Power, history and democracy

Dayo Sobowale

Today  I look at  the three concepts of  power, history, and  democracy in    the   light  of the killing of the black  American  George  Floyd  by  a white  policeman  in Minnesota in the US  which  has engendered so  much grief  and  consternation  around the world this week. I  intend to examine  the good , the bad and ugly  side of  this ugly incident  just  like the title of Clint Eastwood’s famous violence and action film,’ The  good, the bad  and  the ugly. ‘I feel sad  to write  on the killing of George Floyd because of the way  he was slaughtered and suffocated by a white  Police  man whose  wife immediately  sued for divorce after seeing what her husband  had  done ;  while  the Police  authorities tried to  down play the murder in plain sight  by calling it  manslaughter even  as the victim begged  for life by moaning repeatedly – ‘I  can’t   breathe ‘. That  death moan has become the rallying cry  for justice and democracy in most  American and European  capitals in recent days and the protests  have as usual  degenerated into looting, stealing and  hooliganism which  I  will  ignore   for   now  as I look  at what caused  all these  protests which    of course  will   soon  peter   out,  to what  Shakespeare  called‘ a tale  told  by an idiot,  full  of sound  and fury  signifying nothing.‘

Please  remember  that this gruesome event of a murder  happened during the pandemic  and nobody  mentioned social  distance or lockdown  as the protesters flocked the streets in their thousands  to  use democracy  to vent their anger. So  in a  way this almighty  pestilence took a hiding that diminished its glorification  as a an epidemic  by scientists and medical  statisticians who  have closed  society at  large because  of its threat. In  the same way  the US President Donald  Trump  tried to steal    religious    thunder   and   authority by using the bible as a political  weapon against the protesters,  but failed mightily   and   woefully. Nevertheless   he   unwittingly    reminded watching Nigerians of Fela  Anikulapo’s  immortal  song – ‘Authority Stealing ‘. Indeed,  Trump  tried so  disgracefully  to  subvert  and    misuse   religion on this   George Floyd  matter, but fell  flat  on his face politically as he deserved . Inadvertently,   he   became  fake news himself on his actions in this matter. Surely  he deserves  no pity on  his   gamble    on religion,   on   which he has shown clearly  that as far as he is concerned  the Police  can do no wrong as far as they kill only  people  of color in the US. Which   to me is a tragedy that makes Trump a   most   racist  politician so much  like  the proverbial  ostrich with its head buried in the sand. How  he can win this November 2020  US  Presidential   election  with this attitude and posture will  be the real  wonder  of this world before‘ our very  eyes‘.

Unfortunately   too,  religion  took a hiding, because Trump showed its attraction and  fragility to provoke or conceal  democratic malfeasance and  political rascality and insensitivity. Again,  how  the American  president will  climb  out of the political gutter and trench   he has dug for  himself on this George Floyd  murder, will  remain  his  own   political   funeral   to sort  out,  as he  seeks a  very  ambitious   reelection which  this tragedy  has  given  feet  of clay with  his bible  holding  charade of a stunt.

We  go back  now to the basics of today’s contention. Power,  in any  democracy like  the US  or  Nigeria is derived  from the concept  of government  of  the people,   by the people  and for the   people . But  that is not always  the case because governments ignore the rights and security of their citizens  most times as the George Floyd  murder  has shown  in the US  this  week.

In  Nigeria, the equivalent  of this   was  the killing of Nigerians in Kaduna, Zamfara, the North East and  Sokoto  State   from  where Senator  Ibrahim   Gobir  representing Sokoto  East   in the Nigerian    senate  lamented   recently, to no effect,  that Nigerians in his    part  of the nation rely  more on soldiers  from  neighboring Niger  Republic for their safety  and lives, because when they called   Nigerian soldiers they   never    showed  up   to  protect them.  The   Sultan   of Sokoto, a former   military   officer    also   lamented on insecurity   and   killings   in  Sokoto  and called   on the army to  modernize its armoury   to  defend  these  Nigerians. These  are  our George Floyds and they  are  Nigerians  and it is the duty of  government  to use  the legitimate  violence  and authority    it has,  to overcome bandits and terrorists  who  kill  Nigerians with impunity   in Sokoto  and other   such   places. That  is the essence  and meaning  of government   and that was what  these  Nigerians voted  for even in the President’s  home state of Katsina  which suffered a similar fate  such that  a military  expedition has  just   been sent  to   quell   the insurgency and marauding.

