Fundamental Principles Versus Political ExpedienciesThe
Bad Examples Of The Commonwealth By
Paul I. Adujie New
York, United States Honorable
Chief Emeka Anyaoku, the erstwhile Secretary General of the Commonwealth
Secretariat, was right, when he criticized the readmission of Pakistan
into the commonwealth, from suspension; He rightly condemned the
readmission, because, it is wrong, as it is occurring, even though,
nothing has substantially changed in Pakistan, except for the fact that
Mr. Musharaf, the military usurper of political power in Pakistan, has
pleased America, Britain and Australia immensely, in the tripartite
crusade and culture wars in Afghanistan and beyond; According to the
former Secretary General of the organization, “a tragic blow to the
hard earned credibility of the body as a force for promoting its
fundamental principle of democracy.” Whatever
happened to the core principles and ideals of democracy, freedom, and
human rights etc, which informed the suspension of Pakistan in the first
place? Pakistan and Musharaf are not more democratic and freer than when
the suspension was slammed on Pakistan, which was solely due to Mr.
Musharaf’s undemocratic shenanigans, and illegality of overthrowing a
constitutionally elected and installed government, but, all that
seemingly changed, as far as America, Britain and Australia’s McKinnon
are concerned, so long as Musharaf remains their lap-dog, regarding the
crusaders’ wars, he is a fine gentleman and democrat? When
political expediencies are super-imposed on, what ought to be core
principles and great ideals of democracy and freedom, it is quite
troubling, for libertarians and democrats everywhere; Musharaf has been
rewarded for being a “good-boy” and this is precisely the problem! Western
democracies, in their indulgent double standards and inconsistencies of
policies, send the wrong message, to all-the world! They pay lips
service to the full tenets of democracy and freedom, to peoples of the
developing. Mr. Musharaf is has been acting and continues to act,
clearly in complete disregard, to the wishes of Pakistanis! This
is why the international community, through the United Nations, would
agree to establish international agencies, treaties and conventions,
such as the International Criminal Court, to try war crimes etc, but
America removes itself, and say, its citizens will not obey
international laws, and its citizens would not be subject to these laws
and cannot be brought for trials before the International Criminal
Court, this is also why, there is an international treaty to eliminate
Landmines, but America is a major producer and proliferate user of
landmines, and the only country that would refuse to implement the ban
on mines production and use of landmines. This
is equally why, Global Warming, responsible for the depletion of the
ozone layer, was tackled by the international community through a
treaty, and again, America would not hear of such treaty or the efforts
it has generated, as America continues to refuse ratifications of these
international laws and treaties; Recently, the international community,
in efforts to stamp out corruption, and achieve transparency in global
business transactions, set rules, that requires open and accountable
practices in oil and petroleum business, including trans-continental
auditing of such transactions of figures of business transactions, but,
again, America is opposed to it and lobbied to see the
non-implementations of these rules, the same have happened in matters of
Free Trade, through the World Trade Organization, but we all familiar,
with American observance of these rules, only in breach, as America has
been dragged to WTO court several times, regarding US discriminatory
rules on Steel and Agriculture. On
the surface, to the undiscerning observer, the Americans are usually,
the loudest advocates and apostles of wonderful rules and conventions,
except that obeying such rules and conventions, is another matter
altogether! Abu Gharib Prison tortures and abuses is one such
exemplifier, the Americans have been loudest in proclaiming punishments
for those responsible for the genocide that occurred ten years ago,
between Tutsi and Hutus, and punishment for Charles Taylor for the civil
wars and resulting brutalities and deaths in Liberia and Sierra Leone,
War Crime Tribunal demands and all, but when are the American officials
themselves, facing the War Crime Tribunal?
