In far away India, a simple, 74 year old man got tired of the manner corruption is destroying his country, and the appearance that the legislature and leadership of his country would never do anything about it, and he decided to act. Being an old man, and not a politician, he could have cursed the leaders who have abandoned the vision of the founding fathers of India, and perhaps his curse would have affected the political fortunes of a few politicians. He could have rallied a few old people like him to picket parliament, but they many have been chased away or beaten up by the police. He could have called a press conference to denounce the leaders of his country, and remind them of the legacies of Ghandi, Nehru and the many other great Indians who built a solid foundation of service and sacrifice; but chances are the press would have scoffed at a 74 years old man with no political coustituency.
This elderly Indian, a former lowly soldier, not a General with a position in a big political party, not a former Minister or Speaker, not a former President with a grievance, decided to take on the might of the Indian establishment by announcing that he will embark on fasting until radical changes are made by the Indian Parliament on areas that are central to transparency in government business, accountability by leaders and the fight against corruption. In most parts of the world, this elderly man would have been dismissed as a crank or media curiosity for a few days, and promptly forgotten. Even in India, his campaign was not the first against spreading corruption or insensitive leaderships.
But Anna Hazare was a wise old man. He knows that hundreds of millions of Indians, like him are fed up with official corruption in India and the increasing failure of the government to push through key reforms which will empower ordinary citizens. He knew that if he operated within the value system and the modus operandi of past leaders like his hero Ghandi, and led a campaign of non-violence and self-sacrifice towards major goals for social good, he will light a fire that will be difficult to extinguish.
Old man Anna Hazare has been spectacularly correct. His many days of fasting galvanized a whole nation, and focussed the world’s attention around an old man in simple clothing with $l,500 in his bank account whose fight was immediately taken up by millions of Indians in groups, and in their individual capacities. The people’s anger and frustration were expressed in demonstrations, debate and demands that key changes in the constitution be made. The Indian Parliament last week bowed to the sheer weight of the people’s voices which took up an old man’s resolve not to die before doing something important for his fatherland. Then old man Anna Hazare broke his fast, but only temporarily. He says he has other demands for reforms around elections and education that must be made. For instance, he says the Indian electoral system should be reformed in such a way that voters should have powers, among others, to recall representatives who have failed to honour their commitments. Voters should also have powers to reject all the listed candidates if none of them deserve their votes. If majority of the voters reject all the candidates, the elections will be cancelled. This way, candidates will be careful how much money they spend before they go to ballot, in case the voters find them unfit to represent or lead them.
The dust raised by a lone old man in India, which has now created a major momentum for change is a sad reminder of the crushing poverty of leaders and other people with a conscience in Nigeria. An old man, without political platform or party affiliation, but only the purity of his conviction and the strength of his cause, has been able to affect Indian legislators across the partisan and Federal divide, the way no Nigerian politician will do today. A simple citizen who has faith in the power of principles and the right of the people to demand changes, has triggered major reforms because he was willing to go through personal pain and deprivation. No Nigerian politician will do that for Nigerians. A 74 year old man who is willing to go to jail and even to die so that young Indians will live in a better nation has exposed the shallow opportunism and lack of vision of Nigerian leaders, who use young Nigerians to campaign, and often get killed in the process. If old man Hazare were Nigerian, he will move in with the refugees at the Hajj Camp in Kaduna and suffer and starve with them until they have permanent roofs and secure and lives. If Hazare were a Nigerian, he will embark on hunger strike or other strategies to draw attention to the need to revisit the issue of electoral reforms in Nigeria, before the next elections destroy the nation completely. If Hazare were Nigerian, he would sacrifice his life to build bridges between the Nigerian State and the people who are engaged in violent campaigns under the name of Boko Haram, or those hiding behind their grievances to wreck havoc on our lives. No Nigeria politician, in or out of power, will do this.
