted of an offence involving, among others, illegally obtaining campaign funds from Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi. Sarkozy was not the first French politician to get easy money from African dictators. In fact, these latter have sustained France’s political barons for decades.

The reason why this happens is that thieves in France who steal from the French people are more speedily apprehended and sent to jail while in Africa thieves continually go to parliament and the presidential palace. It is that disconnect that maintains our continent as a huge hunting ground for cash to acquire political office in the metropole.

In return, once in office, the big boys in Paris repay the favour by maintaining unpopular regimes in their neo-colonial empire long after the suffering African people have tired of them.

Ulimwengu is now on YouTube via jeneralionline tv. E-mail: [email protected]