ASIA COUP IN THAILAND, STOPPING ONE IN NIGERIA
Ossie Ezeaku

A military coup has been announced in Thailand. But the good people of Thailand should be cautious as they rejoice over the military's removal of their elected Prime Minister. All that glitters is not gold. Nigerians have seen It all. The current joy may turn out to be a prima facie of an impending political Armageddon, and the beginning of a change in the life-style of a people used to their freedom.

The chronicle of coups and military regimes in Nigeria, Pakistan and  Burma should have taught the Thais a lesson. There's no guarantee that the end game will be different from that of their neighbours-Pakistan and Burma. The jubilation that greeted the coup on the streets of Bangkok, revealed so much of a people noviced in the political arithmetic of third world military officers.

With royal approval, the Thai military have fired the all too familiar first salvo--an "early return to democracy", "two weeks in power", and an "interim  government for one year" to be appointed by them. Ironically, this was followed by a surprise announcement that banned "all political gatherings and activities"

To the Nigerian, It all sounds mundane and reminiscent of the long years of  military rule in the country which terminated 1999. A comparative analysis of the two South East Asia's military strong men-- Gen. Pervez Musharaf of Pakistan, and Gen. Than Shwe of Burma, would reveal that they may not be different from their former and present counterparts elsewhere in Africa.

Gen. Musharraf, who on the overthrow of Prime minister Nawaz Sheriff,  promised an early return to democracy has since held on to power infinito. The US global war on terror and Musharaf's quick wits in joining George W. Bush has paid off, as he is no longer under US pressure to call a genuine election. Moreover, the White House misgivings about a leader emerging from Pakistan's ultra right religious parties, in an era of "war on terror" has made Gen. Musharraf the all time great. Therefore, to the detriment of true democracy in Pakistan, Musharraf  continues to be the man to beat..

And in the nearby Burma, Gen. Than Shwe and his military ruling council continues to dig in for a long haul. The Rangoon military Junta has over the years grown thick skin, despite her isolation by the international community. Having extended the tenure of the house arrest of the foremost Burmese pro-democracy activist and Nobel laureate, Aung San Suu Kyi, they have sent a strong message to the rest of the free world that they careless about the consequences of their actions..

In essence, the prevailing regional situation may have emboldened the coupists in Thailand. Whatever may have been the wrongs of Former Prime Thaksin Shinawatra, the Thais, by welcoming the coupists, have set the most foolish precedence for their future generations. Unlike in Nigeria where ethnic affiliation would impair a sustained multi-ethnic protest, the popular South East Asia "people's power" protests has had success. It would have served Thailand better in this regard. It saw to the removal of the Late Ferdinand Marcos and Joseph Estrada of Philippines. And, It was instrumental in removing the Indonesian strongman, Gen. Suharto.

As the free world mourn the era of partisan politics in Thailand, Nigeria's political innocence which was defiled by the military coup of 1966 has to be remedied in a manner unique to her political environment. There is no doubt that Nigerians of today detest anything military. But the bitter truth is that an active participation of Ex military officers in the highest echelon of Nigeria's body politic, could be a panacea for checkmating future military coups.

The minor restructuring that has so far been effected in the military wouldn't have been possible If Pres. Obasanjo were to be a man with no military background. I ask: Would a President Olu Falae or Emeka Anyaoku, have looked into the eyes of a hawk like Gen. Victor Malu, and tell him to proceed on retirement? NO. The re-professionalization (attitudinal rebirth), and restructuring of the military started by this government can't be concluded by the time the President leaves office May 2007.

As military coups can derail the economic and social development of a country,it is imperative that certain factors unique to Nigeria's case should be looked into properly.
It wasn't long ago that "Black scorpion", Brig. Gen. Benjamin Adekunle reminded Nigerians that almost all the military installations were still situated in just one part of a big country such as Nigeria. He must have been worried about its future implications. The current President's take on this issue is unclear; it's anyone's guess. Why hasn't he done something about It? Is he afraid? If the Jagumolu of Egbaland is pussy-footing here, will a "bloody civilian" President in 2007 ever dare to contemplate balancing the military installtions in Nigeria? Which Nigerian President will make that tough decision, and very important one for that matter?

