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September 18, 2000
Dear Reader:
Back in February 1995, after just finishing to read Fukuyama's fascinating 1992 book "The End of History and the Last Man", I decided to adapt some of his thoughts to my own Nigerian experience.
I hereby entrust the recall to you. Nothing has changed much since the essay below was first written. I still hold the views expressed therein FIRMLY.
Best wishes.
Bolaji Aluko
by
INTRODUCTION Three themes run through this write-up:
MAN AND HIS DIGNITY For me:
I constantly have to contend with this tripartite characteristic of my person, just like most of you, whatever your community. Yet above all, the most important fact is that I am a HUMAN BEING, made in the living image of God, "Imago viva Dei". Like animals, I need and desire food, drink, shelter as well as self-preservation, the last being the highest instinct. However, what distinguishes me from animals are two inter-related things: first, the desire to be recognized by other men as a human being, worthy of DIGNITY, having SELF-ESTEEM, and secondly, as a religious person, the desire to know God my maker. People believe that they have a certain worth, and when other people treat them as though they are worth less than that, they experience the emotion of anger. Conversely, when people fail to live up to their own sense of worth, they feel shame, and when they are evaluated correctly in proportion to their worth, they feel pride. In fact, it might be said that the need to be recognized coupled with the emotions of anger, shame and pride are parts of the human personality that are critical to the political process. When you allow the instinct of self-preservation to be so overwhelming that you always fear death, then you are bound to enter into a slave relationship to a aster, that person who can bring about that death. I am sure that nobody reading this posting wishes to be a slave in our country Nigeria. I also know that many of us feel genuine anger at what has been going on in the country, are ashamed of some of our fellow Nigerians who have been raping the country, and wish to restore pride both to the Nigeria people and to our communities of prideful association. Our challenge therefore must be to channel these emotions in a productive way to regain our pride and purpose.
LIBERAL DEMOCRACY Agreeing with Fukuyuma (in his fascinating 1992 book "The End of History and the Last Man"), the last man would be a Liberal Democrat (existing happily or unhappily ?) under a Liberal Democracy. Liberalism and democracy are closely related but separate concepts. Political liberalism implies the existence of the rule of law that recognizes certain individual rights or freedoms from government control. There are in particular three major fundamental rights:
Ancillary rights such as right to education, health care, etc. are always arguable depending on the circumstances of a given country, and are best left out as fundamental rights. This recognition in no ways diminishes their importance. Democracy on the other hand is the right universally held by all citizens to have a genuine share of political power, that is the right of all citizens to vote and participate in politics. A country is democratic if it grants its people the right to choose their own government through periodic, secret-ballot, multi-party elections, on the basis of universal and equal adult suffrage. Elections are the most basic tenets of democracy. With these definitions, for example modern-day Iran is a democracy but not liberal, 18th-century Britain was liberal but not democratic, and our present-day Nigeria is neither liberal nor democratic. It should of course be noted that either liberalism or democracy can be abused: for example liberalism can deteriorate to anarchy, while democracy can be manipulated by an oligarchic elite. However, taken together, they represent a bulwark against tyranny and dictatorship. I will end this section with three quotes relevant to democracy:
"Man's capacity for justice makes democracy possible, but man's inclination for injustice makes democracy necessary"
"Many forms of government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time."
"Democracy involves listening to a lot of discordant voices and disparate interests and conflicting points of view...Democracy really comes down to people trying to cooperate, to make common decisions in context where there's great diversity and strong conflict....... the problem is not to come to the most rationally justifiable decision ... it's a problem of trying to come to a decision in which there are conflicting legitimate claims. "
CITIZENS' RESPONSIBILITY In a society, the first three responsibilities are primarily economic, but the last two thrust him firmly in the political arena. Government's role is to ensure that the citizen's tasks are easier for all, or at least for the majority of the citizens. This is in the presence of sometimes conflicting and/or scarce resources. Furthermore, it must ensure that citizens to do not step on each other's dignity, because such events are fodder for social discontent. Food, shelter and drink can be always be obtained elsewhere, but dignity can only be recovered directly from the victimizer, thereby presaging war. There is an implied assumption that Government is also a corporate citizen, bound by almost the same laws governing individuals, unless there are compelling counter-reasons, in which case extra-judicial acts must be taken (and seen to be taken) most reluctantly, and then only on a time-limited basis. When citizens truly appreciate the efforts of the government of their nation over a long period of time, and feel a part of it, they become "patriotic", as if appreciative of the services of a father, a patriach. When there is an opportunity to defend the government and the people against external agression, real or imagined, military or ideological, patriots easily become fiery nationalists, prepared to fight to maintain the common weal or dignity of the country. Patriotism and nationalism are two sides of the same coin, but while one is inwardly pro-actionary, the other is outwardly re-actionary. Neither can be decreed. A nation must earn both, over time. However, while one cannot be patriotic without being nationalistic (unless one is a coward), one can be nationalistic without being patriotic (e.g. again due to cowardice, dishonesty or a "love" of the national status-quo from which you benefit.)
