African politics can borrow a leaf from American politics of divide that led to Donald Trump’s assassination attempt
In a clear move orchestrated by bitter politics and extreme politicking, the former president of the United States was targeted in an assassination attempt, a split seconds head turn saved his life in the hands of Thomas Crooks, whose AR 15 gun was well positioned on a roof top to get its target.
The implication of bitter politics and extreme electioneering was the assassination attempt, and had Thomas Crook succeeded, America would have been thrown into unending civil war.
To the proponents of the would-be civil war, there won’t be any excuse that Democrats were not behind the assassination of the former president who is leading his Democrat counterpart in the presidential election polls.
If a civilized country like the United States of America could descend this low, what becomes a third-world country on the path of divisive politics and extreme political rhetoric?
Political violence is often triggered by unguarded statements and desperate actions by aspiring leaders, candidates, political parties, and opposition figures.
In the United States, a political tension that began in 2016 ended with an assassination attempt on a former president.
Everybody is responsible for the shift in ethics, Trump, Clinton, and President Joe Biden. Their shift from cordial political games to extreme political games began the situation America is in today.
Clearly, Thomas Crooks was motivated by the rhetoric of the opposition and leading party in the United States. Democrats have focused their energy on trying to paint former President Donald Trump a dictator and a significant threat to the democracy of the United States.
They make statements aimed to discredit Donald Trump. Unfortunately, the statements were bought by Thomas Crooks, who tried to address the concerns raised by opposition in a violent and murderous way.
Donald Trump was the president of the United States of America for four years, and the democracy of the world leading country remained intact. He was in the Oval Office for four years, and no new wars started, neither was the nuclear button pressed.
The rhetoric that began from 2016 to date is a political rhetoric without substance, thus inciting the public against the former president.
In clear comparison, Donald Trump barely used dangerous rhetoric. He focused his campaign strategy on the use of hyperbole and spelling out the errors or downs of his counterparts in a crude manner.
He exaggerates their failures and try to paint himself as the saviour, and that is absolutely fair. That is absolutely how politics works, its acceptable standard.
After the assassination attempt, heads turned, and the politicians in the States watched their comments with regrets. They knew it was their fault – it was internally generated.
The chaos troubling and threatening the United States of America was self-inflicted. Donald Trump’s would-be murderer was incited by the rhetoric of the opposition politicians, and that underscores the need for change.
There is now a move to mitigate the use of words that are considered extreme or inciting. There is now a public awareness that the inciting statements from politicians could spell doom for the country.
They are beginning to reconcile with the fact that desperate and extreme comments could lead to the destruction of the common value that hold the country together.
Lessons For Africa
What happened in the United States might not happen here. Rarely has a president or former president been targeted in an assassination attempt. This doesn’t mean there is no such intent from the masses, but due to the masses lack access to guns and only focused on their daily struggle to make a living, such intent cannot be put into practice.
While politicians in Africa mainly focus their rhetoric on the masses, they do it with the belief that the masses can not pull a trigger or hurt their ambition due to the penchant for rigging. Leaders of a third world country can do what pleases them because they live in a world they rule.
Fomer president Muhammadu Buhari once said that his citizens are lazy despite not making the country better with his policies.
The current, President Bola Almed Tinubu, said last year that he knew he was hated by his citizens and doesn’t give attention to their numerous complaints and attacks online.
While in the US, extreme rhetoric involves physical incitement to murder or stage different forms of protest. In Africa, extreme rhetoric disengages the people from the country and leaders.
Extreme rhetoric must be avoided because, in one way or the other, it endangers the country and brings bitterness among citizens.
A country is worse off when there are no patriots or those willing to make the necessary sacrifices for the uplift of the country. In Africa, rhetoric has caused unseen damages to the countries across the continent.
While rhetoric has not caused a major political conundrum in Africa, it has somehow made African political leaders complacent. It has put them in a free mode, where they can freely make unguarded statements against citizens and their ideologies.
In Nigeria, when former governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi was presented as a political saviour by the youths of the country, rhetoric by his counterparts in the election made inciting comments that tend to divide the country along tribal line. With Labour Party said to be an Igbo party, and Peter pushes Biafra agenda.
In Kenya, there is now a committed protest to force the resignation of the president, and the move was orchestrated by the commentaries of the President, who Finance Bill was asked to be dropped by the citizens, but he continued on the path, because he believes Africans cannot act.
Rhetoric in Africa has divided African countries along tribal lines, religious lines, and party lines. APC was labelled a Hausa Party (Boko Haram) when it was formed. APGA got a knock for having an Igbo bred fowl. PDP was once labelled a Yoruba Party because of former president Olusegun Obasanjo.
Rhetoric can cause unprecedented damage in any country, and it is high time politicians in Africa learn from the mistakes of the West and build a strong Africa through internally mitigating extreme rhetoric in their respective countries.
While rhetoric may have not led to personal attack or triggered political violence in Africa, it has caused a divide that significantly threatened and destroyed the psychology of willful defence and patriotism in Africa.
