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Africans say "Yezzi Fock" to oppressive regimes
Masses by the thousands in Tunis gathered and demanded the resignation of President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali - video courtesy Al Jazeera
by Joseph Ernest January 15, 2011
Newscast Media-- The expression "Yezzi Fock" is a Tunisian slang for "enough is enough". Africans in general seem to be tired of regimes that win elections on the premise that the leaders are for the people, yet once in office, the majority of these leaders want to cling to power, and will not hesitate to squash opposing voices or oppress the very people that put them in office.
What happened in Tunisia should be taken very seriously by the international community that has a tendency of just standing by and sweeping injustices and atrocities committed against Africans under the rug. Africans in Tunisia knew that they were not going to receive any outside help, so they banded together and ousted their leader President Ben Ali.
Before tackling Tunisia, one must ask oneself the question, why would a country like Tunisia that is not known for public demonstrations take such a quantum leap to oust its leader? The answer lies within three countries: Kenya, Zimbabwe and Ivory Coast. In both Kenya and Zimbabwe, there were no winners or losers in the elections and the international community just winked. In Ivory Coast there was a clear winner, Alassane Ouattara, who won by 54 percent against current leader President Laurent GbaGbo's 45 percent. Upon learning the results, the military closed the country's borders and international news sources were suspended. Paul Yao N'Dre, chairman of the Constitutional Council, which validates election results, and a staunch ally of GbaGbo, proceeded to declare the elections "null and void." Once again the international community did nothing as GbaGbo held on to power.
At an address at the Episcopal National Cathedral, Washington D.C. on March 31, 1968, Martin Luther King said, "On some positions, Cowardice asks the question, "Is it safe?" Expediency asks the question, "Is it politic?" And Vanity comes along and asks the question, "Is it popular?" But Conscience asks the question "Is it right?" And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must do it because Conscience tells him it is right. This is the challenge facing modern man."
The people in Tunisia weren't having it. They knew that no regime change would occur if they themselves didn't do something about it. On Thursday January 13, 2011, knowing that their freedoms and liberties were at stake, Tunisians finally said, "Yezzo Fock!" Within 24 hours, a mass uprising swept the nation like a Tsunami demanding the president resign. The people finally succeeded in running President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali and his family out of the country. He is reported to have fled to Saudi Arabia as a refugee after being president for more than 23 years.
The House of Saud released a statement saying, "Out of concern for the exceptional circumstances facing the brotherly Tunisian people and in support of the security and stability of their country... the Saudi government has welcomed President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and his family to the kingdom," the statement read.
Many Tunisians were especially overjoyed at the prospect of life without Ben Ali's wife Leila Trabelsi and her family. Leaked U.S. diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks had discussed the high levels of nepotism and corruption displayed by her clan. But U.S. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley rejected any notion that WikiLeaks disclosures led to the revolution in Tunisia, saying Sunday that Tunisians were already well aware of the graft, nepotism and lavish lifestyles of the former president and his relatives.
Tunisian media reported one brother-in-law of the president, Imed Trabelsi, was attacked by an angry mob at Tunis airport and died. The reports could not be immediately confirmed.
In Africa, rarely do heads of state hand over power peacefully to their opponents if they lose elections. The "clinging to power syndrome" permeates all levels of politics that's the reason why governments intimidate their citizens into submission using the iron fist. The police's idea of controlling riots is to shoot citizens with live bullets or to smash their heads with batons. This is because they too have a stake in whichever regime they serve, so when regimes get toppled, the oppressors have no choice but to flee because they were the very ones committing atrocities against their own citizens.
Corruption in such autocratic regimes and rigging of elections is not uncommon. These types of leaders might resort to force, manipulation, or even threats to accomplish their goals. Media houses in such regimes are either state-owned or are bought off to paint a favorable picture of the autocratic leader, and also subdue the citizens using psychological warfare. In such countries, journalists literally have no freedom of press. Numerous stories are aired everyday where journalists are arrested and jailed because a leader may not like the tone of an article written. It is for that same reason that the African press and news media outlets are trying so hard to bury this story.
Another African country to watch is Uganda, that will be having its elections on February 18, 2011. The battle will be between the incumbent Yoweri Museveni whose ruling National Resistance Movement party has been in power since 1986, and Kizza Besigye representing the Inter-party Co-operation. Neighboring Kenya had elections in which both Raila Odinga and Mwai Kibaka declared themselves winners which resulted in riots. The battle the incumbent Museveni of Uganda is facing is winning over the largest tribe --the Baganda.
The Baganda people feel oppressed even though they supported Museveni during his guerilla wars in the 80s that eventually landed him in the presidency. This one tribe alone is enough to swing an election one way or another, so the task Museveni has is to win over a majority of this tribe, which would take a miracle, since the government has been at loggerheads with the kingdom of Buganda, going as far as requiring the King to get a permit to travel in his very own kingdom.
Despite its troubled past, the nation is very rich in minerals including gold, lithium, uranium, diamonds, copper and dozens more, and has recently discovered large oil reserves. You may view the entire list of minerals in Uganda (excluding recent oil discoveries). The United States including the rest of the international community should keep an eye on how the elections unfold in Uganda on February 18, given the tribal tension that permeates the Pearl Of Africa.
The ousting of President Ben Ali is a reminder to all autocratic and authoritarian leaders that nothing lasts forever. Even the Romans, as great and sophisticated warriors as they were, succumbed to the determined barbarians who defeated them with sheer will-power and determination.
Victor Marie Hugo the great French poet put it best in Histoire d'un Crime which translates to (The History of a Crime) written 1852, published 1877, when he wrote, "No army can stop an idea whose time has come." Add Comments>>
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