16th January, 2015
When an opposition party rises to the level that it can trounce the ruling party, it only signals one thing; the ruling party has failed the people or the people are simply tired of the ruling party.
In a democracy, the people will eventually have their way. It might take some years, maybe decades, but someday they will have their way. In Sri Lanka, President Mahinda Rajapaksa had a war chest and was pretty confident he could buy everyone at a price but he failed to realise that he could not buy the votes of the people that mattered most and that was the vote of people he governed.
Rajapaksa’s deep pockets got popular Indian actor, Salman Khan, to campaign for him but the tide was against them. Khan did campaign for him along with Sri Lankan actress Jacqueline Fernandez but they were already on the losing side.
The Lankan leader was contesting for a third stint as President but this is reportedly the first time that a Bollywood actor has been roped in for a poll campaign in Sri Lanka.
Like Rajapaksa, Nigeria’s president, Goodluck Jonathan has a war chest large enough to buy the drown the Opposition. With this, he has bought himself some Nollywood big names to campaign for him and even ex-Super Eagles footballers like Joseph Yobo but the people are not going to bulge. They’ve had enough. Like in the case of King Belshazzar, the hand writing is on the wall now. Even the blind can see Jonathan’s end is here.
While Jonathan and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, continue to plunder the nation’s wealth in a bid for re-election the main opposition party, All Progressives Congress must outline their plans for the nation like Sri Lankan opposition did.
Also similar to Nigeria is the fact that Tamil parties in Sri Lanka accused Rajapaksa of orchestrating war crimes in his country. They alleged that civilian casualties and human rights violations against Tamils peaked in 2009 during the last leg of the war against the LTTE with Rajapaksa in charge.
But the opposition was defiant. Before the election, a leader of Sri Lanka’s opposition said he would scrap a $1.5 billion deal with China Communications Construction Co Ltd to build a port city if Maithripala Sirisena won the election.
This was a port launched by Chinese President Xi Jinping in Colombo but the opposition was going to have none of it. That was bold and that is what the APC must also offer; bold ideas with clearly defined solutions. Ideas that would make everyone want see how great their country could be and stand in the corner of the Opposition.
There’s been so much talk about ex-PDP members making up the APC but like in Sri Lanka,Sirisena was a close ally of Rajapaksa before things fell apart. They both ‘managed’ or ‘mismanaged’ the country until the former realised that it was time for change.
If the ex-PDP members in APC believe and know it is time for true change, they will mostly likely jump ship to right their wrongs. Change is not about switching parties for personal greed or self-driven goal, but about transforming the nation and leaving your name in gold.
The Change campaign is a strong one and it is a campaign that is yet to fail unless the preacher of change is not a changed person.
In 2008, Barack Obama was nothing more than a dark horse that was given no serious thought. But with his Change mantra, he beat Hillary Clinton to clinch the Democrat ticket and with the same message he defeated John McCain very comfortably.
The same message was used in Sri Lanka and same has been deployed by APC in Nigeria. Although, the PDP is also preaching change but its not a street they can tow for long. If after 16 years, you’re preaching change then you’ve got to be checked.
David Cameron also deployed ‘change’ in the United Kingdom. David Cameron as leader of the Conservative party became Prime Minister after teaming up with another opposition, Liberal Democrats to oust Gordon Brown.
The Opposition must understand that victory will not be given but earned. The people need more than a roadmap; they need to be convinced that APC is a party of change with people of change.
If Buhari has learnt a thing or two from his previous mistakes and his ready right those wrongs, then he should be given a second ‘golden’ chance to do with the opposition but if after four years, there are no changes the people might have to look for change else where.
Written by Seun Bisuga
You can reach him via Twitter @bisuclef