It is a refusal to make use of the class analytical framework in the first place that led all those who have been eager to see ONLY ethnicity and religion not only in the pattern of voting but also in the response to the results, to the conclusions they so willingly jumped to: Muslim North versus Christian South: Muslim candidate versus christian candidate! Per haps it is also an expression of class interest to view these developments only as such.
Regards,
JG
From: Cornelius Hamelberg <corneliushamelberg@gmail.com>
To: USA Africa Dialogue Series <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Saturday, April 23, 2011 12:10 AM
Subject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - RE- Nigeria: Fair vote, Fragile Future
A balanced and forward-looking opinion. Dele Olojede has lifted the
veil to dissipate the myth that the riots in Northern Nigeria depict
angry machete-wielding Muslim Jihadists hell bent on slaughtering as
many children of Christ as possible on Good Friday. On the contrary :
"But the current fury in Nigeria's north is
different and alarming: the population, long
ruled by a conservative religious and political
elite, has for the first time turned on its most
revered institutions, burning the palaces of
emirs and the homes of religious leaders seen as
"collaborators" with the corrupt political
establishment in Abuja, the capital.
Even the Sultan of Sokoto, the most powerful and
respected Muslim religious figure in Nigeria, was
pelted with satchels of water in the street - a
hitherto unthinkable act of public humiliation.
Powerful Muslim businessmen, suspected of bribing
voters and attempting to rig elections in Mr.
Jonathan's favor, also had their homes set ablaze.
Over the past few days we have seen the old order
go up in the smoke rising over emirs' palaces. "
Is there any justification for describing Muhammadu Buhari as "a
taciturn and somewhat
ascetic leader " - with just that much of a hint, suggesting perhaps
something more sinister and in keeping with the image of that
especially austere , fundamental Muslim type of being?
Mahatma Gandhi was ascetic in a very Hindu kind of way, but Buhari?
Mahatma Gandhi practised Mouna ( Hindu vows of silence) – whole days
of silence, but that would not justify his being described as "
taciturn" either - or, that like Buhari, he did not have powers of
self-expression when he had occasions to speak and make himself heard.
Just because Muhammadu Buhari does not go shooting his mouth all over
the place like some political chatterboxes does not justify him being
described as "taciturn" - and he cannot be respectfully described as
"voluble" either – like some of the political loudspeakers and rooftop
amplifiers, always blaring their message at the highest volume,
trying to communicate with the whole street , as if we've all suddenly
gone deaf.
"The very future of the country, whether it
remains unified or the cleavage demonstrated in
voting patterns becomes concrete, depends on the
leadership skills displayed by Mr. Jonathan and
Mr. Buhari over the coming days and weeks." ( Dele Olojede)
We all love Nigeria. For the love of Nigeria, for the love of peace
and quiet the demands are high to quell the spirit of anti-corruption
and the revulsion with which it views vote-rigging on the one hand
and the hunger for power which promotes the vote rigging and boasts of
democracy at the same time. In my view the love for Nigeria and for
peace and quiet should be predicated on fair play and Justice. So
before strewing any ridiculous demands along the path of Mr. Buhari we
had better address the issues raised in a spirit of fair play and
Justice: look into the allegations. Then the spontaneous outbreak of
anger which is not orchestrated by Mr. Buhari ( and I'm feeling it
here in Stockholm) – that anger could subside.
What has puzzled me most is that , as we know, Buhari's second in
command at that critical junction in Nigeria's political history, was
Tunde Idiagbon -a Yoruba man - and yet Buhari did not win any of the
predominantly Yoruba states and in fact accuses "Lagos State Governor
Bolaji Ahmed Tinubu of trading off the South West region to President
Goodluck Ebele Jonathan in the last Saturday's Presidential election
in a secret deal struck shortly before the poll."
http://www.osundefender.org/?p=15215
When a man described as "a taciturn and somewhat ascetic leader "
makes such an accusation , it should be taken seriously by the bodies
that are legally equipped to investigate and of course to provide the
material evidence to support these charges and to deal justice.
How many ways to skin a cat? The accusations are about "very
sophisticated rigging strategies"
On the whole the media is agog with reports that the election was
reasonably free and fair and some go as far as saying that the
elections were the freest and most fairest in Nigeria's history.
What can asserted without contradiction is that it has been the most
peaceful presidential election so far and not marred by violence. But
the absence of violence and strife, electricity blackouts and the
disappearance of ballot boxes in counting houses or the disappearance
or the change of hands of ballot boxes in transit to counting
centres - from lawful hands to more dubious hands - and many other
such anomalies that characterized the last election when Goodluck
Jonathan was running mate to Umaru Yar'adua - the absence of all
that melodrama does not mean that Mr. So-and-So can place his hand
of the Bible and solemnly swear that there was no rigging whatsoever
this time round.
Previously I asked by what miracle could Goodluck Jonathan harvest
over a million votes in Kaduna? Check the population of Kaduna. Check
the number of people registered to vote in Kaduna. Add up the number
of votes cast and there you have a problem.....not an answer.