These
tortures, abuses and war crimes occurred, because, the American
government, stated from the onset, that prisoners of war (POWs) in
Guantannamo Bay, Afghanistan and Iraq, were unlawful combatants, and
would not benefit from the Geneva Conventions on POWs, America was
saying to its soldiers, the law would not be obeyed, as the prisoners
are less than humans? Or that POWs taken by Americans are outside the
purviews and rubrics of laws? Would
it not be nice, if the poor and the rich are both and al amenable to the
rule of law and due process? Would it not be nice, if there were one set
of laws and rules, treaties, conventions etc for all-the world? And no
one is above the law, even America? Would it not be nice, to avoid the
hypocrisies in having one sets of laws for the rich, and another set for
the poor? Would the world not be a better place, if these
“consistently permanent” double standards not practiced by the
powerful? Would it not be nice? These
selective enforcements, discriminatory applications of the laws and
rules, helps to entrench injustices and all the perversities that we see
in the world, there is no certainty of punishments or rewards, but
instead, there are these double standards and hypocrisies, as America
favors itself and its friends, mostly the dictators of the world,
usually with something to offer, oil, or strategic resources-locations,
and they do not have to comply with laws, rules, treaties and
conventions! And so, Human Rights abuses remains, regardless of what the
UN and the rest of the world wants, and corruption endures because of
the protection of it, by those who benefit, from it, and injustices,
oppression and perversities remain, despite all proclamations! It
will be recalled that the stated pretensions for the American invasion
and occupation of Iraq, were the ideals of democracy and freedom for
Iraq, hence operation Iraqi freedom, but on Friday May 28, 2004, we
learn, that an abridged or adulterated democracy will be given to the
Iraqis through an American puppet of Iraqi origin, as Prime Minister,
Mr. Alawi is a long time Central Intelligence Agency operative, CIA,
acting for American interests, he was chosen by the Americans and
endorsed by the equally puppetry “Coalition Governing Council”
members, and this, without real sovereignty for Iraq, the Iraqis are not
sophisticated enough for Western-style democracy, we pointedly told!
Democracy, for Iraq, must be defined by the Americans, the only ones,
who posses infinite wisdom? Is it not better to let Iraqis govern
themselves imperfectly, in democracy, instead, of these impositions?
Perfect impositions! These
short term pyrrhic sows avalanche of negative intended foreseeable and
unintended unforeseeable consequences and ramifications, in the long
run, hence the cycle of injustices that we witness in the world, all
because, some rather have, what is expedient for them, while damning the
after-effects, for the rest of the world. Clearly,
western democracies make certain, that we notice, their embrace of
tyrants and dictators, so long as, such tyrants and dictators oblige
America, Britain and Australia, with whatever they demand, especially,
even when such demands are inconsistent with the desires and aspirations
of a given local population, say, in this example, the local population
in Pakistan. In
my opinion, the war crimes of torture and abuse, arose from the complete
negation, by the Americans, of international law, Geneva Conventions, a
complete disregard for Iraq’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,
the willingness to devalue Iraqi lives, and the idea that world public
opinion, including American public opinion, does not matter, the
soldiers who committed these war crimes, did so, devoid of any decency
and humanity, but the higher-ups, set the tone of disregards for laws,
rules and conventions. We
are familiar with the axiom, to the effect that, in diplomacy and
international relations, there are no permanent friends or enemies, but
permanent interests, but how about the principle? Why would these same
countries loudly proclaim democracy and freedom, and castigate President
Mugabe of Zimbabwe for allegedly lacking in these norms, while they
embrace a military Musharaf, with all his nuclear weapons, that the
world is supposed to be unhappy about? I suppose it is safe now, to
conclude that Musharaf has better democratic credentials compared to
Mugabe? What sane person
would believe that? The
Guardian Newspapers reported that, “five years after the Pakistan's
suspension, the Commonwealth Secretary General Don Mckinnon on Saturday
announced its re-admittance at a news conference in London” And that
the nine-member, comprising India, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, Tanzania,
Lesotho, Canada, Bahamas, Malta and Samoa “welcomed steps taken by
Pakistan, but that it had "continuing concerns in regard to the
strengthening of the democratic process" and would keep monitoring
its progress” What feeble concerns are these after the undeserved
readmission of Pakistan? And the nine-member committee is so pliable to
the wishes of America, Britain and Australia! According
to The Guardian reports, “Britain and Australia wanted to reward
Musharraf for helping to fight al-Qaeda. Pakistan at the moment is seen
as a key ally in the United States-led war on terror.” But is anyone
really surprised? I guess not. All these, even though “Musharraf has
successfully excluded from the country, the leaders of Pakistan's main
political parties, Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif. A senior opposition
leader Mukhadoom Javed Hashni is presently in jail.” And despite the
fact that, the “U.S. State Department has said the prospect of
democracy in Pakistan remain poor.” What gives? Musharraf gets a pass,
thanks to Musharraf‘s powerful friends? The message in all of this, is
glaringly clear. And
it is, if you are a dictator, a tyrant willing to do the biddings of
America and Europe, you will be robed in congeniality by them, hence no
dictator or tyrant survives in the world, without the tacit support and
endorsement by the “masters” the dictator must have oil or some
strategic value to “the
masters” but of course! Of genial tyrants and their foreign friends
and overlords? But why are those with pretensions to democracy and freedom, always willing to sacrifice high ideals on the altar of pittance? And short term parochial benefits? Why would lovers of democracy and freedom, cuddle some dictators and tyrants? |