America has plenty to learn in their war against repression

Americans this week were treated to a classic Moi move when FBI Director James Comey learned that he had been fired on TV.

Daniel arap Moi, the master of firing officials by radio or by the roadside, must have been proud!

But the point, and which was stressed over and again at a major human rights defenders meeting at the Carter Center in Atlanta, attended by former US president Jimmy Carter and Senator Bernie Sanders, is that the days of “America exceptionalism” are over.

America has now officially joined the rest of the world in terms of repression, intolerance and abrupt leadership decisions that defy reason or decorum.

FREEDOM AND DIGNITY
For those of us who have lived in countries ruled by fiat, and by the dictates of one man, the signs are all too clear.

This is a president who not only hates accountability and dissent, he works assiduously to divert it, and strives to make decisions unilaterally even when those decisions are unconstitutional.

So after many decades of the US positioning itself as the beacon for freedom and dignity, as a trailblazer and teacher on struggling for peaceful change and the role of institutions to check power, it is now time for America to learn from those who survived — and combated — Augusto Pinochet in Chile.

ACTIVISTS

It is time for America to learn from the tricks of the trade from Zimbabweans and Ugandans who constantly come up with new ways to affirm their dignity in the face of dictatorial strong men.

And it is time to learn from the Pilipino struggle that toppled the dictator Ferdinand Marcos under the leadership of the Catholic Church there.

There are lessons, too, for the Americans from Kenya, where the powers that be labour mightily to subvert the Constitution for their own ends.

The resilience of Kenyan activists — who were well represented at the meeting — has been inspiring.

When those in power tried to make “activism” a dirty word, they reclaimed the term and now wear T-Shirts stating that ‘I am an Activist, and proud of it’.

EXTRAJUDICIAL KILLINGS
The activists have gone to the High Court and Court of Appeal severally, because these courts — unlike the Supreme Court — have shown remarkable courage to stand up for the Constitution.

And these activists have stood their ground pushing back against extrajudicial killings by the police, even when these killings come close to home with siblings and relatives killed, as Ruth Mumbi of Bunge la Wamama can testify.

Demonised as ‘evil society’ by those who favour impunity and unaccountability, they soldier on, confident that might is not right.

It is a different world in the US, and previously unacceptable things are now the new normal.

People can now express racist, misogynist, Islamophobic, homophobic and other intolerant views and get away with it.

And as those in authority or influence express these hateful intolerant views, it brings others on board.

SHARIA LAW
We need to remember that democracy is not simply the tyranny of numbers.

It is about values, and respect for laws, checks and balances and for the rights of others.

When we see democracy as simply a game of numbers then we court tyranny, fascism, and dictatorship.

The poster child for this approach is perhaps the Islamic Salvation Front, or FIS, which took part in general elections in Algeria in 1990.

Its credo was simple: Vote for FIS and this would be the last election in the country if it won for it would abolish democracy, voting, checks and balances, ruling instead by fiat under their understanding of Sharia law.

ENDING DICTATORSHIP

It looked set to win the elections at the time, and it took a military coup — not the best solution by any imagination — to stop FIS from attaining power.

Now some may say that we must always respect the views of the majority.

But never so when those views are undemocratic, vile and repressive.

And it is our responsibility — even if a minority — to stand up against dictators, strongmen and other authoritarian leaders even when they are popular.

This is why the Black Lives Matter movement is so inspirational.

And it is why the adaptation by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) to the new realities is a lesson for all activists.

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