The world was once in unison as the theory of the Divine Right of Kings held sway in most parts of the planet. With the passage of time and with the coming of the renaissance which sparked up a high level of intellectual awareness, questions were asked as to the sustainability of this theory. The clash between the parliament and crown was inevitable and the absolute monarchy gave way to constitutional democracy and in many countries, the idea of the monarchy – absolute or constitutional was totally abolished.
Africa still held on tightly to this theory that bestows arbitrary and unquestionable powers on an individual until the coming of colonialism which greatly reduced the powers of the traditional rulers. Like the phoenix which always reinvents the wheel, the theory has reared its ugly head ironically with the democratization of the continent.
The first coup in West Africa was carried out by Gnassingbe Eyadema then a Colonel in the colonial French army. He was alleged to have shot and murdered the charismatic Sylvanus Olympio on January 13, 1963 and seized power four years later after ousting Nicholas Grunitzky in a bloodless coup. He initially resisted all attempts to allow democracy and ensured his hold on power by planting his Kabye tribesmen in strategic positions especially in the armed forces. Bowing to international pressure especially from the international donor agencies, he was forced to allow democracy take roots in the tiny former French colony in 1992 when he contested and won elections. In 1997, the Togolese public with 90% of the vote approved a constitution that limited the terms of the office of the President to two terms of five years each. The former longest serving dictator in West Africa hurriedly spearheaded a ‘constitutional reform’ that removed presidential term limits. He also tinkered with it by reducing the age of the President to 35 as he was secretly grooming his son, Faure for the exalted position as his failing health was gradually taking a toll on him. After his demise, the army against the provisions of the constitution installed Faure as President forcing the Economic Community of West African States to force him to step down. Elections were held two months later and the violence took about five hundred lives. It was tragic that Faure insisted on contesting for a third term despite the overwhelming opposition. He laid claim to the constitutional provision which permitted him to do so but was that a true reflection of what the people really wanted? There was an opinion poll conducted by the Afro barometer survey in 2014 which showed that 85% of the Togolese approved a two term presidential term limit. The reign of his father was filled with sorrow, tears and blood and he is continuing with that same ugly trend. A legacy he would have left behind was to ensure a rigging free referendum that will for the sake of posterity determine how long the holder of the office of president will spend. Alas! The lure of ephemeral power made him get carried away. It is clear that he took advantage of the complacency of the Togolese to perpetuate his reign. We thank God that a bloody situation like what is happening in Burundi was averted but it is high time the Togolese showed the tyrant that the peoples power is supreme and nothing can stop it from prevailing.
Robert Mugabe came to power in 1980 with a high popularity rating having spent a decade of his life behind bars fighting for Uhuru in the then Rhodesia. His lust for total power made him squander that in a jiffy. In the bloody supremacy struggle with the late Vice-President Joshua Nkomo, there was genocide in Ndebele land – the home state of the latter where twenty people were slaughtered like rams. He twisted the arm of Nkomo to ensure that the ZANU-PF became a one party state. Having succumbed to pressure to allow a multi-party system, he ensured the elections were massively rigged in favour of his party to allow him remain in office ad infinitum. He put in place plans to enable his wife, Grace succeed him when either the inevitable happens or the unthinkable occurs in his having to leave office. The shake up within the ZANU-PF saw the shopping loving First Lady grab powers of monumental proportion and even got a dubious PHD to the bargain. When that gamble failed as a result of her ill health which has made Singapore a second home to her, he is surreptitiously making a case for his daughter, Bona Mugabe-Chikore to succeed him despite her political inexperience.
There is nothing inherently wrong with having a political dynasty. The Kennedys, Bushs, Ghandis of India and even the Clintons are examples of such. However it was their charisma and what they had to offer the people that ensured their dynastic hold and not the forcing down the throats on the people by their patriarchs. We are in the era of the dominance of the free markets which extends to the political sphere by ensuring fierce competition for who gets the plum jobs. The laid back electorate in the continent has the duty to wake up and ensure that tyranny of all forms which is not limited to imposing offspring in the manner that awakes the embers of the dead and buried divine rights of kings’ theory.
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