•Booing the president has no place in a democracy of decent people
It is often seen all over the world as a solemn affair, a ritual of state where economic stocktaking highlights the progress and foibles of the nation.
But the budget presentation on the floor of the National Assembly this month took on the quality of a farce. Lawmakers whirled a grand ceremony into a platform for boos, jeers and catcalls, and the bedlam that resulted made mincemeat of the reason why such a rite was instituted as a democratic practice.
It all seemed premeditated. Right off the moment President Muhammadu Buhari walked into the chambers of the National Assembly, the opposition broke into derisive chants of “freedom come,” and that prompted his supporters to reply with “four more years.”
The stage was set for an impolite fest of noise and near chaos. After the senate president, Bukola Saraki read his opening remarks, the president started his budget speech. He tried to unfurl his accomplishments in the past year, and took them sector by sector.
But his political adversaries in the hall unleashed a spasm of jeers, calling the president “liar” a number of times and a flurry of “no” shattered the peace of the delivery. At one point the president broke off his address and cautioned the lawmakers that the “world is watching,” and he also said, “you are better than this,” in a back-handed flattery and cajolement. But the hecklers were not impressed. In fact, the president shone his eyes in disgust at a particular lawmaker who shouted “liar” and the sound resounded through the hall.
While all of the heckling compromised the grandeur of the afternoon, neither the senate president nor the speaker of the House of representative, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, did anything to restrain their lawmakers, who were identified as members of the People’s Democratic Party.
When the president finished his speech, the heckling continued and prompted his supporters to chant “four more years” in dramatic reprisal. So chaotic was it that Hon. Dogara could not make his closing remarks and vote of thanks, and for the first time, the budget session ended unceremoniously.
Rather than apologise, the lawmakers of the PDP, including its presidential candidate, AtikuAbubakar, congratulated themselves for the melee and basked in the riot of the afternoon. They also claimed that it was spontaneous. That does not make sense. The song was clearly rehearsed given that all members of the PDP knew the song at once. Two, those who waved placards imperiously clearly anticipated the heckling.
Some have cited other democracies to support the afternoon of insults. Granted that it is true that other democracies revelled in throwing barbs at their presidents and prime ministers, we should not preen over borrowing uncouth examples from other climes. But advanced democracies, especially Western democracies do not condone such acts as we saw on the floor of the National Assembly. When president Barrack Obama was president, he was heckled by a South Carolina representative named Joe Wilson. He shouted “You lie,” as the then United States leader unveiled his success in his health care programme.
No one condoned or parroted his act. Rather he received blistering condemnation not only in the media but also from both Republicans and Democrats, and he was compelled to call the White House and the president to apologise. The House also passed a resolution condemning him with both parties voting overwhelming. The democratic elite of the country sent a clear message on the boundaries of decorum in political affairs. Even in the United Kingdom, while it can settle into a noisy fair, it never descends into indecencies without consequences.
The president did not slide like his hecklers into indecency and he maintained a poise and dignified tolerance of wayward politicians.
We should not see the like in our National Assembly again.
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