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Beware the curse of power, Mr Minister
Alex Magaisa, The Standard (Zimbabwe)
April 11, 2009

Read this article on The Standard website

The Pitfalls of National Consciousness is the title of the third chapter of Frantz Fanon-s famous book, The Wretched of the Earth. It is one of my favourite pieces of political writing on Africa. It is recommended reading for African politicians, particularly those who have landed into positions of power after years of struggle.

It never ceases to amaze me how virtually every African country has utterly failed to heed the message, especially relating to the destructive conduct of its leaders upon assumption of power.

It remains true of the liberation generation and the new generation that took over after years of failure. Countries like Zambia, Malawi and Kenya that have experienced the phase that Zimbabwe is presently going through should guide our leaders not to repeat the mistakes they made.

In our quest to remind our leaders of these basic errors, let us consider a hypothetical 'Mr Minister- - the new generation politician who fought against the failures of the post-independence era and promised a new dawn.

The idea here is to consider tell-tell signs of when Mr Minister may be crossing that very thin line that separates the new from the old. In other words, how can we tell if Mr Minister has really created new footwear or if he has simply stepped into the old shoes?

Law & Order

Mr Minister, who has now escaped the ranks of the opposition begins to speak the language of authority; the language of law and order. Suddenly, he has become a defender of even those laws which not so long ago were employed against him.

Now he understands the need to ensure adherence to the laws of the country, however harsh, as long as, he will say, "it helps to maintain peace and order in the country". Mr Minister-s new favourite word is 'unity-, so anyone who raises dissent is regarded as an enemy; as an unruly element out to undermine the 'unity of the nation-.

The first test, which will inevitably come sooner or later, is when sections of the frustrated public try to demonstrate their unhappiness, the venue of choice often being the street. The public will be keen to use the supposedly new found space which Mr Minister promised during the struggle.

However, Mr Minister will appear on national radio and television asking people to be patient and issuing a veiled warning that demonstrations will not be tolerated because they threaten the 'stability and unity- of the nation. If his call is unheeded, Mr Minister will readily call upon and deploy riot police to 'maintain peace and order-. People will be told that such actions are necessary to ensure that 'normal business- is not disrupted by 'unruly- elements.

At some point, appalled by the slow pace of the changes, people will begin to ask when the repressive security laws will be repealed. They will be told that at this stage, economic issues take priority. Mr Minister has suddenly realised that so-called repressive security legislation is only bad if you are on the other side.

In fact, the likelihood is that Mr Minister will begin to see enemies lurking behind every corner - so he is going to need extra security. Very hefty men will suddenly be at his side whenever he appears in public. Mr Minister might even begin to see some loopholes in the existing security laws and will probably call for amendments to 'strengthen national security-.

Conspicuous Consumption

During his time in opposition, Mr Minister was an ardent critic of the lavish lifestyles enjoyed by government ministers and their associates. He questioned the necessity of buying every minister a Mercedes Benz when the state of public roads was so bad. He railed against the obscene display of ill-gotten wealth whilst the public was languishing in a sea of poverty. At that time, Mr Minister spoke the language of the suffering.

However, once in government the luxury that looked disgusting from a distance suddenly looks too appetising to ignore. Mr Minister is shown his new Mercedes Benz and the bad state of the roads becomes a secondary issue. The plight of the public that he so loudly championed is forgotten.

Instead, he invents justifications for accepting the new found luxury. He could even cheekily suggest that he is obliged to accept the new luxury 'on behalf of the people- - that they should be so proud to see one of their own riding this symbol of power!

If a ministerial colleague rejects the Mercedes Benz, he will probably find, to his astonishment, that he is not applauded or emulated by Mr Minister and other colleagues. Rather he is castigated as an upstart and populist - anoda kuonererwa. Anoda kuzviita ani? (Who does he think he is?), they will ask dismissively. Others will simply sneer - Ndeyekwake iyo! (That-s his problem) and proceed to accept more.

