Oga Ochonu, " You add nothing of value to discussions on this listserv. Your prose is challenged, your thinking pedestrian and self-absorbed. So what are you good for? Go get a life. Not everyone is as obsessed with religious determinism as you are!"- Moses Ebe Ochonu Hmmm. Another shock and awe onslaught, eh? Hey, na waoh! Everyone that response to you meets your brietzkriegs and bazookas.....Ha, sooner you will be Mr. English wey misroad for History department. Take life jeje, my brother. No be everything man dey take too seriously! Enjoy the bliss, smell the flower, and peep into the museum of life, there is more life than cyberassaults and cyberpunching. As ndi Igbo helps us understand let "egbe bere ugo bere" (Let the eagle perch, let the hawk perch). Afterall, this space na for dialogue, so make the Jagajaga people speak their ajagbam, and make the turenci bature ape their oyingbo like madness. Na talk we all dey! No one dey here to write dissertation! Anyway, make you enjoy that your brother, Bongos Ikwue music well. You hear me? No be only for your ears alone! Me too, I don buy the CD collections from CD Baby as my Christmas treat to myself. Please, all those who love the old time, good Naija (apologies to yeye Dora Nafdac Infomatic Mint) music, it is only $65 bulks for the entire collections of 5 CDs. Please no shoot me back like those Boko Haram miscreants. Sha, I suppose that your tenure go well, and Gbagbo go hear your tenor well well! Spare Biko, Karim Bangura, and me and all those your opposition party that if you have the Gbagbo will you will throw to lions' den for their Christmas party. Professor Om'Otukpo, a beg me I don comot, I no dey for were were, oh! Before you finish fight all those Pharaohs wey na your nemesis, me I don duck oh! Enjoy yourself brother, I hope Gbagbo and Quattara go receive your admonition and hear (gba gbo) you, no go dey kwatta spoil Christmas, as Charles Taylor bin do for Liberia for 1989! I hope Obama go send you as him Cabinet envoy in case of katakata for that Coast of Ivory. By the way with all your animus for liberals, I am enthused that you dey pursue Bangura for him stance against the King of Liberals (according to Tea Party queen, Sara Palin abi na Starlins for short sef!)? Dis wan na big conversion, abi na lingering Merapi volcano? I go see you for Otukpo railway junction for Christmas oh! *************** In all, Gbagbo and his roguery must be denounced squarely and vocally. The man has no conscience. We pitied him in 2000 when the late Robert Guei did his ojoro (manoeuvre/maneuver), now he has even shown worst traits. This son of a gun must be pushed out. The people have spoken, no matter the shortcomings of Quatarra, he is the choice of Ivoriens. It is absolutely shameful, and an insult to Africans and Black people imagination and pride everywhere. Recurrently, this is increasingly becoming the case within the continents that incumbents after validly held elections continue to deny the people their fair deal, in manipulating and coercively rejecting the freely given popular mandates of their citizenry. Under this circumstances many roguery leaders have continued to stay put, as an outright affront against the sovereignty of the citizenship. This was the case in Nigeria (1993), Algeria (1993), Cote d'Ivoire (2000), Togo (2005), Zimbabwe (2007), Kenya (2008), and now this case again of Cote d'Ivoire. On this matter, both Ochonu and Bangura, assert the same conclusion that Gbagbo is an impostor that needs to relinguish power. Herein, both have made valid contributions and made their voices heard. However, the interpretation of the actions of the elected President Quattara regarding Prime Minister Soro that is in contention here. Well, the kind of controlled democracy where ethnicity and cabinet trade offs become key, and propelled for African nations as normatively ideal, often is a function of the anormalous salience given to the central administration under skewed federal arrangements. If power is actually devolved and equitably pursued at the fringe, it might well be, that the kind of potentials for conflict would be minimized. My question remain, why do we privilege this kind of skewed arrangement for African countries and the same is not expected even in nations such as India, not to talk of the west. I mean Canada has the same kind of "ethnic/national" divide- the French and the English which became heightened in the Quebecois movement and debates of the 1990s, but we have not seen such perspectives introduced there where an elected government has to utilize regionalism, ethnicity, as its portent key toward enjoying legitimacy. The United States is very diverse and there is the North and South divide, but these are not always factorized into the making of government. Precisely, I think that the sole reasons for this conflicts is that what is crucial to true democratic governance, the legislature, in most African nations is crippled and overshadowed by the executives, regardless of the theoretical but idle insinuation of its independence. Any valid reforms that would minimize the kind of increasing conflicts arising out of presidential elections, would first engender certain critical reforms in terms of balancing regional or ethnic representations in the legislature, ensure the vitality and independence of different levels and divisions of government. Empowering states and regions, and big cities/municipalities as autonomous sites of political actions/activities as independently capable of pursuing their