Praising Meles, Museveni, Kagame is for hypocrites
By M. Suleman
3rd Sept 2012: The past week belonged to departed Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, not because he was a Martin Luther King, Mandela, or Nyerere. Rather, it is because, he belonged to the breed of African dictators – one time dubbed the “new breed of African leaders’’.
From Pennsylvania Avenue, 10 Downing Street, to the dusty streets of Kampala, Meles was mourned in glowing tributes by his political counterparts. It was only Journalists who gave balanced tributes, complimenting his achievements but also pointing out his skewed economic policies and the political quagmire he left behind.
In the latter case, the massacres and reckless imprisonment of opposition leaders was well captured.
In my view, the best review of Meles Zenawi’s legacy came from Voice of America’s Straight Talk Africa programme of Aug 29, in which Ugandan born Journalist Shaka Ssali and his two guests went beyond Meles Zenawi and looked at members of his club – the so-called “new breed of African leaders’’.
While they acknowledged Meles’s achievements, especially in infrastructure development, they also observed that with the huge amounts of donor aid that he got from Western governments, he could and should have done a lot better if he ran a transparent and democratic government that utilised Ethiopia’s best human resources.
The panel further conceded that it was impossible to dispute Meles’s personal commitment to the development of Ethiopia. His undoing was that he personalized Ethiopia and tied its future to his personal wisdom, something that forced him to ignore Ethiopia’s 85m people, some of whom were no doubt brighter than him.
For 21 years he recycled his mistakes and held the country at ransom. The Straight Talk Africa panel also noted the way American, European, and African leaders idolized Meles as a brilliant leader who ably represented and defended Africa’s place on the world stage.
Yes, Meles attended many summits on behalf of Africa, but did he actually propagate any new ideas that have changed the course of events in Africa? Apart from ably carrying the begging bowl of Africa, what did Meles contribute to Africa that is worth remembering?
He wined and dined with the high and mighty at climate change conference when the continent’s population was suffering severe food shortages, caused NOT by climate change, but by bad governance. When we look at all the wars and peace initiatives that Meles was involved in, we must ask: Were they pan-African assignments, or proxy engagements on behalf of his foreign allies and backers?
Lastly, on the question of brilliance and influence, Meles is always equated with Uganda’s Museveni, and Rwanda’s Paul Kagame. I think the panel was right to question the yardstick used by USA and Europe to determine the brilliance of these African soldiers.
Was it actual brilliance or their ability to pay expensive Public Relations companies to whitewash their images? Not surprisingly, the panel failed to point to anything significant that could have won these ex-rebel warlords the recognition they got.
For example, in this 21st Century, Ethiopia is still one of the few countries on the planet with very limited internet penetration, limited satellite TV penetration, and limited radio reception. As for Museveni and Kagame, one wonders why warlords who have caused wars that have claimed nearly 7million lives should get such recognition.
On the balance, therefore, the failures attributed to Meles and his friends Museveni and Kagame far out-weight the achievements registered under their rule. That is not something worth celebrating – Museveni and Kagame shouldn’t masquerade as great leaders. Only sanctimonious liars and hypocrites praise them.
Farewell Meles! You were well protected by your guns, but not from God’s hand. END. Login to www.ugandacorrespondent.com every Monday to read our top stories mid-week for our updates
Follow us: Twitter: @UGCorrespondent
Follow us: Facebook: Uganda Correspondent
