Special to USAfrica magazine (Houston) and USAfricaonline.com, the first Africa-owned, US-based newspaper published on the Internet.
Patrick Chukelu, an attorney, has been legal issues and public affairs contributor to USAfrica, since 1996
Unless you are an ardent student of history, folks naively assume that democracy is static and self-propelled. Rather, it must be nurtured or it will slowly disintegrate into anarchy.
Unquestionably, one of the greatest Republics, the old Roman entity, ruled the world for over 700 years. The checks and balances of the Roman Government were intentionally compromised by the likes of Julius Ceaser who connived with the then most powerful General and the richest man in Rome to achieve his ambition of a “dictator at the helm”. He even distracted the powerful General through his young daughter with whom the General enjoyed visiting leisure parks rather than tending to the affairs of army generals. This General was eventually beheaded for Caesar to consolidate his power.
Brutus, who was corruptly elevated in office by Caeser, even colluded with sidelined Noblemen/Senators to assassinate Caeser (who was bent on turning Rome from a Republic to an Empire headed by him as the King). Under Augustus, Rome turned from a Republic to an Empire. What Julius started was accomplished in Augustus.
Is there a similarity with Trumpism in our 250-year-old America?
The Rulers of Rome in the first three centuries relied on mystics and often performed animal sacrifices to get divine discernment before embarking on expansion wars. Not only did the god(s) reject their sacrifice during this period, but they were also visited with a plague that caused massive deaths. The Roman Emperors were spiritually advised that everyone must fervently perform an animal sacrifice to appease the divine. The early Christians will have no part of this pagan practice. As Romans died of plague, the rage and mob turned on Christians as the cause. Romans took laws into their hands and murdered Christians on the streets as the cause of the demise of Rome and the death of their kinfolks. This changed in the fourth century when Emperor Constantine’s Army emblazed the sign of the cross on their clothes and weapons and were victorious in successive wars based on Constantine’s (a worshipper of the sun god Invictus) dream encounter with Jesus
telling him about the cross. Thereafter, Constantine allowed Christians to openly practice their religion. A few centuries forward, the powerful Popes and Church asserted dictatorial life and death powers over those deemed heretics in a killing fest.
Absent the Rule of Law, dictatorship and mob action will be the order of the day as have always been from days of old. So, whether in Africa or America so shall it be where corruption and impunity reign. No one will be spared !!! History is the past, present and a prospectus for the future.
USAfrica: Tinubu, Ramaphosa, military and Africans. By Chido Nwangwu