own economic growths and development based upon their resources and needs, without an overt and nerving oversight from and overdependence on the central, would help to stymie the attraction of the central. One example is the case of northern Nigeria in the First Republic (1960-66), when the Premier, Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Sardauna of Sokoto, forfeited going to Lagos but preferred staying in Kaduna to forge the foundational structure of northern Nigeria. In his place, as the party leader of the Northern People's Congress he sent Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa to Lagos, where he became the Prime Minister. In the same way, Chief Obafemi Awolowo preoccupied himself with Western Nigeria. In spite of many shortcomings, these regionalization efforts did in fact, worked effectively to make these regions central of political focus and actions. As best as possible, therefore, one cannot exclude the range of perspectives that could be helpful on matters like this. Name callings and exclusionary attempt to obliterate others' positions and act as if one person, holds the insightful key to resolving such matters must be decried. It is significant to note that even the illiterate trader or farmer in rural Cote d'Ivoire possess value opinions that matters, even if their prose may be obnoxious to the eyes. As a matter of fact, their votes I am sure did matter, even if poor in literarily constructing very meaningful sensemaking proses. If the political process does include all in decisions that favors the nation, why should we here be haranguing over whose prose is better. I am tired of these Messrs. Londoners and Parisians in Black Skins,and these newly minted "Been-tos" who pride themselves in theirself-serving newly polyglotted Oyingbo patois and adopted heaths of alienation, avidly seeking relevance but can hardly even speak their own mother tongue fluently. Oh, Children of Okele!
--- On Tue, 12/7/10, Moses Ebe Ochonu <meochonu@gmail.com> wrote:
From: Moses Ebe Ochonu <meochonu@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Coup d'état in Cote d'Ivoire
To: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com
Date: Tuesday, December 7, 2010, 8:40 AM
Abdul, you can't help exhibiting your intellectual rascality even if you tried, can you? You should be shamed for resorting so cheaply to emotional blackmail in such a serious continental matter. Why do you easily run out of ideas and logic and why are you so quick to project your primordial and emotional sympathies unto others? You're pathetic. What a disgrace to scholarship! Apart from childishly dropping names, bashing Obama, and announcing your every personal move condescendingly to your peers as if you're on twitter or facebook, what do you do on this forum? You add nothing of value to discussions on this listserv. Your prose is challenged, your thinking pedestrian and self-absorbed. So what are you good for? Go get a life. Not everyone is as obsessed with religious determinism as you are! 2010/12/7 Moses Ebe Ochonu <meochonu@gmail.com> Gloria,
I recognize that offering jobs to members of Mr. Gbagbo's government/cabinet (in addition to Soro, Ouattara has reportedly offered jobs to other Gbagbo cabinet members) may be a shrewd political move, but appointing Mr. Soro in particular as the prime minister is not in the spirit of reconciliation and may stoke future crisis. Mr. Soro is no supporter of Gbagbo and is not a Southerner; he is/was a New Force leader who was representing the New Force and the North in the unity/transition government. As you know, Gbagbo only reluctantly accepted this arrangement. Gbagbo may have been rejected by the majority of the voters, but in the South, he enjoys fanatical support. So Southerners will likely interpret the (re)appointment of Soro as a deliberate affront on them. So, far from a wise move, appointing a leader of the New Forces whose political constituency is in the North to the second highest office in the country is a potentially escalatory provocation. I recognize that Ouattara is probably trying to ensure the realization of his mandate by pandering to the major political figures in the country in order to isolate Mr. Gbagbo, but at what cost? At the cost of peace and unity? If the appointment holds, would it not amount to alienating and marginalizing the Southern half of the country? You'll have two figures who essentially represent the political interests of the New Forces and their allies occupying the two most powerful offices in the country. Political pragmatism calls for a regionally representative government in which the top two posts of president and prime minister are occupied by a Northerner (New Force sympathizer--Ouattara) and a Southerner or someone with a political constituency in the South of the country. I fear that Ouattara may have sown the seed for more division. As dictatorial as Gbagbo was, he reluctantly accepted Soro as his prime minister because he saw that without sharing power with the New Forces/North, the country would remain divided and may implode. Mr. Ouattara ought to do be inclusive and not pander to his New Force supporters. 2010/12/6 Emeagwali, Gloria (History) <emeagwali@mail.ccsu.edu>
'What sane logic explains the appointment of Guilliame Soro, the leader
of the New Force rebel force, as the Prime Minister?' Ochonu
In fact, appointing Guilliaume Soro was a shrewd move, if you note that Soro was Prime Minister
in the Gbagbo regime for the last three years, in the spirit of reconciliation.
