Monday, February 16, 2015
"RESPECTING" THE PRESIDENT
MY REACTION TO SOME REACTIONS TRAILING SOME OF MY FACEBOOK POSTS
I have repeatedly referred to
President Jonathan as clueless in matters of governance. I still think he is
clueless in that regard. I think so because his leadership has shown “no
knowledge, understanding, or ability” in successfully handling the myriad of
Nigeria’s problems, from the economy, to security, to internal democracy, to corruption.
A number of people, in their
reactions to my posts, especially recently, have taken strong exception to my
characterization of President Goodluck Jonathan as clueless. They have premised
their objections on their shared perception that calling him clueless is
insulting, and that insulting the president amounts to insulting the generality
of Nigerians. They are entitled to their opinions.
In my own opinion, which,
needless to reemphasize, I am entitled to as well, the individual who elects to
offer himself to the citizenry for public service either in an elective
position, or as an appointee of government to a cabinet position, by that same
token, submits himself to the intense glare of public scrutiny. His every
action and inaction will be second-guessed, analyzed, applauded, derided, or
ignored by all and sundry, each according to their personal persuasions and
leanings. Assessments of how the president has handled his job are made by
citizens and non-citizens alike. These will come to their conclusions on the
subject. The words they choose in describing those conclusions are their own
prerogative.
Respect for the man who is the
president and respect for the president are not exactly the same thing. To my
mind, there is a difference between both “respects” that is not even so vague.
In the first, the respect that is due the man is the same respect that is due
any other man. No more. In the second, the respect that is due the man is the
respect that is due the office of the president, the respect that is due the
people he represents, the civilization he stands for, the institution that he
embodies…in two words, the presidency.
Respect for the office of the
president dictates that you stand when the president enters the room and remain
standing until he sits or indicates otherwise, even if you think this president
assaulted your mother. Respect for the president means you don’t heckle when he
speaks in his capacity as president, whether he is addressing the National
Assembly, a business community, or a town hall meeting, whether you agree with
what he is saying or not. Respect for the president means you don’t throw
stones at him or his motorcade when he comes campaigning for reelection in your
area. Respect for the president embodies all those responsibilities you have as
a citizen to the personality that occupies the office of the President, not to
the person that is the president. In speaking of the president in his capacity
as president, we owe his office the respect it deserves. Therefore, in formal
national and international gatherings, at public functions which he attends in
his capacity as president, his presence must elicit from us all the courtesy
that his high office demands. In those situations, he is not just any other man. He is
an institution. He is a people. He is a civilization. In characterizing this or
any president as an individual however, in referring to his performance on the
job, any adjectives employed are at the discretion of the assessor. Others may
agree or disagree with the adjectives used – some may even see them as
insulting – but those may be seen as the necessary evils of the freedom of
speech we enjoy – freedom of speech, not information.
Disrespect shown to the office of
the president – which means, in effect, disrespect shown to the person of the
president when acting in his official capacity as the president of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria – amounts to disrespect to all Nigerians. That is why, on my
Facebook wall, I was unequivocal in my condemnation of the stoning of the
president’s motorcade in some northern states some weeks back. Nothing excuses
that kind of behavior. A PHYSICAL attack on the person or the surroundings of
the president is an attack on the presidency and so, an attack on all
Nigerians. I condemned that behavior without reservation. To my knowledge, none
of those who now query me for using that clueless tag on Mr President condemned
that behavior.
In contrast, a scathing criticism
of the president on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, satellite television, radio, or
newspapers – even if seen by some folks as insulting – is not an insult to
Nigerians. Nigerians are not responsible for the president’s decisions. Some
enjoy them, some endure them. Those who endure them cannot be expected to clap
for him like those who enjoy them do. Instead, they are expected to call very
loudly for things to be done differently, where possible, by different people.
Respect for the president does not mean you cannot disagree vehemently with his
policies, and with him.
I respect the president. But I
disagree heartily with him on security, on the economy, on his approach to
corruption, on defense. I don’t think he should continue to be president. I
think he is unfit to lead. That does not mean that I think he is unfit to be a
respectable Nigerian. It just means that I have not become so focused on seeing
the president as to be unaware that I am also seeing Jonathan. Perhaps another
way to say this is that we must separate the president of Nigeria from the PDP
presidential candidate for the 2015 general elections, even if both
personalities coalesce into the same individual who has been president for the
past five years.
All that said, I hope the
misunderstanding generated by some of my posts in some quarters will now be
laid to rest.
