Why the Arm Forces Should not Force orTake Power?
According to africanreview.org:
Following the sudden death of President Gnassingbe Eyadema, the Prime Minister Koffi Sama called upon the security agencies to maintain law and order. He also announced that all the land borders and air space had been closed, along with the international airport in the capital, Lome. The security agencies consisting of the army, navy, air force, police and the gendarmerie led by the Chief of Defence Staff, General Zakari Nandja swore an oath of allegiance to Faure Gnassingbe as the new Head of State subverting the Togolese constitution (p. 10)
Reference:
Retrieved December 31, 2008 from
www.africanreview.org/events/paxafrica2008/evolverole.pdf
Is this process the democratic concept wherein noble and diverse people of Togo longed for? No!
What should the ECOWAS community do in Togo?
The ECOWAS community should:
• Evaluate the unethical source and mandate an election wherein the Man-Appointed President is not allowed to rule;
• Condemn the lack of democratic growth that crowns corruption and punishes integrity;
• Empower political parties to negotiate new democratic partnership based on result-bound decision-making and delegation;
• Create and sustain momentum through the voice of the Togolese;
• Stand up for the best interest of governed;
• Change the attitude of leaders who don’t believe in power sharing.
Success requires leadership driven innovation that establishes unique opportunities through development of unprecedented new business processes (Christensen et al., 2002)
Dr. King, an African descent, is reminding us:
When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every [Togolese] was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men would be guaranteed the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
It is obvious today that [the Togolese arm forces have] defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens …are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, [Togolese arm forces have] given the [Togolese] people a bad check which has come back marked "insufficient funds." But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation.
Retrieved December 31, 2008 from http://www.mlkonline.net/dream.html
In a sense, the duty of the ECOWAS community is to see to it that:
• Democratic process is evaluated from the inside out;
• Democracy is restored by planning future election;
• New partnership is revived to restore the country’s pride;
• New leadership project is implemented to motivate new partnership accountable to the people;
• Ethical and democratic vision becomes the driving force of communication and leadership;
• Accountability and self-discipline become the motive of the nation’s leadership.
Deardorff (2005) wrote: Leaders are called upon to “confront the basic reality of transformation” because “what may have been a premise for successful management in the past is no longer viable” (Imparato & Harari, 1994, p. 4).
In a sense, the community has to request the democratic rule in Togo. After the death of the Togolese President, a free, fair and transparent election was not the legitimate means through which the President’s son access to political power. The ECOWAS community accepted unconditionally this illegal and unconstitutional means to obtain power in Togo. There were no democratic principles respected. The time has come for us to do our duty.
This example of obtaining power in Togo and Congo is the new form of dictatorship. Aristotle, in Politics, argued, “If they do not share equally in enjoyments and toils, those who labour much and get little will necessarily complain of those who labour little and receive or consume much.” The idea that those who labour much get little has belittled most loyal Africans in such a way that they are reduced to doing nothing. As John W. Gardner, in The Cry for Leadership, suggested, “Most men and women go through their lives using no more than a fraction – usually a rather small fraction – of the potentialities within them. The reservoir of unused human talent and energy is vast, and learning to tap that reservoir more effectively is one of the exciting tasks ahead for humankind.” ECOWAS community, the time has come to stand together with democratic minded Togolese for leaders who will give hope and vision that empower Togolese to effectively tap the reservoir of their potential.
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