Taylor: Broken pledges?
Apr 01, 2006
If I had a daughter of marriageable age, and ex- President of Liberia Charles Taylor asked for her hand, not all Yeats’ “heaven’s embroidered cloths of gold…†would make me give my permission.
UGANDA’S No1 COLUMNIST.. INFORMED, CONTROVERSIAL AND PROVOCATIVE
--Nigeria ‘obtained’ charge of Taylor to hold him within her boundaries
John Nagenda
If I had a daughter of marriageable age, and ex- President of Liberia Charles Taylor asked for her hand, not all Yeats’ “heaven’s embroidered cloths of gold…†would make me give my permission. Nor indeed would all the tea in China, or, more appropriately, all the diamonds in Liberia! (Although some say diamonds are a girl’s best friend).
With Taylor comes a whole hornet’s nest of charges regarding his repulsive behaviour in the West African region; particularly in his own country, and in next door Sierra Leone. The nearest parallel monster would be Uganda’s homegrown Kony of the so-called Lord’s Resistance Army.
Both have shown particular enthusiasm, to put it mildly, for inflicting death, deformity and unimaginable pain on their victims; almost always at random. Where Taylor was worse even than Kony, imagine, is that he is said to have continued committing his horrors even after becoming Head of State.
Kony, at least, and just as well, has never been in a position of using the instruments of state to further his gruesome activities. But he and Taylor and others like them, should be utterly detested by all normal people. You can have them! But do you? Nigeria legally “obtained charge†of Taylor to hold him within its boundaries.
This week he tried to flee out of the country after he heard that he might be handed back to Liberia. It turned out to be a serious miscalculation when he didn’t succeed.
But what if Nigeria, forgetting the diplomatic obligations it had undertaken when giving him sanctuary, was now in truth planning to ship him back? Would you have waited to be trussed up? But why was Nigeria behaving in this dishonourable fashion? The easy answer is that Nigeria, especially on grounds of cheap popularity, cannot lose. When it “heroically†let Taylor in (perhaps with a quantity of sparklers to grease the deal) it announced it was doing this towards the ending of the intractable war in Liberia, which had spread through the region. How we cheered!
But now that the wheel has turned (which is the character, indeed the reason, of wheels) and that Taylor is fully exposed where he is, well then the Nigerian bosses can trade him, or “trade in himâ€, as you do with precious metals and commodities. It is what has happened. Does it matter that a dreadful character like Taylor is the fall guy? After all, what about Saddam Hussein? Or the Taliban in Afghanistan? “Pineapple-face†in Panama? Or even the Shah of Iran? All bought and sold by Uncle Sam. Do we, should we, care? But the question is about principle. And here the doubts flood in. What was promised? Is it morally right to promise what you know you won’t deliver?
Today it is Nigeria’s turn, at the behest of the Global Giants, to do as bid. But, Citizen, it was Nigeria’s earlier promise that enabled the horrible regional wars to take a breather. Now what? Will future monsters accept deals well knowing they are going to be broken? Who is the final loser? Look towards the bottom of the pile. And do you presume Uncle Sam and his cronies are unaware? Oh my vanquished!
***************
Seems there is a new game in town — “town†here meaning the Middle East. A new Prime Minister has been sworn in by (in all but name) the President of Palestine. As wished and authorised by Palestinians, the winning party, Hamas, has taken power. It was never in doubt, despite the bad grace, and undemocratic behaviour, with which Hamas’ sheepish detractors took the electoral results.
In the usual way, funds which had been promised were swiftly “un-promisedâ€, including those collected on contract on Palestine’s behalf by Israel. Shortly afterwards the Israelites held their own elections. A case of Israel following Palestine – sounds good to me.
The posturing far right Likud party leader, Bibi Netanyahu, expected good things, now that his ex-leader, Ariel Sharon, was gravely not taking part in the elections. Likud got whipped.
Olmert, Sharon’s successor, not exactly a wilting rose, will still be far more likely to find grounds for equitable talking with Hamas. He will have to. Hamas also will have to find cause to talk with Israel. The clownish orders to Hamas to give way on everything it had ever thought about Israel, before dialogue could begin, was treated with contempt. For what then would the dialogue be about? I suspect meetings are already underway between the two winning parties. What it confirms is to expect the unexpected.
A new flower, tough enough for the tough terrain, will soon start germinating. It has to. Brash Bibi (what is in a name? Plenty!) Netanyahu didn’t have the requisite character to bring this forward.
As for Palestine, I will concede a rare point: perhaps the late Arafat had been around too long to do so either. And for the final irony, Ariel Sharon, who formed Kadima and changed Israel forever, might also have been too rhino-skinned to work the miracle.
Two comparative unknowns, for Hamas and Kadima, who frankly had never realistically dreamt of leading their countries, are now at the helm. Go for it gentlemen!
**************
I almost forgot our Dr. Besigye. I saw him at the Supreme Court this week. The Supreme Justices in their full pomp orchestrated a benevolent air.
