By Lamino Lang Comma
This Latin phrase, a phrase that is familiar to students of Shakespeare, is a powerful symbol of betrayal by trusted allies.
It is often used to express shock and extreme disappointment in such cases. Betrayal in the political arena seems to have a very long history indeed. It dates back to the first century BC, since the days of Julius Caesar, who was stabbed to death by a group of conspirators, including a trusted ally.
Historically, politics has been driven by conviction. Political ideas originated from ideals and beliefs. It has served as a competitive arena where philosophers, revolutionaries, and statesmen argued over visions for the common good.
From the RomanStoic philosophy to the passionate debates that have shaped modern democracies, political life has been, at least in principle, regarded as a sincere duty to lead society toward justice, security, and prosperity. It has been a profession that, despite the imperfections of politicians, was supposedly grounded in robust values.
In Africa, this noble practice and perception of politics was the very fuel that kick-started the liberation engine. It was a struggle not for personal benefit but a fight for liberation against colonial rule. It was an intense struggle and dedicated sacrifice rooted in the convictions of self-determination, dignity, and freedom.
Africa had leaders like Nkrumah, Nyerere, and Mandela who articulated powerful values with fiery calls for self-determination. In those memorable days, politics was a sacred duty and a vehicle to carry the common good.
Today, that vehicle has been hijacked.
African politics has shifted from its original purpose and integrity.
Leaders often prioritise personal interests over service to the public.
Political platforms now promote private interests rather than ideological debate, public trust is routinely sacrificed for individual benefit, and the sense of conviction and public good are hardly noticed.
Internal party rivalries and unbridled ambition to lead have taken centre stage.
From Dakar to Addis Ababa, from Cairo to Pretoria–1962 Senghore and Jah encounter, the brutal Red Terror rule of Mengistu in the 1970s, the 1981 assassination of Sadat and the hijacking of the 2011 Egyptian revolution and the 1999 corruption scandals of the Zuma regime and indeed glaringly in the contemporary political scene.
The story of African politics has become a story of betrayal, dishonesty, and self-interest. The thread is the same: a betrayal of close allies and citizens, siphoning and misuse of public funds and promotion of personal agendas and the supercilious behaviour of a sense of entitlement. It is more like a marketplace of exchanging public trust for personal benefit.
Generally, social services are underfunded in favour of infrastructure and development programs, which have larger overpriced margins to sustain obscure and excessive lifestyles, while the majority of citizens wallow in abject poverty and, in their daily lives, persistently struggle with rundown public services. Public funds budgeted for schools, hospitals, and infrastructure are systematically diverted into private bank accounts without remorse.
The campaign promise of progress and a good standard of living is no more than a euphemism for personal development and an intense, premeditated and self-seeking challenge for leadership.
Political rhetoric has been reduced to a tool for mocking opponents, while genuine discourse surrounding values and visionary inspiration has become insincere and faded into obscurity.
The decline in ethics in politics can generally be expressed as a transformation of political office into a personal wallet and offshore bank account with little or no consideration for public service. A political culture has emerged where loyalty is to monetary enrichment and allegiance to state-captor groups.
It is no longer about party manifestos or formulating genuine policy change. The stormy and inclement weather of betrayal continues to blow its winds into the sails of African politics, supported by weak State institutions.
Whereas the founding fathers of African liberation fought for political freedom with utmost conviction, today’s generation faces an even greater challenge – a battle for the very soul of politics, which has been lost to an entrenched tradition of betrayals. It is a struggle to overthrow the attitude of self-entitlement and restore the nobility of conviction and service for the common good.
This unabashed pursuit of self-interest is indeed more than an individual moral failure. The citizens have a significant role to play. Governments derive their legitimacy from their citizens. The legitimacy does not end with the casting of votes. It is an ongoing process of citizens actively exercising their legitimate right to advocate for transparency in the management of national resources and the demand for accountability throughout any governance period.
The process requires an objective, proactive awareness by citizens of the subtle signs of disingenuous characters vying for and sustaining leadership positions, observing consistency of values and beliefs and dissociating from deflective and manipulative political rhetoric.
It demands a thorough overhaul of political assessment by citizens, by defining and accepting clear, logical and objective criteria for voting and election.
Until a greater and informed political awareness of citizens and a new generation of politicians emerge to restore sanity to the vocation, the approach to leadership and governance will remain as it was in the 1st Century – marked by betrayal, self-entitlement, and an overwhelming ambition to lead – committing to the “Et tu, Brute” syndrome.