Anna Hazare has demonstrated that every citizen can make a difference in his community and his nation, no matter his standing. He has proved that there is room in all our lives for personal courage and conviction. He has shown by his ability to tap into the popular sentiments among fellow citizens and give them hope that together they can make more impact than all politicians put together. Our politicians and leaders will do well to pay close attention to the fire lit by old man Anna Hazare, because it is showing our own citizens that their salvation may not lie solely on reliance upon the promises of our leaders.
This elderly Indian, a former lowly soldier, not a General with a position in a big political party, not a former Minister or Speaker, not a former President with a grievance, decided to take on the might of the Indian establishment by announcing that he will embark on fasting until radical changes are made by the Indian Parliament on areas that are central to transparency in government business, accountability by leaders and the fight against corruption. In most parts of the world, this elderly man would have been dismissed as a crank or media curiosity for a few days, and promptly forgotten. Even in India, his campaign was not the first against spreading corruption or insensitive leaderships.
But Anna Hazare was a wise old man. He knows that hundreds of millions of Indians, like him are fed up with official corruption in India and the increasing failure of the government to push through key reforms which will empower ordinary citizens. He knew that if he operated within the value system and the modus operandi of past leaders like his hero Ghandi, and led a campaign of non-violence and self-sacrifice towards major goals for social good, he will light a fire that will be difficult to extinguish.
Old man Anna Hazare has been spectacularly correct. His many days of fasting galvanized a whole nation, and focussed the world’s attention around an old man in simple clothing with $l,500 in his bank account whose fight was immediately taken up by millions of Indians in groups, and in their individual capacities. The people’s anger and frustration were expressed in demonstrations, debate and demands that key changes in the constitution be made. The Indian Parliament last week bowed to the sheer weight of the people’s voices which took up an old man’s resolve not to die before doing something important for his fatherland. Then old man Anna Hazare broke his fast, but only temporarily. He says he has other demands for reforms around elections and education that must be made. For instance, he says the Indian electoral system should be reformed in such a way that voters should have powers, among others, to recall representatives who have failed to honour their commitments. Voters should also have powers to reject all the listed candidates if none of them deserve their votes. If majority of the voters reject all the candidates, the elections will be cancelled. This way, candidates will be careful how much money they spend before they go to ballot, in case the voters find them unfit to represent or lead them.
The dust raised by a lone old man in India, which has now created a major momentum for change is a sad reminder of the crushing poverty of leaders and other people with a conscience in Nigeria. An old man, without political platform or party affiliation, but only the purity of his conviction and the strength of his cause, has been able to affect Indian legislators across the partisan and Federal divide, the way no Nigerian politician will do today. A simple citizen who has faith in the power of principles and the right of the people to demand changes, has triggered major reforms because he was willing to go through personal pain and deprivation. No Nigerian politician will do that for Nigerians. A 74 year old man who is willing to go to jail and even to die so that young Indians will live in a better nation has exposed the shallow opportunism and lack of vision of Nigerian leaders, who use young Nigerians to campaign, and often get killed in the process. If old man Hazare were Nigerian, he will move in with the refugees at the Hajj Camp in Kaduna and suffer and starve with them until they have permanent roofs and secure and lives. If Hazare were a Nigerian, he will embark on hunger strike or other strategies to draw attention to the need to revisit the issue of electoral reforms in Nigeria, before the next elections destroy the nation completely. If Hazare were Nigerian, he would sacrifice his life to build bridges between the Nigerian State and the people who are engaged in violent campaigns under the name of Boko Haram, or those hiding behind their grievances to wreck havoc on our lives. No Nigeria politician, in or out of power, will do this.
Anna Hazare has demonstrated that every citizen can make a difference in his community and his nation, no matter his standing. He has proved that there is room in all our lives for personal courage and conviction. He has shown by his ability to tap into the popular sentiments among fellow citizens and give them hope that together they can make more impact than all politicians put together. Our politicians and leaders will do well to pay close attention to the fire lit by old man Anna Hazare, because it is showing our own citizens that their salvation may not lie solely on reliance upon the promises of our leaders.
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