The black-gowned lawyers wore the busy solemnity of their kind as though their lives depended on it. And poor Besigye? He seemed there but not there. I felt almost sorry for this figure against the coming night.
Ends
--Nigeria ‘obtained’ charge of Taylor to hold him within her boundaries
John Nagenda
If I had a daughter of marriageable age, and ex- President of Liberia Charles Taylor asked for her hand, not all Yeats’ “heaven’s embroidered cloths of gold…†would make me give my permission. Nor indeed would all the tea in China, or, more appropriately, all the diamonds in Liberia! (Although some say diamonds are a girl’s best friend).
With Taylor comes a whole hornet’s nest of charges regarding his repulsive behaviour in the West African region; particularly in his own country, and in next door Sierra Leone. The nearest parallel monster would be Uganda’s homegrown Kony of the so-called Lord’s Resistance Army.
Both have shown particular enthusiasm, to put it mildly, for inflicting death, deformity and unimaginable pain on their victims; almost always at random. Where Taylor was worse even than Kony, imagine, is that he is said to have continued committing his horrors even after becoming Head of State.
Kony, at least, and just as well, has never been in a position of using the instruments of state to further his gruesome activities. But he and Taylor and others like them, should be utterly detested by all normal people. You can have them! But do you? Nigeria legally “obtained charge†of Taylor to hold him within its boundaries.
This week he tried to flee out of the country after he heard that he might be handed back to Liberia. It turned out to be a serious miscalculation when he didn’t succeed.
But what if Nigeria, forgetting the diplomatic obligations it had undertaken when giving him sanctuary, was now in truth planning to ship him back? Would you have waited to be trussed up? But why was Nigeria behaving in this dishonourable fashion? The easy answer is that Nigeria, especially on grounds of cheap popularity, cannot lose. When it “heroically†let Taylor in (perhaps with a quantity of sparklers to grease the deal) it announced it was doing this towards the ending of the intractable war in Liberia, which had spread through the region. How we cheered!
But now that the wheel has turned (which is the character, indeed the reason, of wheels) and that Taylor is fully exposed where he is, well then the Nigerian bosses can trade him, or “trade in himâ€, as you do with precious metals and commodities. It is what has happened. Does it matter that a dreadful character like Taylor is the fall guy? After all, what about Saddam Hussein? Or the Taliban in Afghanistan? “Pineapple-face†in Panama? Or even the Shah of Iran? All bought and sold by Uncle Sam. Do we, should we, care? But the question is about principle. And here the doubts flood in. What was promised? Is it morally right to promise what you know you won’t deliver?
Today it is Nigeria’s turn, at the behest of the Global Giants, to do as bid. But, Citizen, it was Nigeria’s earlier promise that enabled the horrible regional wars to take a breather. Now what? Will future monsters accept deals well knowing they are going to be broken? Who is the final loser? Look towards the bottom of the pile. And do you presume Uncle Sam and his cronies are unaware? Oh my vanquished!
***************
Seems there is a new game in town — “town†here meaning the Middle East. A new Prime Minister has been sworn in by (in all but name) the President of Palestine. As wished and authorised by Palestinians, the winning party, Hamas, has taken power. It was never in doubt, despite the bad grace, and undemocratic behaviour, with which Hamas’ sheepish detractors took the electoral results.
In the usual way, funds which had been promised were swiftly “un-promisedâ€, including those collected on contract on Palestine’s behalf by Israel. Shortly afterwards the Israelites held their own elections. A case of Israel following Palestine – sounds good to me.
The posturing far right Likud party leader, Bibi Netanyahu, expected good things, now that his ex-leader, Ariel Sharon, was gravely not taking part in the elections. Likud got whipped.
Olmert, Sharon’s successor, not exactly a wilting rose, will still be far more likely to find grounds for equitable talking with Hamas. He will have to. Hamas also will have to find cause to talk with Israel. The clownish orders to Hamas to give way on everything it had ever thought about Israel, before dialogue could begin, was treated with contempt. For what then would the dialogue be about? I suspect meetings are already underway between the two winning parties. What it confirms is to expect the unexpected.
A new flower, tough enough for the tough terrain, will soon start germinating. It has to. Brash Bibi (what is in a name? Plenty!) Netanyahu didn’t have the requisite character to bring this forward.
As for Palestine, I will concede a rare point: perhaps the late Arafat had been around too long to do so either. And for the final irony, Ariel Sharon, who formed Kadima and changed Israel forever, might also have been too rhino-skinned to work the miracle.
Two comparative unknowns, for Hamas and Kadima, who frankly had never realistically dreamt of leading their countries, are now at the helm. Go for it gentlemen!
**************
I almost forgot our Dr. Besigye. I saw him at the Supreme Court this week. The Supreme Justices in their full pomp orchestrated a benevolent air.
The black-gowned lawyers wore the busy solemnity of their kind as though their lives depended on it. And poor Besigye? He seemed there but not there. I felt almost sorry for this figure against the coming night.
Ends