Fighting for Democracy and Diversity are Worthwhile

 By Tumbul Trawally, Seattle, U.S.A 

Narcissists do not have the ability to self-reflect; cannot see anything wrong with what they do but only see fault with the reactions of others to their abuses and assaults. They believe every argument is caused by their opponents because to narcissists, there was no problem with their actions until others reacted to them. They totally believe their opponents are the problems and that they, the narcissists, are the true victims. At this point, some of you know where I am headed with my narrative! If I have one person in mind and if readers think I am referring to former President Donald Trump, then they are correct! Former President Trump’s refrain has always been that he’s a “victimhood and witch hunt” where he runs into trouble. Therefore, it is not a surprise that he parroted the same refrain when he was indicted thrice. The fourth indictment just came out late Monday night from the State of Georgia. The Federal and State indictments sent him and his supporters into apoplectic rage! Even after the government laid out overwhelming evidence of his wrong doing in handling classified documents, and the attempted coup on January 6^th, 2020, he still tries to convince us he did nothing wrong: do not believe your eyes—or up is down, own is up, red is green, and green is blue. Listening to Trump is like being caught in a time warp! Meanwhile, he has continued to collect millions of dollars from his supporters.   

 Since the day he came down the escalator in 2015 and announced his candidacy for president, Donald Trump has exhibited all the characteristics of a Racist, Xenophobic, Dictatorial, and a Divisive politician. He called Mexicans rapists and drug dealers. He asked the Norwegian Prime Minister why Norwegians do not emigrate to the USA, instead of Nigerians, who will never return to their Sh** Hole country once they arrive in the USA. Unbeknown to him and most Americans, according to the United States Census Bureau, Nigerians are the most educated (Masters/PhDs holders) by nationality/ethnicity in the country—more than the Whites, Jews, Indians, or Asians, proportionally. In 2016, he called for a ban on Muslims traveling to the United States, when a Muslim employee of San Bernadino County, in California, with his wife, killed several people. Talk about Guilt by Association! Sadly, his poll numbers among Republican Party Primary voters shot up after those remarks in 2016. Some political pundits said this was at the inflection point on his way to winning the 2016 elections, coupled with the lack of enthusiasm for a Hillary Clinton presidency. Whatever the case, somehow, his remarks resonated with a large chunk of the Republican Party Primary voters, which, in on it of itself, is very troubling. Trump has broken every socio-political norm under the Sun! Donald Trump is loyal to only one person—Donald Trump! No matter how loyal you are to him, he will not hesitate to tear you down, once you prove to be disloyal. There is no second chance in his vocabulary! Ask his former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen!   

Trump uses divisive rhetoric to appeal to his core supporters, who happen to be the base of the Republican Party. Part of Trump’s allure to his base supporters is that he speaks their language: plain, simple English, not the [Oxfordian/Harvardian English] of most politicians. As a result, he has a stranglehold on the Republican Party leaders, who are willing to undermine institutions and the rule of law. Who would have thought the Speaker of Congress, Kevin McCarthy, the second in line to succession to the presidency, would defend Donald Trump, even after being indicted on sure many felony counts? Trump perfectly fits George Orwell’s 1984 book on Totalitarianism:  deception, distortion, and disinformation, to a point that he has perfected them to a Science. His mantra has become, keep repeating a statement till your audience succumbs to it, through fatigue. Autocrats all over the world will rejoice at a second Trump Presidency. The only modern-day leader of a democratic country who came close to being Donald Trump, in his populist and nationalist fervor that comes to mind, is Boris Johnson of the U.K. However, Johnson has lines that he would not cross. When he saw the writing on the wall, he resigned from parliament; when Donald Trump saw the writing on the wall, he doubled down and staged an attempted coup.   

 The scary part is—he can run for president even from prison. The Founding Fathers never, in their wildest dreams, thought of the possibility of someone like Trump coming remotely close to becoming a president. A president whose business dealings are so murky, has a cozier relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia and Kim Jung Un of North Korea than with Trudeau of Canada or Merkel of Germany. His admiration of autocrats partly stems from his desire to have their absolute power. He consistently heaped praises on nationalists like Victor Orban of Hungary, Duterte of Philippines, or Bolsonaro of Brazil. Trump has coarsened and tribalized American politics to a point of no return. Unfortunately, his version of grievance politics and white Christian nationalism is popular within the Republican Party.     

