By Anthony Akinola
By virtue of their exalted
positions, political leaders are invariably famous! We see their
faces on television and in newspapers and we also hear their voices on radio. The
notorious ones among them intimidate us with their posters or statues, palaces
and the exclusive streets they name after themselves. They would
rather celebrate their own lives than be patient with history!
However, these rascals in
positions of power are reduced to ordinariness as soon as they are relieved of
political power. The most mischievous of them (the Samuel Does, the
Nicolae Ceausescus, the Saddam Husseins and the Muammar Gaddafis) get consumed
by the anger of the oppressed, begging in vain for their lives to be spared!
Fame or notoriety is
transient, while greatness endures. Political greatness is about doing deeds
whose consequences endure in history. Great political leaders do not
come in rapid succession; they come once in a while.
The magnitude of political
greatness is determined by the magnitude of crises or challenges a political
leader is confronted with. It is not by choice that the political leaders whose
names ring through history and in our subconscious memories have been those who
were great nation builders, or great managers of wars, or great heralds of
economic prosperity.
The great nations of the
world have their Abraham Lincolns, Winston Churchills, Mao Tse-tungs, Mahatma
Gandhis and Otto von Bismarks, to mention just a few. Even in death,
great political leaders inspire generations of would-be leaders.
The Black world, in the
modern era, has donated two great names to the world of political mythology. Both
Martin Luther King Jnr and Nelson Mandela were products of similar as well as
contrasting historical circumstances. They were members of
multi-racial societies in which their own peoples were at the receiving end of
injustice and degradation.
The majority white group meted out injustice
to the minority black in one instance, while the minority white also meted out
injustice to the majority black in another. Both Martin Luther King
Jnr and Nelson Mandela were historical characters in the crusade to bring
sanity to what was a hopeless situation.
They were men of
exceptional courage, intelligence, eloquence, vision and
character. Martin Luther King Jnr paid the ultimate price in his
crusade for racial equality and justice, while Nelson Mandela had his freedom
curtailed in an incredible 27 years of imprisonment. Today, we
celebrate the fact that both men and their apostles have been vindicated.
The world mourns Nelson
Mandela who died recently on 5th December at the ripe old age
of 95. His death has captured the imagination of the entire
world. Of course the role he played in ending the obnoxious
apartheid system in South Africa is monumental; what, however, the rest of the
world is celebrating today is the exceptional character of one individual.
One doubts if he would have
been that revered if he were vengeful, or had exhibited political greed by
wanting to die in office. Neither was he obsessed with personal
wealth and the perquisites that appeal to ordinary human beings. In
suffering and forgiving his tormentors, Nelson Mandela, according to Professor
Ladipo Adamolekun, is the nearest we have to Jesus Christ in Christian
mythology.
It is noteworthy that
President Goodluck Jonathan declared three days of mourning in memory of
Africa’s most illustrious son. This gesture is not
enough. What can we learn from Nelson Mandela in terms of personal
contentment and spirit of reconciliation? What can Jonathan himself
learn from this global icon as he ponders his own political future amidst
fierce disagreements and possible chaos? When one’s political right conflicts
with the national interest, which one should prevail over the other?
For our nation, one urges
that we reflect on the struggles of our racial compatriots in the United States
of America and South Africa. They had more vicious
experiences to contend with than many of us could imagine. With
purposeful leadership, we should prevail and ours be counted among the most
important nations of the world.
Great leaders like Nelson Mandela
and Martin Luther King Jnr re-write history because their dreams transcend big
mansions and private jets! Great leaders live their lives for the
sake of others.
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