Unfortunately,  it is such state  monopoly  of violence to effect  authority  that  the Police  has usurped in the  US to  kill  black Americans incessantly and  with impunity,  till  we got  to George Floyd this week . Even   after   that  more  blacks  have been killed in these protests including a  restaurant  owner reputed to be  giving free meals to  police officers on shift  duties. The  history of the US and the  American  Civil  War which   was won  by  Republican  President  Abraham Lincoln   [1861–1865] to free slaves  is the root  cause of the unstoppable  killing of blacks in the US leading to that of George Floyd. The  president who  succeeded  Lincoln, Andrew  Johnson [1865-  1869] his former  Vice  President,  did  not believe in giving blacks equal  rights with whites that Lincoln fought and died for. That  successor   Andrew  Johnson  was impeached like  Donald  Trump  but was cleared in the Senate like Trump,  but with a paltry  vote  of  one. Successive  US  governments  have always ran the US   like  a Police state because they  fear for  their security  and lives in  checking police power . This is because Police members ‘unions   contribute      to   the   campaign  elections  of state  Attorney  Generals, local  Sheriffs    or even  elected judges  as is the case in some states   in  the  US.

Sthe maintenance of law  and order is  the enhancement  of  police power by political  leaders to prevent anarchy and assure their own  security  at the expense of blacks who  have been  historically  profiled as crime prone and unworthy of equal  rights with  whites . Thus supplanting the motive  for which the American Civil   was fought  and won by President  Abraham  Lincoln . Even  the Obama Administration   – 2009 – 2016 –  could  only  survive in  this context  . Even  out  of office Obama  this   week   has called the rioters  and looters to order as he did  repeatedly  for the eight  years he   was  in power  while  blacks were killed by Police in his tenure . Even  if  Michelle ,  Obama’s wife  becomes the Vice  Presidential candidate of the Democratic Party   in this 2020   presidential   elections  the killing of blacks by  American    Police will  still  continue and the looting will follow and be condemned and the Police  invariably   pacified for the killing of blacks .

Again  , the reason  is not difficult  to see and  it lies at the feet  of   American liberal  democracy and conservative politics and  their  political beliefs  and  ideology . The  liberals   nowadays  place sex  and feminine  rights far above black   Americans  rights .  Indeed gay  rights were equated with civil  rights  and this was stolen  into state and federal  laws  during the Obama Administration . To  change  that  is the political  motive of the  present   Republicans with  Trump as their  champion  and that is why  his Administration  is putting Conservative judges  in the Supreme Court to reverse the sexual  orientation   laws  of previous  liberal  American governments including the Obama  one just  recently . The  vengeance of this violent cultural but democratic war  was shown  in the  committed   and fatal  violence with which  the white police  officer held George Floyd,    a 6ft  4in    giant   ,   but  a black   man  ,  by the throat  till  he died. It  was  murder  most  foul and most reprehensible . But  its pedigree is  in  American  history  and  democracy  of the police state ,  called  the rule of  law  in which  the black man’s   rights has  always been a disposable  commodity .This  has    been  so ,  since Abe Lincoln fought the American Civil  war  but  did  not live to see through the real   Reconstruction   and  freedom of the black  slaves for which  he fought   and won  that war . Ever  since  ,  history  has been  repeating  itself with  Police killings of blacks in the US and  I am    saddened  in a very   morbid  manner  , to show why it will  not end with the gruesome  killing of  the gentle giant called George Floyd in Minnesota this last week . Once again  , from the fury of this pandemic , Good Lord Deliver Nigeria.