Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely; we in Egypt, Libya, Zimbabwe and many other countries who have had the great misfortune of being ruled by a dictator know this to be true. When you have enjoyed absolute power for three decades – Mubarak and Mugabe – and four decades –Muammar Gaddafi – giving it up is simply inconceivable. When you exercise absolute power; whatever you want you get and whatever you say goes – regardless criminal waste of resources and the tragic misery and deaths caused on the overwhelming majority of the people. These dictators become gods ruling from up on high. The dictator’s life of unparalleled power and luxuries is far removed from that of the voiceless and suffering masses; there is a chasm that can not be bridged. Even with those in his inner most circle, dictators can not bide the thought of anyone else being considered their equal even in just one small band across the whole spectrum. Just to ensure he is not proven wrong; no one else is ever given the opportunity. Indeed the first thing those in the inner circle learn is that being considered a rising star in the sky dominated by the sun, the dictator himself, is the kiss of death!
It is not just the life of unquestioned power and unimagined comfort that dictators stand to lose if they gave up power. They also do not want the full truth and extend of their years of corruption and oppressive rule known. The dictator and his ruling elite’s fabulous wealth is mind boggling in its own right, competing as they do with any other multi-millionaires. However unlike the Henry Fords and Bill Gates of the world who have the equally staggering cars and computers productions to justify their wealth; the dictator and his cronies produced nothing. Their wealth was from decades of corruption and looting and the crippled national economy and millions of destitute people are the monuments of their criminal activities.
The ruling elite in a dictatorship are filthy rich in every sense of the word considering that their riches are from the shameless looting from where they never sowed and from stealing from the most needy and helpless in society. The dictators’ ill got wealth assumes gigantic proportions when viewed through the eyes of the destitute millions who have lost hope. “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God!” Jesus must have been thinking of the Gaddafi, Mubarak and Mugabe of this world.
For dictators like Mugabe with the blood tens of thousands of innocent murdered in the course of establishing and maintaining the de facto one-man dictatorship he has even more to fear. The day Mugabe leaves State House, other than in a coffin, he knows he be heading for the Court House to account for all the blood in his hands.
A dictator rule from a gold and diamond encrusted throne elevated to such nauseating height above his inner circle so that giving up power to a hand picked successor or even a son will mean a monumental climb down, it is simply unthinkable. To be forced to give up power as a result of regime change following democratic reforms will force the dictator and his ruling elite to descend to the depth of hell where the had confined the rest of the populous – that is something the dictatorship will simply risk all to resist.
“You either let me continue to rule or I will kill all those who dare challenge me!” is how a Libyan Diplomatic summed up the grim choice Colonel Muammar Gaddafi presented the people of Libya clamouring for freedom, justice and rule of law in their country. This is the instinctive reaction of all dictators.
Egyptian dictator Mubarak tried the use of brute force to silence the masses demanding an end to his autocratic rule using the riot police and then his party thugs. They all proved to be no match against a determined public. Mubarak would have solely wanted the Army to shoot to kill and clear Tahrir Square. As State President, Mubarak was the Command in Chief of Egypt’s Armed Services; yet it was clear the Army was not going to obey orders to shoot the protesters. The Egyptian Army had received orders from the American paymaster NOT to shoot. Since Egypt signed its peace agreement with Israel the American have rewarded the country with US$2 billion in aid a year and 80% plus of the aid went to the Army. Many members of the Armed Services, at least the to brass, were certainly part and parcel of Egypt’s ruling elite in that they benefited from the corruption of Mubarak’s rule. The low ranking officers may not have benefited from the corruption but they were, at the very least, protected from the full consequences of the misrule by the billions of dollars of US aid money.
Moammar Gaddafi was luckier than Mubarak in that the Libya Army had no other paymaster other than the dictator himself. But that also meant that most of the low ranking Officers were not protected from the rigors of the economic hardship brought on by the misrule. So a big swab of the Libya Army, particularly in the East of the country, defected after a few days of public protests to joint those demanding political change. Still with the remaining forces plus mercenaries Gaddafi has set out to kill those who have dare challenge his continued rule.
Colonel Gaddafi has taken Libya on a dangerous path; the people of Libya have the right to a meaningful say in the governance of the country, to freedom and liberty and to a rule of law, they protest is an irresistible force. After 42 years of autocratic rule Gaddafi now believes he has a divine right to be President for Life, he is the immovable object. This is a nightmare scenario, something has to give. Already over 2 000 people have been killed in the clash between Gaddafi loyalists and protestors. Who know how this will end!
Many Zimbabweans and outsiders have asked whether there could be similar protests to end Mugabe’s autocratic rule. And if there were such protests, would Mugabe too kill the protestors and will he have the manpower to carryout the murderous acts?
To answer the second question first; yes Mugabe will not hesitate to use brute force to silence the protestors. And yes he will have the Army, Police, the Militia and the War Vets to do the dirty work for him. Mugabe has done this already in 2008 when he needed to force the electorate to vote for him after losing the first round to Tsvangirai. Faced with a murderous regime, Zimbabwe would certainly need to think twice before mounted any protest. But the main reason why Zimbabweans will not want to take Mugabe on has to do with the sheer incompetency of the main opposition party MDC. The 2008 elections should have by right delivered regime change in Zimbabwe were it not for Tsvangirai and MDC who handed power back to Mugabe in a silver platter. As long as MDC remains the only viable alternative to Mugabe’s Zanu PF the people not have any confidence of any meaningful political change in Zimbabwe. So why would anyone want to risk their lives for that!
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