Blog What if John Edwards were an African?
I could not pass up an article that was written by Jane Madembo this month in the Zimbabwe Times regarding the differences on how the US and Africa view political leaders.
AMERICA is known for its obsession with sex and the sex scandals of the rich; the superstars and the politicians.
This month, the headlines screamed the news of John Edwards’ affair, so much so that for almost two days, the American people were made to forget that there was a Presidential campaign going on. The political pundits said Edwards’ political career had ended.
Across the Atlantic Ocean, in Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe after having unleashed a three month violent runoff and declared himself the winner was just inaugurated to start a new term in office.
Many people in Africa shrug off the infidelities of those in office and say it’s no big deal. Adultery and cheating are as common as a cup of coffee in the morning. Many African men keep mistresses, and since some of the men concerned are the journalists that write the stories, they turn a blind eye. Traditionally, in many parts of Africa, polygamy is legal and having a mistress or two is no big deal. In places like Nigeria, a President or someone in high office will have two or three non-official wives, with children.
When people in power cheat their spouses, one wrong breeds another.
In the case of Edwards, he hired his mistress and paid her big bucks to do a series of campaign videos. He used campaign funds to pay her.
The American public expects those occupying high positions in public office to possess high standards of moral behavior. American presidential candidates go through intense scrutiny by their political opponents as well as the media. No stone is left unturned. Flaws, real or imagined get to be exposed and are sometimes exaggerated.
This great divide illustrates the fact that it’s still a long way to go before Africa catches up with the rest of the world.
In Africa the logic is there are lots of serious issues to be covered, so why waste time and resources on personal affairs? Africa is burning from Zimbabwe, Sudan, Nigeria, and Somalia, the countries are smoldering in poverty, civil war, dictatorial government and other disasters.
It is amusing to see that the Edwards’ affair had managed to infiltrate the African news network. On The Zimbabwe Times website, the headline stood there out of place, like a donkey among a herd of cattle.
Infidelity might seem like a small thing, but history says otherwise. One can make an argument that the inability of a man to control himself, to exercise self-discipline and judgment may affect other areas in his life.
In 1917, during the First World War, Mata Hari was executed by the French for being a German spy. Today, we are far from those days of the female fatale, but women still sometimes find themselves at the center of political power, sometimes for the wrong reasons.
Early this year in Zimbabwe, the government was duped by an illiterate woman, Rotina Mavhunga who somehow convinced cabinet ministers that she could extract processed diesel from a rock in Chinhoyi. For her efforts she was reportedly rewarded with a car and a farm. When it was discovered that she had lied to the politicians, her beauty was cited as the reason why the Ministers had temporarily lost their sanity. If they story had been followed through, perhaps one would have discovered that this woman was perhaps having an affair with one of the Ministers. She went into hiding, and it was later reported that she was under the protection of Tobaiwa Mudede, the Registrar General.
Maybe the mistake Africans make is to believe that their political leaders are just like them, that they have faults like everybody else. But they are not like us. These guys want the job of overseeing a whole country. Their judgment, moral upstanding and ethical standards should be above reproach. Maybe I am dreaming.
Those who aspire to be leaders have to make certain sacrifices.
African presidents or those aspiring to be president need to disclose their financial interests, business, and families, legal and common in law. It is through these other undisclosed interests and activities that money and government resources are spent, and positions are created.
Maybe we need to start asking hard questions like, what makes you think that you can run the country. What values do you subscribe to? Where do you stand on abortion, polygamy and other issues?
I bet you they are many African women who would hesitate to vote for the politician who publicly declares that polygamy or having mistress is fine by him.
