The killing of the army chief and the head of state - Guinea Bissau
March 8th, 2009
Bissau (Guinea Bissau) - The second day of March 2009 can never be forgotten by the people of Guinea Bissau in particular and the sub-region in general. The news hit everyone like a thunderbolt from the sky.
Armies are established to protect the state. The Chief of Defence Staff of an army is the principal adviser of the executive on maters of defence. How is it possible for some men in arms to turn the guns against Chief of Defence Staff and others against the President without any announcement of a coup d'etat? The state is intact but the President and the Chief of defence Staff have gone forever. What is responsible for this unique governance environment?
The answer is simple: It signifies a polarization of the army and division of loyalty between the chief of defence staff and the commander in chief of the armed forces of Guinea Bissau, namely, the ex-president. This is what happened between ex- president Kumba Yalla, the then commander in chief of the armed forces of Guinea Bissau and General Ansumana Manneh, the ex-Chief of defence staff of the army. The faction of the army loyal to Kumba Yalla succeeded in murdering General Ansumana Manneh. This end result is civil disobedience backed by the armed forces which led to the resignation of Kumba Yalla and the call for elections which brought Nino Vierra to assume executive power after a presidential election which went into a second round of voting. After the elections the ex-president needed to engage in measures which would heal the wounds and restore National unity and confidence in the armed forces in particular and the political leadership in general. The ex-president won without having the backing of a strong party. Hence while he won the presidential election ,PAIGC won the majority of seats in the National Assembly. The ex-president should have seen himself as a transitional figure who would announce his desire to work with an independent parliament to create the instruments and institutions which will ensure transparency and accountability and guarantee greater liberty and prosperity to the people.
Unfortunately, the ex-president tried to create a party which made attempts to win parliamentary seats and build armed forces which could guarantee his security. He wanted more parliamentary back up than was necessary for a limited mandate. The creation of another security machinery to back him also earned him the distrust of the Chief of defence staff.
It is now becoming increasingly clear that any attempt on the life of the Chief of defence staff as was done with General Ansumana Manneh would lead to retaliation on the president himself.
It is therefore clear that the personalization of governance issues could lead to the use of state machinery to solve private conflicts and personal animosities. Governance however is a public matter. This is why those who assume public offices are required to perform their duties without fear or favour affection or ill-will. Any body who cannot act according to such precepts should not seek public office.
Foroyaa has long reminded those who have leadership aspirations that they should never fall in the trap of taking themselves as demigods. They should know that they are plain human beings who must go to sleep and possess no personal power. A person who falls asleep can even be tied up by a small child. No individual power is invincible.
Hence the power possessed by leaders belongs to the people who pay guards to protect their leaders when they are asleep. Once the guards who protected ex- President Vierra were neutralised he had to become a captive at the mercy of his captors Ex-president Doe. Hence the only power which is worth depending on and conserving is the power of truth and justice, and the power of honesty and service to humanity. This is the first lesson. Let us move to the second.
The antagonistic conflicts which have developed among the leadership in Guinea Bissau is nothing new. Amilcar Cabral the leader of the African party for the Independence of Guinea Bissau and Cape Verde which led the struggle for the independence of Guinea Bissau and Cape Verde had warned against the tendency to put personal interest before national interest.
Cabral was assassinated by agents of the Portuguese colonialists in 1973. However PAIGC led Guinea Bissau and Cape Verde to independence in 1974. In one of his addresses to the party militants, Cabral said "Some of you who have travelled out of our land have seen the respect our party inspires, the consideration our party receives, and how much hope our party has given to other folks in the world, and in Africa. But comrades often forget this deep in the bush, they forget completely their responsibility as leaders. Some have tried to make the utmost use of the authority the party gave them so as to satisfy their own stomachs, their vices, their conveniences. This must stop. And it is you who must stop this at all level".
"Take for example, the armed forces leadership. Various instances have occurred when the political commissars did not get on well with the commanders"
"In this very room, there are comrades who worked together and were not able to get on with each other. They should he ashamed. And why? Because they were thinking of their belly, their ambitions, instead of serving the interests of the party? This is the mentality of petty ambitions of caprice. Instead of devoting their attention to the struggle, to party work, they look to see who has more, who has less, petty squabbles shabby intrigues. This cannot go on. The time has come to stop this"
Indeed! Indeed! Hostilities and revenge killings cannot go on. The time has come to stop this. However it will only stop if a National conference is convened to debate on the future of Guinea Bissau. This should be pioneered by civil society organisations and academia. The debate should be covered by radio and TV and should be followed by review of the constitutional instruments and the institutions of the states so that all strengths and weaknesses are fully identified and solutions mapped out before the next campaign for the presidential elections.
Cabral's lessons should be known to the people and the true sons and daughters of Guinea Bissau should stand up to save the Nation.
source.Foroyaa (Guinea Bissau) - March 5, 2009.