An
interesting incident during last week’s Sallah – an innocuous social media
posting by me and a barrage of comments and queries following that – set me
thinking about how much of democracy we have really imbibed in Nigeria after 15
years of, well, democratic rule. One must quickly make the point that at the
heart of democracy is the representation of the interests of citizens by a
select few, chosen by the majority.
What
triggered everything was the presentation of a greeting card to President
Goodluck Jonathan by his Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory
(FCT), Olajumoke Akinjide, wherein the media reported that she made the
presentation ‘on behalf of residents of Abuja’.
Being
a resident of Abuja myself and not being aware of any mandate we gave the
minister to make the presentation, I posed a rhetoric question about that and
soon enough I got a mixed bag of reactions. While I recognised each person’s
entitlement to their views, I was worried, however, when citizens failed to see
beyond the ordinary event of a card presentation and claims of representation.
I
made the point that because Abuja residents did not discuss, agree, endorse,
mandate or otherwise authorise a card issued on our behalf. The actions of the
minister failed the test of representation known to democracy. In fact, if the
report had said the card was presented by some Abuja residents (privileged,
connected to or ‘worshipping’ in the corridors of power), I would not have
complained.
And
truly, I have no problem with anyone or any group of persons presenting or
sending greeting cards to the president. I was simply using the event as a peg
to raise issues as to how decisions are purportedly taken on behalf of citizens
and mandates wrongly assumed and appropriated, without the knowledge of the
supposed constituents. I was looking at issues of mandate, representation,
citizens’ right to speak for themselves, public space etc.
I
recall how, as a one year resident in the United Kingdom, I regularly received
newsletter delivered to my house from the councillor of my constituency,
informing me (and other residents) of previous and upcoming debates in the city
council and seeking our views. On one occasion, we were informed of the debates
for and against the proposed siting of a communications mast in our
neighbourhood.
By
contrast, in Nigeria, there is proliferation of cabals and caucuses, populated
and constituted arbitrarily, and all purporting to speak for the rest of the
society. Often, the only whiff of link to the people’s mandate is, as in the
instant case, being appointed to a political position. It is specious for such
persons to assume mandates that do not exist in a democracy.
I
recall an interesting scenario during the attempt to foist ‘third term’ on
Nigerians under former President Olusegun Obasanjo. Then many senators kept
saying in the chambers and to a live television audience that they had
consulted their constituencies and their constituencies mandated them to
support ‘third term’. A former state governor dismissed the claim of the
senator representing him, saying the man never held any consultation with the
people but was merely regurgitating the position of a select group of self-serving
and self-preserving politicians that called itself the ‘state forum’. The
senator never responded to that allegation.
It
is in the character of many politicians to claim mandates and powers they know
they don’t have. What is worrisome, however, is where the citizens, including
the elite class, display ignorance of the illegitimacy of such claim or
acquiesce thereto, sometimes for selfish or pecuniary interests. Somebody
actually said that by the minister’s appointment, she is working daily on our
behalf; so “she has the mandate to make any presentation for whoever is
resident in Abuja”. It is this same mentality that makes state governors
promise candidates in election that they will deliver all the votes of their
states to the candidate, even when the governor has only one valid vote. And
the citizens in that state will be celebrating in their ignorance that their
‘leader’ has spoken.
If
after 15 years of uninterrupted constitutional governance, citizens are still
locked in discussing such pedestrian issues as above, then we are far away from
redemption and our democracy is skin deep. As we say around here, we don enter
one chance vehicle.
- See more at:
http://www.thenicheng.com/democracy-representation-disaster/#sthash.Z2tjvo9p.dpuf
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