By Segun Ola-Samuel
These are the ones who work tirelessly to abort the vision of Democracy and it’s ideals.
*The evil of rape* -rape turns what is sweet to bitter. Sex is beautiful but when it comes through rape, it becomes ugly, losing its beauty to the violence of rape. Thus, a rapist becomes criminally liable for sweet experience for him, but bitter for the victim of rape.
Democracy in the vision of the mind behind it, is the government of the people, by the people and for the people. The focus of democracy is therefore on the people: the welfare, security and the overall good. This is what democracy stands for in its best practices and implementation.
However, the rapists have turned it to the dens of rapists, causing the people to bleed profusely and endlessly. It’s quite appalling!
The Rapists of Democracy operate on all fronts of democracy. Let us see how this plays out in this wise
The first thing about the definition of democracy is “government of the people”. Democracy is an opening for the people to decide who rules and leads them through elections. To achieve this, political party/parties is/are put in place to help people identify their leaders and take a decision on them through elections. That’s how people can have a government of their own.
Unfortunately, rapists have hijacked these processes. They throw themselves up with their life ambitious plans to rule over the people. Thus, they spare no effort at attaining leadership over the people. If they don’t get it through the laid down rules and regulations, they fashion out other means of manipulating their ways through the rules and regulations to attain leadership through the political parties and the elections. Therefore, they become professional politicians lording things over the political institutions in order to attain leadership.
They come up to seek leadership and when they are not given, they fashion out means of grabbing it, snatching it and running with it. Of course, in the process of running with it, they are ready to keep those running after them to snatch it back, through scaring opposition away with bold face. If it fails, they use the flat side of the cutlass to beat them, and if the opposition persists, they deal with them in the manner of the soap dealing with the eyes. So, in end of it all, the ideal ot the ” government of the people” becomes a mirage. No thanks to the rapists of democracy. Practical examples : someone who never stood for the primary election of his party once used the court to overturn the primary election, and went ahead to become a senator. What of the outgoing governors who rode on the power of money to become the consensus candidates of their parties, bullying other candidates into submission. Do you want to claim that you are not aware of the presidential candidate who got more votes than the accredited voters during the party’s primary election? The rapists of democracy will stop at nothing to execute their escapades. Thus, leaving democracy bleeding profusely.
The second aspect of the definition of democracy which says it is the government,” by the people”, also gets raped by the manipulation of the election processes by the rapists. These rapists at this level manipulate the elections through rigging, vote buying, thuggery, maiming, kidnapping and assassination, as a last result. Can you therefore call these people a representation of the government by the people? Absolutely not . They are rapists of democracy. They are ill wind that blows no one any good. All that they do is evil continually. For those rapists, it is always a fight to finish. They care less if winter time suddenly turns to summer or the day becomes the night in a jiffy. Even if blood flows as they snatch it, grab it and run with it. How can such now be the government ” by the people” vision of democracy? Absolutely not.
The evils of these rapists are better imagined than experienced. They unleash thugs in the transport system on voters and political opponents at will. They intimidate voters before, during and after elections. They corrupt electoral officials to manipulate results in their Favour, and thereafter tell the opposition to go to court, knowing full well that the court is already compromised. They kill like in Kogi state, where a woman leader of the opposition party was burnt to death. What of character assassination of political opponents. They called Goodluck Jonathan a drunk and blood thirsty man, who had a killer squad trained as snipers. The list seems endless. Indeed , these rapists are evil and desperately wicked.
The, we have the third level of the rapists making a nonsense of the government ” for the people” focus of democracy. For the people? Is this democracy really for the people? With the glamour and power in display with impunity by politicians and the elites – political, civil service, traditional ruling, religious etc. With the “Aye L’Oyinbo N Je Ku” lifestyle of President, Governors and Chairmen of local government etc. This, obviously was not the mind construction of the father of democracy.
National and State budgets are tailor-made for the comfort of the office holders, even if shrouded in the garment of the *peoples’ welfare* . If it is the government of the people, why are the people not rejoicing with the policies of the governments in force? If is the government of the people, why are the people making sacrifices and the leadership and the elites eating the Sacrifices? It reminds me of the late afro beat legend, Fela Anikulapo Kuti’s Unknown Soldier. He screamed “if” endlessly as he lamented about the Unknown Soldier verdict of the government about raping, maiming and destruction that took place in his Kalakuta Republic. What a shame to our leaders and Elites. This is why democracy is becoming unattractive in the world today, especially in the African countries. What we have is an aberration of democracy as contrived by its father, Abraham Lincoln.
The present day democracy in my nation is not that of the government for the people. Rather, it is a government for the rapists of democracy, parading themselves as politicians. If it is not so, let the political office holders come and explain to us, the source of the wealth they are flaunting about, in and out of office. It has become so bad that former public thieves and looters are now calling themselves saints, in comparison to the present day office holders. They cannot defend themselves against this, and if anyone of them can, let him come out to face us on the hot seat.
WAYS OF THE RAPISTS OF DEMOCRACY
Perverting justice through compromising the judiciary. Plea bargaining to create soft landing for the caught corrupt ones. Enacting laws to encourage forgery. Or how do you explain the National Assembly enacting laws to water down the Act of forgery in the political landscape? . Haba, Is that not a ploy to stop the masquerade from dancing naked?
*Effects of the rapists of democracy on our land.*
Under-development. Corruption. Insecurity. Loss of good virtues – “yahooism” and “olosoism” being the order of the day. It’s a sad reality stirring us in the face. What a shame!
It’s time to “SPARK” and put an end to the activities of the rapists of democracy. Osun State electorates just led the way for others to follow. We cannot build a great nation traveling on this route of the rapists of democracy. We must change the course of the trajectory, and chart a new course for our nation. This is the appropriate time to return to, or revisit the slogan, TO MAKE NIGERIA GREAT IS A TASK THAT MUST BE DONE.
Let us tell the rapists of democracy, Enough is Enough!