We should always be leery of those who try to divide us based on tribe, religion, race, ethnicity, gender, or any other pseudo classification! The 3 Abrahamic Religions—Islam, Christianity, and Judaism–share the same belief that all humans descended from Adam & Eve. Geneticists also believe that human beings are at the most the 50^th cousin of one another, and descended from one couple—whether it is a blonde, blue-eyed Norwegian sitting on the top of the world, or a dark-skinned Aborigine in Tasmania/Australia, at its bottom. You and I may have difficulty identifying our 3^rd or 4th cousins, but Princes William and Harry of Britain can identify their 30^th cousins, because their family tree has been well documented for at least the past 1,000 years. We have more similarities than differences! Therefore, we should always stand up and fight against racism, tribalism, bigotry, xenophobia, misogyny, and any other forms of discrimination or identity politics.    

In the Gambian context, former Dictator Yahya Jammeh used divisive politics, insulting members of a tribe at his rallies. Sarra Janha, former Secretary General of the Jawara regime, wrote on his Facebook page that Yahya Jammeh’s undoing was precipitated by his call for the extermination of that tribe, which, by happenstance, is the largest tribe in The Gambia. An attack on one tribe is an attack on all tribes! Divide and rule is a playbook that every dictator uses.  That is how they stay in power! For a dictators, loyalty to the Constitution and the rule of law are secondary to loyalty to them. That was manifested in Yahya Jammeh’s appointment of high school graduates (or even with less qualifications) as Commissioners or to even higher positions. Consequently, these appointments not only degraded the quality of government services (square pegs in round holes), but actually reduced the younger generation’s desire for the pursuit of higher education. The young people asked themselves a rational question: why spend all these years pursuing higher education, when you can take a shorter route to the top civil service positions in government, by being blindly loyal to the Dictator? That is how we ended up with a General Saul Badgie, Protocol Officer Nuha Jarju, or Commissioner of Prisons David Colley, who admitted during his testimony to the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) Hearings that he was a grade 9 graduate. A disproportionate number of Yahya’s unqualified appointments to senior government positions were from his tribe. Adelaide Sosseh, Vice Chairwoman of the TRRC, posed a question: Why are the minority tribes so angry? Until we honestly answer that question and address their grievances, we run the risk of creating another Yahya Jammeh. Professor Abdoulaye Saine also alluded to it in his presentation to the TRRC: He said Yahya Jammeh is a creation of Gambian society. Well, if that is the case, then our society needs a lot of rework on our norms, mores, and values! As Gambians, we should to de-emphasize our tribal differences and emphasize our national identity, just like Senegal.   

In the Nigerian context, the January 1966 coup was labeled as an Ibo coup against the Northern politicians, when prominent northerners like Prime Minister Tapha Balewo, and the Sardauna of Sokoto, Ahmed Bello, were assassinated. Barely six months later, in July 1966, was a retaliatory coup staged by mostly northern members of the military, in which President Ironsi was assassinated. And to my Nigerian friends, do not be mad at me when I choose Nigeria in my examples. It underscores the centrality of the country in Africa, and in particular, West Africa. These tit for tat assassinations set Nigeria back and gave the military the opportunity to dominate Nigerian politics for decades, culminating in the regime of Dictator Sanni Abacha. As a result of these setbacks, Nigeria, and West Africa, at large, paid a huge price. I extend the negative impact of the coups to include all of West Africa, because one in every four West Africans is a Nigerian, and Nigeria accounts for about 70 percent of West Africa’s GDP. When Nigeria stumbles, all of West Africa suffers!    The military were extremely corrupt!  Yahya Jammeh had over 100 compounds and a $900 million account in Panama, in the name of his financier, Amadou Samba. In the same year, 2016, The Gambia’s GDP was $1, 017 million or $1.017 billion. It is Ridiculous! Sir Dawda Jawara’s account balance averaged around 30,000 dalasis at Standard Bank. It is also not surprising that Nigerian politics has been dominated by former military rulers Obansanjo and Buhari, even in post Dictator Abacha’s era. In most cases, they are the only ones who have the money and name recognition to be serious contenders for the presidency, in a country as vast and diverse as Nigeria. Even former civilian president Umaru Yaradua had more than a tangential relationship with former President Obasanjo. Former President Yaradua’s brother, Shehu Yaradua, was President Obasanjo’s Vice President in the late 1970s. Umaru Yaradua — in his heart of hearts — was never interested in politics. But when it came to a northerner’s turn to become president, Obasanjo chose the person he felt most familiar and comfortable with to be his successor.   

