| WHO SHOULD YOU VOTE FOR? Afis A. Oladosu "The dearest and nearest among you to me on the Day of Resurrection will be one who is the best of you in manners; and the most abhorrent among you to me and the farthest of you from me will be the pompous, the garrulous, and Al-Mutafaihiqun." The Companions asked him: "O Messenger of Allah! We know about the pompous and the garrulous, but we do not know who Al-Mutafaihiqun are." He replied: "The arrogant people." Sooner will a camel pass through a needle's eye than a great man be "discovered" by an election.
A brief contemplation of the above epigraphs would reveal the path which today's sermon has been destined to take. Whereas the Quranic verse quoted above which talks about authority is very much known to us as Muslims, the statement of Adolf Hitler, despite its pertinence and relevance, is very much unpopular except perhaps to those who specialize in "Hitler" or German Studies. The so-called anti-Semitic German leader appears to have hit the nail on the head with his opinion that elections, given the way it has been handed down by the West to all societies in the contemporary period, cannot produce great men and women. The election processes appear to have been designed to foist on human societies "leaders" who, ordinarily, would not be appointed as village heads of their individual communities.
In other words, despite the assumption that democracy is the best means of governance, it is pertinent to note that the system is equally the worst of all human contraptions and pretensions to self-rule and self-determination. Since 1999 when this country joined the "democractic" world, it appears the process has only succeeded in producing two or three characters who could be referred to as Statesmen in this country: one each in the Northern, Western and Eastern parts of our country. "Dem-all-crazy" in Nigeria has ensured the emergence of charlatans as governors and assured the birth and the ascendancy of roguish personalities as legislators. Not only has the democratic experience brought out, in the main, the bad and the ugly in us, it has equally functioned in showing how perverse our cultural values has become. Or how else might we explain the saga of the "boy" who was sent to jail and was celebrated by his people on his return? How might we begin to make sense of the psychology and spiritual status of that "prince" who still had the temerity and audacity to organize a thanksgiving service after he was sent out of government house for being a usurper and a fiendish kidnapper of popular will. Brethren, it is only in Nigeria that the human subject would give thanks to the gods for "protecting" him while he was looting the commonwealth!
Beginning today, Nigerians will head to the polls to appoint new set of leaders, rather, "dealers", who would pilot the affairs of the nation, hopefully, for the next four years. Like all previous elections or, rather selections, each time Nigeria goes to the poll, it usually feels as if the country is in forced labour. There is usually apprehension and fear all over the country. Mosques were agog yesterday with prayers to the Almighty so that the elections may be peaceful, so that this country may not go the way of Kigali or Abidjan. This is because events during the past days and weeks appeared to show that Nigeria is on a brink of disaster. it fely as if we were on the periphery of a catastrophe. The political class appeared to be desirous of turning this landscape to a wasteland. They want to sacrifice the Nigerian polity to the goddess of greed, incontinence, and depravity.
Thus the question needs to be asked: what is your duty as a Muslim in this situation? May I remind you that your first duty is to your creator, Allah, the designer and sustainer of the heavens and the earth. It is He who has taught us that power and authority belongs solely to Him. Allah has taught us to see political power as a service to Him first, then as an opportunity to improve on the socio-political and economic circumstance of our fellow human beings.
One way by which you as a Muslim would give practical effect to this teaching of Islam is to go out tomorrow and cast your vote. But that would throw up another question: who exactly should you vote for among the motley of promise-givers who have appropriated the airwaves during the past couple of weeks? Answering this question would no doubt be a herculean task. This is because the political climate is hazy and insuperable. It reminds one of Shakespeare's axiom - all that is fair is foul; all that is foul is fair. But I thought the starting point for you as a Muslim is to identify the pious one among the crowd seeking public offices. Identify those who have a pedigree, those who have been tested and trusted. It is these characters who merit you vote.
Or let me put it this way- just before you cast your vote, try and identify those who may be described as oppressors and embezzlers. Deny these characters your vote and cast your ballot for the other candidate. Identify those who have promised to build bridges where there is no water. Deny these characters your vote and cast your ballot for the other candidate. Identify those who have promised to create dams in the desert and make the moon appear at dawn. Deny these characters your vote and cast your ballot for the other candidate. Identify those under whose hegemony this country has suffered retardation and degradation. Identify those under whose suzerainty our cities have been turned to a guillotine where the innocent have been killed and the young have consequently been orphanated. Cast your ballot not for them but for the other candidates. After having cast your ballot, try and ensure your vote is counted. In other words, protect your vote. Allah says "if you do not do it…there would be fitnah (tribulation) on land and much corruption…" (A version of this piece appeared in the Guarduan yesterday)
|
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-
unsubscribe@googlegroups.com
No comments:
Post a Comment