COMMENT

“Free At Last, Free At Last, Thank God Almighty we are Free At Last!” – From what?

There’s a certain ugly animal loved by dodgy politicians called patriotism, which in oppressive countries you are forced to swallow it like cornflakes in the morning and in the evening like boerewors or biltong. It’s ugly because it is meant to numb your ability to question when things go wrong. It is a pit-bull terrier that is on a leash and barks everytime you scratch your head.

Immediately you open your mouth and ask ‘where’s the love’ you get told by someone who is less patriotic (because he steals from the Treasury and other state coffers) that you are not patriotic enough. Patriotism should not mean being happy while hungry and ululating when political leaders fart brown-beans-gas. If anything it should mean the readiness to go to war for your country and feel that you are doing the right thing and be ready to lay down your life if it comes to such sacrifice. It shouldn’t mean writing that there were 15000 people at a political rally when there were 1500 or 150.

Just a few days ago I was telling a friend I have who belongs to the new kid on the block COPE that it’s at times like this that one envies Americans for their assertiveness and voting patterns. Americans have a tendency to be all shitty sometimes but maybe it’s because they are used to good things – good leadership (Barack Hussein Obama), good military (US Army), good entertainment (Hollywood), good sports (NBA), good music (Aretha Franklin), good education (Ivy League Universities) and a lot of good things. They are used to showing non-performing leaders the door everytime they go to an election. They are not romantic with any political party and have no emotional attachments to either the Republicans or the Democrats.

I was saying to my COPE friend that the South Afrikan political leadership does not inspire anyone to be anything. ‘The problem my friend is that us here do not have a dream. No one knows what is it they have to do to make a million since the most stupid folks are the millionaires due to their political connections and that’s why they are quick to donate to political parties while their neighbour starves and they know about it’” I protested. Well, half the time I am protesting anyway. I am protesting because I love this country but I see it failing because men and women of strong resolve do not want to be counted. I see it failing because money and material determines what people believe in for the next five years than where the country is headed in those five years.

I asked him that if we believe we are a nation of winners are we truly saying that in an organization as rich as the ANC indeed Jacob Zuma is the only guy who can lead this young nation? I protested that an organization as coherent at the ANC is failing to excuse Zuma from running and put someone who does not have a criminal trial hanging over him since this young democracy can not afford a president who spends most of his presidency fighting the judiciary. Neither can it afford an NPA which’s hands have been tied to prosecute with favour and fear. What has happened to men and women of reason within the ANC? And they say we must be patriotic, for what?

One poet once said that it’s hard to be optimistic in a storm. I added that it’s hard to be positive about the journey of the Titanic when you meet rats fleeing as you board.

Then we started discussing America – Land of the Free. I said to him in America they can tell you the professions of their presidents and how far they went to school from the first to the 44^th. Obama is a lawyer, and so is his wife Michelle, George W Bush has an MBA, Bill Clinton was a lawyer, George H Bush a businessman, Ronald Reagan was an actor of movies. When you are young in a career you think is dead end you can always think of a president who was doing exactly what you are doing. You can point to someone in power as your role model. Which unfortunately is not the same with South Africa. Our leaders’ claim to fame is exile and an unproven military record.

Here we are stuck with men in suits who not only have dodgy backgrounds but also dodgy family values. For the life of me can someone tell me that they have seen President Kgalema Motlanthe’s wife, our first lady? Zuma is waiting on the wings to occupy the West Wing and we don’t even know who is going to be our First Lady. Terror Lekota is the same sad story, very little is known about him. We tend to know more about Hillary and Chelsea Clinton, Laura and the Bush twins, Barack and Sasha Obama than about men who profess to lead us. Why are we short-changed so much by people who have no respect for us and we are comfortable with it?

Yesterday when Americans watched the inauguration of President Barack Obama (47) they were confident that they chose a man who represents all that America stands for – a dream that can be fulfilled if you work hard enough. You can’t lose with 44. Jigga said he’ll come back wearing the 44, Michael Jordan’s jersey when he returned to the NBA. Here we are talking only about the 3^rd president and right there we only had a lawyer (Mandela), an economist (Mbeki) and what????, a plumber, activist, carpenter, a security guard, Robben Islander????

I said it’s hard to be inspired by our leadership because quite frankly we don’t have the best men and women in leadership today and it doesn’t seem like the next election will produce people with the ability to inspire but a whole new leadership that will encourage young girls to have more babies so as to access social grants and more teachers to have sex with learners because their powerful union will defend them. Obama never once mentioned sex (Abstain, Be Faithful and Condomise) in his speech because there are bigger projects for the Americans to confront. I bet my last dime whoever is elected president later this year, he will be speaking about sex in his inaugural speech. Is it all we are capable of? Is it the reason why Africa is so full of poor people?

All Hail Barack Hussein Obama!, and as for our body-politik – I am truly ashamed - it sucks!.