A BRIEF HISTORY OF NIGERIA Shagari's civilian regime was marked by unparalled greed and flaunting of wealth. The earliest military dispensation resulted in a brutal civil war, Babangida's military rule saw corruption and "Maradonic" caprice enthroned as state craft, while Abacha's current stay is a rather demoralizing confusion of good and evil. Many Nigerians still believe that General Mohammed's rule, and arguably the Buhari/Idiagbon military regimes, held some promise, but their tenures were truncated. In the process of all of these changes, all the ethnic groups in Nigeria have now been angered and shamed at various times, causing severe structural defects in our country that have resulted from:
THE JUNE 12 ISSUE In fact, the ethnic and religious compromises exhibited in the elections appeared to be the seeds for a New Nigeria, making its arbitrary annulment by Babangida, Abacha and others a cruel blow to our nationhood. It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out that ANY new elections that serves up a new winner - whether it is held one year, two years or ten years from now - would elicit howls of ethnic unfairness, could lead to the presence of two competing civilian governments and consequent balkanization of our dear country, and invite the participation of the military to once again resolve the ensuing anarchy. It is not an issue of political extremism, rather one of common sense. The cost of miscalculation of the June 12 annullers has been simply too high, and unless a fundamentally comprehensive solution to the Nigerian political problem is based on an accomodation, however brief, of the June 12 mandate, our nightmare, whether economic, social or political, will simply continue. A overnment of national unity should be formed based on June 12, whose mandate should be to convene a sovereign national conference, to which the legitimate representatives of the Nigerian people are invited to consider the national question. Insistence on the current bogus Constitutional Conference as the main vehicle to chart a new political order for Nigeria is simply a recipe for disaster in the future. If we are not now relentless in pursuit of the correction of an identified injustice, why would we do so the next time ? Because we did not do so the last time around, must we now defer again ? If we defer again, would not a new group of Nigerians then ask again "Why now ?" as many now ask in defence (or understanding) of the annulment ?
THE PLACE OF THE INDIVIDUAL NIGERIAN AND HIS COMMUNITY Secondly, he must be free to identify without fear or loss of status with his community, that group with which he has historical, cultural and lingual similarity. Nigeria is in fact not a nation yet, but a COUNTRY OF NATIONS, for it is precisely historical, cultural and lingual similiarities which define nations. We must also insist that as part of the country called Nigeria, all communities must be fully part of its ecumene, that is its economic-political territory, its economic, political and cultural life, or else some communities will ever chafe to define theirs. Thirdly, our collective cause must be based on the twin assertions of DIGNITY and RESPECT for all ethnic groups in Nigeria. We must remember that no one can make us feel inferior without our consent. I am not asking for ethnic fascism nor must we assert ethnic superiority. In fact tolerance, sacrifice and inter-dependence should be watchwords. But in Nigeria, while everyone must strive to save Nigeria from itself, if it so permits, "prideful communities" must also be ready to save themselves. The deterioration of our schools and social and physical infrastructure, the hopeleness of our youth and the heavy-heart being carried around by our adults can simply no longer be tolerated. Anger we have, shame we must avoid and pride we must restore. We must build a sense of purpose and consensus which the generation before us has woefully lacked, and we must let that passing generation know that we can no longer tolerate dilly-dallying with our lives. We are merely six years away from Year 2001, and we are in a real danger of being swept aside by history. Finally, we must also remember our history, much of which consists of numerous avoidable conflicts among ourselves. We can not take our unity for granted, rather we must work purposefully and tirelessly for it. We must, beginning immediately, spend some of our time carefully and unemotionally ruminating on what aspects of liberal democracy is compatible with our various cultures, so that we do not repeat the same mistakes of the past. All of these are tasks that must be done.
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