African Leaders Must Learn to Accept Change

Change is often referred to as the only constant thing in life. How prepared are we as individuals, families, nations and the global community to accept change? If you would recollect, it was the need for change that brought paved the way for Barrack Obama to emerge as the 44th president of the United States of America in 2008. Change as a natural phenomenon usually takes it course regardless of whether a society is prepared to accept change or not. Humans experience changes in parts of the body whether they are prepared for it or not . ‘Day’ and ‘Night’ are natural phenomenal changes we experience.

The crisis rocking Egypt calls to question if African leaders, as demonstrated so far by President Hosni Mubarak,  are agents of change and are always ready to submit to change when needed. The uprising broke out last week as the public grew frustrated with corruption, oppression and economic hardship under Mubarak. More than 100 people have been reported dead in the ongoing protest taking place in various centers in Egypt. Mubarak has ruled for a period of 30 years marred largely by indiscipline and abuse of power.

[ad#Adsense-200by200sq]Recently, supporters of President Hosni Mubarak attacked protesters with fists, stones and clubs in Cairo as the Egyptian government rejects calls for Mubarak to end his 30-year-rule now, Reuters reports. Anti-Mubarak protesters were seen hurling stones back and claimed the attackers were police disguised in plain clothes. The attack caused chaotic scenes in central Tahrir square, some of the Mubarak supporters rode into the crowd on horses, wielding whips and sticks. Opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei, a Nobel peace laureate, has called the army to intervene to stop the crisis.

Interestingly, the uprising in Egypt is seen to have triggered other neighboring Arab nations protesting for a change. Algeria and Yemen are replicating Egyptian struggle for change. Protesters are often seen with placards displaying various messages such as ”change we need” to the government. The development in Egypt is of interest to the global community especially Africans. Of interest to me is what I describe as the ‘slow and diplomatic approach” of the west to the ongoing crisis in Egypt. U.S President Barrack Obama has been reported to have telephoned the 82-year- old to say Washington wanted him to move faster on political transition.

” What is clear and what I indicated tonight to president Mubarak is my belief that an orderly transition must be meaningful, it must begin now,” Obama said.

In the same vein, British prime Minister, David Cameron speaking recently with the United Nations secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, said that the political transition to a new broad-based government in Egypt needed ”to be accelerated and to happen quickly”.

In my view, the West’s slow diplomatic approach to a national crisis that have resulted in the loss of lives of Egyptians and journalists only lend credence to the claim that Hosni Mubarak is a strong ally of the west especially the United States. Some political observers have identified Mubarak as a tool used by the west to stabilize their relationship politically and otherwise with the Arabians.

Mr. Mubarak must not easily forget history even of his own country. Historically, Egypt under a monarch named Pharaoh (the great) emerged as the first world power. However, as change would have its course, Egypt was succeeded by Assyria (extinct). Assyria was succeeded Babylon (extinct), Babylon by Medo-Persian (extinct), Medo-Persia by Greece, Greece by Rome, and Rome was eventually succeeded by the mighty Anglo-America world power of our time. When Alexander the Great of Greece was in power, he never believed like his predecessors that his regime can be overthrown by another because of the power he exercised. Same also applies to Rome when it was the world power. Her kingdom and influence spread to far corners of the earth. However, the only constant thing in life, ‘CHANGE’, also brought down the Roman empire overtaken by the British which formed ally with the United States as Anglo-America ally.

President Barrack Obama’s emergence as president of the United States was largely facilitated by Change; a need for Change by the Americans. It was the reason the Democrats adopted ‘CHANGE WE CAN BELIEVE IN’ as their party’s slogan which psychologically met the yearnings and aspirations of an average American. Hence, it is pertinent that President Obama, David Cameron and other western leaders who secured the mandate of the electorates on this premise equally respect and recognize the plight of the Egyptians for a Change in their country. President Mubarak must come to terms with the reality that the bloodshed, pain and agony experienced by his people under this two weeks of what has been described as an ‘unprecedented” struggle for rights, justice and good leadership must be honored.

He should humbly submit himself to the call for a CHANGE NOW in Egypt.