It is at cocktail party at State House early this year. It is in honour of the former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. He is being hosted by President Ernest Bai Koroma, who, like most other Sierra Leoneans, wants to show his gratitude to the former British premier for being a friend of the country his father once worked in as a university professor. Then Mr Blair gets up and warns President Koroma thus, and I am paraphrasing and summarising. When I was at the helm, he says, I looked at least ten years older than my real age. We all laugh. Some giggle. Some others guffawed.
Mr Blair is now fast catching up with his age since his departure from Downing Street. Even though he looks tired as I earlier came up close and personal to him, he probably has clawed back all but perhaps only about two more years.
Mr Blair is making clear reference to the stress that comes with leadership which includes taking tough decisions, spending late nights feeling sleepy but not being able to close your eyes, and thinking of ways to solve the ever popping-up gamut of problems. How about former US president George Bush then and now? Just nine months out of office, he looks so much out of the woods. The opposite it would seem, is the rule or norm in my home country.
Anyone who knew President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah before he became head of state will agree that when he was leaving office in 2007, he looked much younger and “fresher” than he looked when he was taking his oath of office eleven years earlier. And if you think President Ernest Koroma’s hair is grey hair in the true sense of the word, think again. They call that silver hair. It does not in any way depict the stress that comes with the job of a leader. It is a trend or…eh…call it fashion. And like his predecessor, he seems to be looking younger. May be Mr Blair should be reminded that our country’s leaders may have more domestic problems and crises to contend with, but our leaders care a lot less.
In October 2008 I came very close almost up close and personal to Senator Barack Obama at Drexel University in Philadelphia during the Democratic Party presidential debate. The youth, handsomeness and the hair-lying-undisturbed-look of his skin have all disappeared when I saw him a few hours ago at Maryland University where he had gone to drum up support for his controversial health Plan. He is being ruffled especially by an ultra-right wing of the opposition Republican Party. It gives one the feeling that America is at war.
There is war in America. No pretence about that. There is blatant war between the far right and the far left of the country’s political divide; with each, especially the right baying for the blood of the left. The far right TV channel Fox News, and the leftist MSNBC are operating in a way that if it were in Africa, Fox would have been knocked off the air. Fox have been as bad, I dare say worse than the banned SLPP and APC radio stations were in opposition. Fox News puts out vile messages against President Obama and his administration on a wide range of issues such as from health care plan to even addressing pupils at the start of the school year. The channel has refused to condemned some would say supported even the use of the N-word (Nigga) against Obama by ultra-rightists.
During a protest last week that brought tens of thousands of apparent republic supporters to march on Washington, one placard read: “Bury Obamacare with Kennedy”. In my view, this was absolutely insensitive to the passing away of one of the most accomplished politicians in US history and who stood for health care reform.
There have been threats by some rightists in Texas to even secede from the rest of the United States. In Africa, they would have been arrested and jailed for “treason”. In fact, one placard during the recent Washington demonstration said they had come unarmed stressing on the words “this time around”. That was a thinly-veiled threat that the next time they would come with arms. This, in a country where gun ownership is a constitutional right, is scary. Until they make real their threat, a threat it only remains. And Fox News has apparently glorified all the vitriol.
Many Americans believe all of the vitriol is because Obama is black. Former president Jimmy Carter did not beat about the bush when he said just that. Then started the “race from race” as Politico.Com put it. The White House denied the recent outbursts and attacks on the president including the “You Lie” screamer by Congressman Joe Wilson, had anything to do with his race. The White House does not want the attention of the president diverted from the more serious issues of defence, security, health care and global security; which is something the Republicans will celebrate.
These extremists have questioned Obama’s citizenship and faith calling him Kenyan, Arab, Muslim, etc. They have started undermining his effort in a more genuine war in Afghanistan than the phoney one in Iraq which these new critics extolled just a few months ago. In all this, the Obama administration is undaunted. A lesson our leaders should learn from.
Our leaders should focus on the broader and more serious issues. They should allow dissenting or alternative opinions which is what makes America’s democracy flourish and with it its development.
As Obama readies himself to address the United Nations General Assembly next week, I can only say that I don’t envy the work of his speech writers or even his own job of delivery. They should put on a full metal jacket against criticisms and dissenting views for the attainment of their broader goal as long as what they do is in the interest of all and a public debate is encouraged around it. And by the way, I am waiting for their grey hair. LOL. Sorry I got to dash to catch up the next train to Philadelphia. Speak to you on Monday,