Ouattara won the election outright. Not only did he get support from the North
but also from Bedie's Baule supporters in the Center.He also got huge supporters in the South.
Bedie apparently agreed with Ouattara on this move.
Gloria Emeagwali
www.africahistory.net<http://www.africahistory.net/>
________________________________
From: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com [usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Moses Ebe Ochonu [meochonu@gmail.com]
Sent: Monday, December 06, 2010 3:46 PM
To: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Coup d'état in Cote d'Ivoire
Even though Mr. Ouattara's IMF association is worrying, especially in light of the enthusiastic and uncharacteristically hasty and unequivocal support for his victory, this is democracy and there is a sacred quality to the democratically expressed will of the electorate. The people of Ivory Coast have a right to choose any eligible Ivorian of whatever pedigree and professional calling to lead them. In the interest of democracy and respect for the will of the majority, Gbagbo must vacate the presidency for the apparent winner.
That said, Mr. Ouattara's first act as the elected president is scandalous to say the least and raises concern that, like Gbagbo, he may quickly transition from respected opposition leader and intellectual to a divisive egomaniac concerned only about political self-preservation. What sane logic explains the appointment of Guilliame Soro, the leader of the New Force rebel force, as the Prime Minister? Is this not a recipe for further crisis? Instead of appointing someone from the South in a gesture of inclusion and national unity, Mr. Ouattarra has chosen the leader of the northern rebel movement that is widely despised in the South, ensuring that the positions of president and prime minister are located in the hands of people with political constituencies in the North and with sympathies to the New Forces.
I don't understand the political wisdom or the altruistic patriotism of this move. Time will tell. But I am not yet impressed with Mr. Ouattara's ability to forge peace and reconciliation in the fractious country.
2010/12/5 Abdul Karim Bangura <theai@earthlink.net<mailto:theai@earthlink.net>>
Thanks a heap for this press release, Mwalimu Ibrahim. I will cite it tonight during my Al Jazeera International TV interview on Cote d'Ivoire. I had been on the show a couple of nights ago to discuss this crisis. As you may not know, I have been working with peace groups and women's cooperatives all over the country for many years and I had just returned from there a couple of days before the election. I am being updated by our folks in the country minute-by-minute. Gbagbo will go sooner than he thinks!!!. We have a Conversation On Africa meeting tomorrow in Washington, DC to strategize about how to put pressure inside and outside the country to make him stand down faster. In Peace Always, Abdul Karim Bangura/. 4th December 2010 Press Release Coup d'état in Cote d'Ivoire Jibrin Ibrahim PhD Director Centre for Democracy and Development Today, 4th December 2010, the spectre of renewed bloody conflict emerged in Cote d'Ivoire following the illegal swearing of Mr Laurent Gbagbo as President of the country. This followed the closure of the country's borders by the army and the declaration of a curfew the night before the November 28th second round presidential elections. Gbagbo supporters have also jammed all foreign radio broadcasts to stop citizens listening to the condemnation of the Coup d'état. The Electoral Commission had declared Alassane Quattara winner of the polls with 54.1% of the popular vote in last Sunday's elections. During the initial public presentation of the results, a supporter of Mr Gbagbo had seized and torn the result sheets to shreds as if to announce to the whole world that they would not accept the verdict of the ballot box. Subsequently, Mr Gbagbo got his cronies in the Constitutional Council to annual Quattara's votes before the Electoral Commission had even transmitted the tally to them and declared Gbagbo elected. The United Nations, which closely followed the collation of the votes, has however affirmed that the Electoral Commission is right; Mr Quattara won the presidential elections. The Peace and Security Council of the African Union in a press release today has clearly "condemned the usurpation of the popular will of the people in Cote