If we are really interested in Justice and in the free and fair then
these are serious allegations, and here Muhammadu Buhari alleges
rigging from the air
http://www.google.se/search?hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&biw=1280&bih=811&q=Muhammadu+Buhari+alleges+rigging+from+the+air&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=
http://www.google.se/search?hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&biw=1280&bih=811&q=Muhammadu+Buhari+alleges+rigging&btnG=Search&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=
--
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To: USA Africa Dialogue Series <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Saturday, April 23, 2011 12:10 AM
Subject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - RE- Nigeria: Fair vote, Fragile Future
A balanced and forward-looking opinion. Dele Olojede has lifted the
veil to dissipate the myth that the riots in Northern Nigeria depict
angry machete-wielding Muslim Jihadists hell bent on slaughtering as
many children of Christ as possible on Good Friday. On the contrary :
"But the current fury in Nigeria's north is
different and alarming: the population, long
ruled by a conservative religious and political
elite, has for the first time turned on its most
revered institutions, burning the palaces of
emirs and the homes of religious leaders seen as
"collaborators" with the corrupt political
establishment in Abuja, the capital.
Even the Sultan of Sokoto, the most powerful and
respected Muslim religious figure in Nigeria, was
pelted with satchels of water in the street - a
hitherto unthinkable act of public humiliation.
Powerful Muslim businessmen, suspected of bribing
voters and attempting to rig elections in Mr.
Jonathan's favor, also had their homes set ablaze.
Over the past few days we have seen the old order
go up in the smoke rising over emirs' palaces. "
Is there any justification for describing Muhammadu Buhari as "a
taciturn and somewhat
ascetic leader " - with just that much of a hint, suggesting perhaps
something more sinister and in keeping with the image of that
especially austere , fundamental Muslim type of being?
Mahatma Gandhi was ascetic in a very Hindu kind of way, but Buhari?
Mahatma Gandhi practised Mouna ( Hindu vows of silence) – whole days
of silence, but that would not justify his being described as "
taciturn" either - or, that like Buhari, he did not have powers of
self-expression when he had occasions to speak and make himself heard.
Just because Muhammadu Buhari does not go shooting his mouth all over
the place like some political chatterboxes does not justify him being
described as "taciturn" - and he cannot be respectfully described as
"voluble" either – like some of the political loudspeakers and rooftop
amplifiers, always blaring their message at the highest volume,
trying to communicate with the whole street , as if we've all suddenly
gone deaf.
"The very future of the country, whether it
remains unified or the cleavage demonstrated in
voting patterns becomes concrete, depends on the
leadership skills displayed by Mr. Jonathan and
Mr. Buhari over the coming days and weeks." ( Dele Olojede)
We all love Nigeria. For the love of Nigeria, for the love of peace
and quiet the demands are high to quell the spirit of anti-corruption
and the revulsion with which it views vote-rigging on the one hand
and the hunger for power which promotes the vote rigging and boasts of
democracy at the same time. In my view the love for Nigeria and for
peace and quiet should be predicated on fair play and Justice. So
before strewing any ridiculous demands along the path of Mr. Buhari we
had better address the issues raised in a spirit of fair play and
Justice: look into the allegations. Then the spontaneous outbreak of
anger which is not orchestrated by Mr. Buhari ( and I'm feeling it
here in Stockholm) – that anger could subside.
What has puzzled me most is that , as we know, Buhari's second in
command at that critical junction in Nigeria's political history, was
Tunde Idiagbon -a Yoruba man - and yet Buhari did not win any of the
predominantly Yoruba states and in fact accuses "Lagos State Governor
Bolaji Ahmed Tinubu of trading off the South West region to President
Goodluck Ebele Jonathan in the last Saturday's Presidential election
in a secret deal struck shortly before the poll."
http://www.osundefender.org/?p=15215
When a man described as "a taciturn and somewhat ascetic leader "
makes such an accusation , it should be taken seriously by the bodies
that are legally equipped to investigate and of course to provide the
material evidence to support these charges and to deal justice.
How many ways to skin a cat? The accusations are about "very
sophisticated rigging strategies"
On the whole the media is agog with reports that the election was
reasonably free and fair and some go as far as saying that the
elections were the freest and most fairest in Nigeria's history.
What can asserted without contradiction is that it has been the most
peaceful presidential election so far and not marred by violence. But
the absence of violence and strife, electricity blackouts and the
disappearance of ballot boxes in counting houses or the disappearance
or the change of hands of ballot boxes in transit to counting
centres - from lawful hands to more dubious hands - and many other
such anomalies that characterized the last election when Goodluck
Jonathan was running mate to Umaru Yar'adua - the absence of all
that melodrama does not mean that Mr. So-and-So can place his hand
of the Bible and solemnly swear that there was no rigging whatsoever
this time round.
Previously I asked by what miracle could Goodluck Jonathan harvest
over a million votes in Kaduna? Check the population of Kaduna. Check
the number of people registered to vote in Kaduna. Add up the number
of votes cast and there you have a problem.....not an answer.
If we are really interested in Justice and in the free and fair then
these are serious allegations, and here Muhammadu Buhari alleges
rigging from the air
http://www.google.se/search?hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&biw=1280&bih=811&q=Muhammadu+Buhari+alleges+rigging+from+the+air&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=
http://www.google.se/search?hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&biw=1280&bih=811&q=Muhammadu+Buhari+alleges+rigging&btnG=Search&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=
--
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/USAAfricaDialogue
For previous archives, visit http://www.utexas.edu/conferences/africa/ads/index.html
To post to this group, send an email to USAAfricaDialogue@googlegroups.com
To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to USAAfricaDialogue-
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