Now, that 'upstart- of a minister will have to be very careful henceforth because he will be walking on political eggshells. Even his erstwhile comrades will be watching him very closely to pick up on any slip-ups. Perhaps someone somewhere gets busy studying very old and dusty files to check what the 'upstart- may have done in the past so that he can be 'shamed- and 'nailed-. He could even be arrested on spurious charges.

At that point, Mr Minister and colleagues will probably declare, very smugly, 'let the rule of law take its course-. No-one will ever want to emulate 'upstart- minister-s conduct that, it will have become clear, is unbecoming of a politician.

Foreign Havens

Mr Minister previously criticised government officials who paid scant attention to local schools and universities whilst they sent their children to expensive schools and universities abroad. He railed against those who chose to fly to South Africa for medical treatment whilst local facilities suffered through neglect. He promised to trace all the funds that were looted and stashed away in foreign bank accounts. He even campaigned for sanctions to freeze the assets of the government officials. He promised that once in power, he would immediately declare his assets on a public register to ensure transparency.

However, a few months down the line, talk of assets declaration becomes muted. Children and relatives are dispatched to foreign schools and universities even though the local universities and schools have failed to open or operate normally. The teacher is paid USD100 whilst university fees at a UK university are upwards of US$15,000 per academic year (that excludes living costs). Any hint of pain, the minister or his spouse is flown to a foreign hospital. Asked why, aides say Mr Minister is important to the nation, he needs special care.

Power & Wealth

The new minister does not have much of his own, except what the party gave him for his sacrifices. They say he doesn-t know how government works and must therefore be inducted. Never mind that those who perform the induction about how government works are exactly the same persons whom Mr Minister previously criticised precisely about how that government worked! Not surprisingly, he may end up adopting that very behaviour that he previously disagreed with.

Mr Minister, who previously had no financial interest outside the country might be inducted about how to open a 'safe and secure- offshore bank account. He might be given a 'loan- from the new friends - payable whenever - don-t worry munun-una (young man/lady), they will say reassuringly.

The young man/lady will be most grateful. But that-s a 'locking device- - Mr Minister is suddenly locked into the web of corruption. With unclean hands, he has neither the voice nor will to point to the many tainted hands around him. Like the Mafia, the minister has become a 'made man- - he is one of them.

Growing Distance

After trying so hard to portray himself as a man of the people, Mr Minister may not even realise how fast and long he has distanced himself from the people through the seemingly 'small- things that he has done or not done. He will talk about how government business is done, like a true expert, who finds it hard to understand why his audience does not understand him and his role.

He will become very busy and unavailable to his old friends and associates. Indeed, he will have made new, more powerful friends whose good qualities he now appreciates. Because of the new lofty status, he suddenly finds it hard to even greet old friends in the company of his new buddies. He probably calls them the 'povo- or the 'masses-. He is embarrassed when he sees them. He will not answer calls. He will be too busy to reply any form of their correspondence.

Journalists, who not so long ago were cherished partners, will find it increasingly hard to get interviews. Journalists who criticise the minister may never be granted an interview again, ever. When asked hard questions about emaciated prisoners, Mr Minister will probably profess ignorance or say it is exaggerated or use the old line, 'The government does not comment on individual cases-.

Asked about former colleagues languishing in jail, he will probably protest that the matter does not fall within his remit. Old comrades are now simply 'a matter-. He will dilly-dally, use very big words that mean absolutely nothing and generally show frustration with a journalist who is seen to be asking 'too many questions-.

Final Word

When these things begin to happen; when we see these things, then that bug called power is slowly finding comfort in the bloodstream of the new Mr and Mrs Ministers. I hope they engage in some self-introspection, look at their conduct closely in the coming months and judge if they have become or are becoming any of these things.

There is very one simple lesson: change comes in small quantities; it comes in those small gestures; in very small ways, even those ways that you think are unimportant. They matter.

Alex Magaisa is based at, Kent Law School, the University of Kent and can be contacted at wamagaisa@yahoo.co.uk

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