 However, let us not delude ourselves in believing that the military has a monopoly on corruption. The civilian government of Shehu Shagari did not have a spotless hand either especially if you think of Umaru Dikko, who was a transportation minister. Mr. Dikko embezzled nearly 3 billion Nairas, when one Nigerian Naira exchanged for about two US dollars. Today, one US dollar exchanges for 775.50 Nairas. What a reversal of fortune for the Naira! The poor exchange rate of the Naira is partly the outcome of the diversion of oil revenues to personal bank accounts, Boka Haram insurgency in the northeast, low worker productivity, and a subpar manufacturing base, among others. According to former Nigerian Agriculture Minister Audu Ogbeh (2015-2019), Nigeria imported $18 million worth of toothpicks (yes, you heard me right! toothpicks) in 2019. Being able to sell products or services to the outside world is one of many factors in determining the exchange rate of a currency.     Another corrupt civilian was Bakin Zuwo, former governor of Kano State, who was dubbed the Zuwo Banker. It was alleged that 3.4 million Naira was found stashed in his home, when General Buhari overthrew the Shagari civilian government in 1983. With proper governance, Nigeria should be the economic engine of West Africa. Nigeria should by now be an advanced manufacturing country, like China or South Korea—being the market for processing produce and raw materials from the poorer West African countries. I have mentioned this a gazillion times: in 1960, the year of Nigerian independence—Nigeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, individually, had a higher GDP than South Korea. It aches my heart anytime I write this! The question of what these countries should, could, or would have been will haunt African historians, sociologists, political scientists, and economists for a very long time.   

We should always strive for peaceful coexistence of tribes and for strong government institutions. There is enough land in north and central Nigeria for the Fulani herdsmen and the non-Fulani farmers to coexist peacefully. Strong government institutions are the difference maker between Trump’s failed coup attempt and the successful Nigerien coup. Considering our common ancestry, we should always embrace diversity and be tolerant of one another. Nigeria could have been carved into three countries: Hausa/Fulani land of the north, Yoruba land of the west, and Ibo land of the South/Southeast. Each country would be as populated as Kenya and be significant—but nowhere near the prestige and power that Nigeria wields or enjoys on the international stage today. We are stronger when we unite! Diversity is Good! Every tribe brings something unique to the table. Human societies started to advance after the advent of agriculture, subsequent settlement in towns & cities, specialization into different trades, and the proliferation of knowledge.   Every democracy loving American voter should have an easy choice between former president Trump and President Biden. Unlike Trump, President Biden is an institutionalist who respects the role institutions play in a democracy. Donald Trump would use a wrecking ball to destroy them if given a second chance. This is a man who undermines and berates the FBI. Democracy is never guaranteed; therefore, we should always be vigilant in defending it. Therefore, Republican Party Primary voters have a choice to make: do you support the rule of law and accountability, or do you support Trump and the chaos he brings, and the disregard for the rule of law and the Constitution? The charges against Trump go to the heart of American democracy.   

Unfortunately, democracy has been backsliding in some major countries. Elections in the past decade resulted in fascist and neo-fascist governments in several countries: Italy, Hungary, Poland, Sweden, and the Brexit vote in Britain are the latest examples. In Africa, we have witnessed coups in Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, and lately, Niger—and the illegal extension of a mandate in Ivory Coast. Africa and West Africa in particular cannot afford to revert to the heydays of coups of the last century. The outcome of these coups are misery, poverty, and human rights violations. We should always speak out when democracy and freedom are under attack. To quote Winston Churchill: “democracy is the worst form of government— except for all the others that have been tried.”  

 We should always be wary of the Donald Trumps of the world who sow discord between us. Their motive is always financial! The belief in a common human ancestry by the three Abrahamic religions and scientists invalidates ethnicities and tribes. This underscores their superficiality! Our different physical features and skin colors are a result of our geographic locations. The epicanthal fold, which forms the shape of the eyes of East Asians, is due to an evolutionary layer of fat below the eyelid that protects the eyeballs from the brutal cold weather of the Mongolian Plateau—home of their ancestors.  The upward pointing of the hair of people living near the equator is the evolutionary protection of their ancestors from the hot sun. That explains my hair texture! The narrow nostrils of people living in the high latitudes is the evolutionary way of controlling the amount of moisture laden air they breathe. Too much of it will result in water filling their lungs, which can be deadly. The point I am trying to put across is that there is only one race that is human race, and democracy should be encouraged and nurtured!