d'Ivoire." At the same time, ECOWAS which deployed a major Observer Team for the elections for the elections has reaffirmed its commitment "to ensure peaceful and democratic election in line with the ECOWAS Declaration on Political Principles and the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance." In addition, it very clearly "strongly condemns any attempt to usurp the popular will of the people of Côte d'Ivoire and appeals to all stakeholders to accept the results declared by the electoral commission." In pursuit of this objective, ECOWAS has convened the Authority of Heads of State and Government to an Extraordinary Summit in Abuja, Nigeria on Tuesday, 7th December, 2010 with the sole objective of examining the situation and deciding on subsequent action on the crisis in Côte d'Ivoire in accordance with the ECOWAS relevant texts. The Centre for Democracy and Development calls on ECOWAS under Nigeria's presidency to act decisively: 1. In affirming the victory of Alassane Quattara as the duly elected President of Cote d'Ivoire. 2. In taking immediate steps condemning the coup d'état and suspending Cote d'Ivoire from ECOWAS until there is a return to the constitutional order. 3. To take proactive steps to immediately remove Laurent Gbagbo from power and install Alassane Quattara who the International Contact Group as well as the Ivorian Electoral Commission have declared as the duly elected president of the country. It is important to recall that the elections in Cote d'Ivoire are part of the long and pain staking attempts to save the country from the ravages of civil war following Laurent Gbagbo's refusal to hold elections for five successive years after his last electoral mandate expired in 2005. Cote d'Ivoire is a country that was not too long ago one of the shining stars of stability and prosperity in the West African region. This history was shattered when war broke out between the between the government-controlled Southern army and the Forces Nouvelles (New Forces) controlled by the Northerners. The human carnage and heavy collateral damage associated with the conflict was unprecedented. West Africa cannot afford a return to civil war. The coup which brought General Robert Guei to power in December 1999 erupted just before the general elections slated for 2000. General Guei who had promised to stay in power only to "sweep the house clean" took all by surprise when he indicated his interest to run in the elections. He disqualified Quattara from standing in the October 2000 elections, via a politically manipulated Supreme Court judgment, on the grounds that the latter's mother was from Burkina Faso. The exclusion prompted Quattara's RDR to call for a boycott of the elections. General Guei's attempt to stop the elections in which early results indicated Gbagbo was winning led to widespread protests and violent demonstrations by Gbagbo's FPI against him. Guei was assassinated and Gbagbo emerged as President who maintained the exclusion policy. The result was civil war. A second exclusion of Quattara in a context in which he had already won a free and fair election would definitely precipitate civil war if pro-active measures are not taken to restore the sovereignty of the Ivorian people. Jibrin Ibrahim PhD Director -- Toyin Falola Department of History The University of Texas at Austin 1 University Station Austin, TX 78712-0220 USA 512 475 7224 512 475 7222 (fax) http://www.toyinfalola.com/ www.utexas.edu/conferences/africa<http://www.utexas.edu/conferences/africa>
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There is enough in the world for everyone's need but not for everyone's greed.
---Mohandas Gandhi
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-- There is enough in the world for everyone's need but not for everyone's greed.
---Mohandas Gandhi
-- There is enough in the world for everyone's need but not for everyone's greed. ---Mohandas Gandhi -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the "USA-Africa Dialogue Series" moderated by Toyin Falola, University of Texas at Austin. For current archives, visit http://groups.google.com/group/USAAfricaDialogueFor previous archives, visit http://www.utexas.edu/conferences/africa/ads/index.htmlTo post to this group, send an email to USAAfricaDialogue@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to USAAfricaDialogue- unsubscribe@googlegroups.com
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