By Dayo Sobowale
I start today with a quotation from Shakespeare on the life and times of Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt also famously called ‘ Daughter of the Nile’. The quotation says of Cleopatra, ‘ Age does not wither her, nor custom stale her infinite varieties, other women cloy the appetite they feed , but she makes hungry where she most satisfies ‘Cleopatra went on to befriend, seduce and beguile two great Roman leaders who conquered Egypt namely the great Julius Caesar and Mark Anthony and the rest is history. The clear historical fact was that Cleopatra was a sex symbol and used her beauty patriotically to get advantages from the conquerors of Egypt in her time.
In this age and time however let us look at what the ‘Me Too ‘sexual assault movement would say of Cleopatra’s leadership role with her sex. Especially now that Joe Biden, the Democratic Party’s candidate in the US November 2020 presidential election has picked a woman Kamala Harris as his running mate. Kamala Harris, a lawyer and senator would be the first, black, Asian American to be US Vice President if the Democrats win the election. Such description of Kamala Harris willy nilly throw up the issues of age, sex and race which are the dominant issues polarizing American politics viciously nowadays, and it does not seem the polarization would end regardless of the winner of this coming November presidential election.
In Nigeria too the issue of age in leadership came up when a former president retired General Olusegun Obasanjo called on Nigerian youths to rebel against old leaders and take up leadership of the nation by drafting constitutions with age limit on leadership positions and political participation to those within the age bracket of say 45 years. This is surely a charge to eliminate gerontocracy by a well known gerontocrat who certainly has exposed himself to charges of senility and absent – mindedness, given his track record of never letting go of power and influence ,well after his controversial leadership as both a military and democratically elected president of Nigeria. To me Obasanjo’s call is for an insurrection of youths against old age in leadership. We look at its merits and demerits. We along the line recall the moonlight story in the animal kingdom when all animals killed their parents for poor leadership, as agreed but the dog hid his parents who saved the kingdom from the collapse of the kingdom that ensued from the volatile leadership of the rebellious youths.
But first we go back to the US where it is clear that Kamala Harris was chosen for her sex and race, not because she was like Cleopatra, a sex symbol, but to pacify the female sex in the coming elections in the US. Also the ‘Black Lives Matter’ issue made her choice inevitable given the political equation in the US on racism after the death of George Floyd.To me however her choice because of her sex is a double edged sword that can harm the chances of the Democrats winning the 2020 presidential election. This is because Male Chauvinism and suspicion played a major part in the defeat of Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential elections. It will still play a major role in this 2020 presidential elections. American men have a long memory and while they watched the Me Too movement destroy male careers on past sexual relations, they will not view favorably the prospect of a female line of succession to the US Presidency by Kamala Harris even if she is branier than Hillary or sexually attractive like Cleopatra. Sexual equality has been at the root of gay rights and gender equality in history and men in the US and Europe find it difficult or even dangerous to offer dissenting opinion either privately or worse publicly on this. But the election and secret ballot voting provide an opportunity or right to air their resentment of female domination and aggression and stem the tide of the prevailing sexual equality drive in the Me Too sexual assault drive. In addition Kamala Harris was a successful Attorney General in California who favored the Police Unions to enforce law and order. In a political climate and presidential election where the police is under scrutiny especially with killings of blacks inevitably, and sooner than later, some blacks will reveal this type of tacit support for the police made for her to survive in office and that will be a sore skeleton in her cupboard and an obstacle in the path of the Democrats to victory in this coming presidential elections.
In addition I am sure Donald Trump is going to get nasty with the choice of Kamala Harris but that is really his own funeral, especially as he does not see anything wrong with racial policing in the US. He is on record as calling Harris nasty on the way she attacked one of the US Supreme Court nominees on sexual assault recently. In this there is division cutting across party lines on gender on the two US Supreme Court nominees that the Republicans have put in office under Trump and again male voter sexual fears will play a part in the way men will vote in a ticket including Kamala Harris.
On the call for youths to take power on account of age in Nigeria one wonders at the motive of our former Head of State on this. Perhaps he wants to burnish his image with the youths so they will reflect favorably on his legacy of leadership .The truth is that the youths in Nigeria have not lived up to their billings. Those in politics especially are so materialistic, self centered and opinionated to provide the sort of leadership needed to overhaul our stinking, corrupt political and socio economic and financial system. Young political Personal Assistants, Pastors and businessmen in Abuja, our state capitals are already awash with ill gotten gains, expensive exotic cars and jeeps and rich mansions that they do not need an Obasanjo to prompt them to leadership or succession on account of age. Indeed they may regard his call as an extravagant distraction or unwanted exposure calling attention to their speedy and swift roller coaster way to affluence and power on account of their political connection, collusion and collaboration with their older patrons and principals in political control in our state houses, the legislature and even Abuja.
Coming at a time when the elderly or those over 65 are being sidelined in religious and social circles on account of age, in this pandemic, the call on the youths to literally seize power may be sadistic and disrespectful of the quality of leadership in political circles in Nigeria in which Obasanjo himself has played a great albeit controversial and debatable part. He should allow history to take its course and not impose his will on leadership now or after him . For some one who has no respect for the dead as his statement on the death of a relatively young political opponent has shown recently, he should allow sleeping dogs to lie on youth leadership. He should allow our youths to paddle their own canoes to their fate and not jump ship on leadership education and development in Nigeria. Once again; From the fury of this pandemic, Good Lord Deliver Nigeria.
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