Robot  Villager

# 1 ASIA COUP IN THAILAND, STOPPING ONE IN NIGERIA Ossie Ezeaku A military coup has be...Read the full article. Posted by Robot| 24.09.2006 10:19

Abraxas  Villager

# 2 Hi, folks! The surest, most efficient, and effective way of putting a decisive FULL STOP to coups d'état in Nigeria, is to bring all living past Nigerian coup plotters and military dictators (i.e. Generals Gowon, Obasanjo, Buihari, Babangida, Abubakar, Dogonyaro, Mark, Shagaya, Ogbeha, and their co-conspirators) to justice for high treason, the JJ Rawlings way (you know what I mean), for the sake of the sustainable peace, unity, stability, indivisibility, progress, and corporate existence of Nigeria. Muchas gracias. Posted by Abraxas| 24.09.2006 12:02

ithinkbetter  Villager

# 3 @ezeaku, just perused your article, couldn't figure out any depth, thusly i rated the article very poor...sorry! i'm just too allergic to anything military in politics...cheers! Posted by ithinkbetter| 24.09.2006 12:12

Papino  Villager

# 4 I can see that you get your groove-on by making efforts to stick out like a sore thumb.Why can't you let the article pass instead of complaining and branding it a "very low"while also informing yourself that you are anti-military.I beg oo Posted by Papino| 24.09.2006 12:37

Tundeaka

# 5 Do not see the relevance of this article to the Nigerian experience. Please thinkdeeper. Posted by Tundeaka| 25.09.2006 01:34

akuluouno  Villager

# 6 I think the clip below and others show the link between the article and Nigeria. However I belive that the lesson is that coups are not yet out of fashion. I think the military boys in Nigeria must have thoroughly studied and analysed the Thai case for further necessary action. There is no doubt that Nigerians of today detest anything military. But the bitter truth is that an active participation of Ex military officers in the highest echelon of Nigeria's body politic, could be a panacea for checkmating future military coups. The minor restructuring that has so far been effected in the military wouldn't have been possible If Pres. Obasanjo were to be a man with no military background. I ask: Would a President Olu Falae or Emeka Anyaoku, have looked into the eyes of a hawk like Gen. Victor Malu, and tell him to proceed on retirement? NO. The re-professionalization (attitudinal rebirth), and restructuring of the military started by this government can't be concluded by the time the President leaves office May 2007. As military coups can derail the economic and social development of a country,it is imperative that certain factors unique to Nigeria's case should be looked into properly. It wasn't long ago that "Black scorpion", Brig. Gen. Benjamin Adekunle reminded Nigerians that almost all the military installations were still situated in just one part of a big country such as Nigeria. He must have been worried about its future implications. The current President's take on this issue is unclear; it's anyone's guess. Why hasn't he done something about It? Is he afraid? If the Jagumolu of Egbaland is pussy-footing here, will a "bloody civilian" President in 2007 ever dare to contemplate balancing the military installtions in Nigeria? Which Nigerian President will make that tough decision, and very important one for that matter? Posted by akuluouno| 25.09.2006 08:03

Tundeaka

# 7 Mr. Ezeaku: The fact that you cannot look the military in the face does not mean others can not! I personally will look at any hawk in the face. The country belongs to all, and if a democratically elected leader knows his/her worth, then the mandate empowers him/her to run the country in accordance with the constitution, no matter how the military constituency feel. It is articles like yours that massage the ego of the military which corrupted our country and bastardized the very soul of our nation. With no pun intended, your essay points at one thing, a cowardly mind looking for an easy way out. Posted by Tundeaka| 25.09.2006 11:55

Obi  Villager

# 8 MR. TUNDEAKA: I thought Mr. Ezeaku said something worthy. Your post 1966 history and attitude proves that you are not more than a political coward. Collectively, there is still the absence of political awareness, ethnic cohesion, doggedness, bravery and spirit of political martyrdom in Nigeria, which has developed in other third world countries. Indonesia and Philippines citizens braved their way through sustained "peoples power" protests and drove their military away by themselves. There were coups in Nigeria 1966, 1976, 1983, 1985 and 1993. Where were those "others" who could look the military in the face when these regimes were in place? How did you gain your present democratic freedom? Was it through your bravery? The question is: How do we tactically keep the remnants of the old order that are still in the military under check? Posted by Obi| 25.09.2006 18:38

Tundeaka

# 9 Obi, What you thought is unimportant. Who are the so-called remnants in the military? You delude yourself if you think NADECO and other pro-democracy groups were not responsible for sending the military packing. You might think OBJ is a stop gap, fine. But democracy is waxing and returning to the days of 'palliative dictatorship' is just not in the cards. I do not think Ezeaku is willing to journey deeper into sustaining a progressive democratic polity. That is my opinion. Posted by Tundeaka| 25.09.2006 22:36

akuluouno  Villager

# 10 Please lets not take flights of fancy or be romantic about peoples power in Nigeria a la Nadeco etc etc. It is not yet and has never been uhuru or as they say the jury is still out on that. Truth is that Abacha suddenly died, Abdulsamani had unplanned power thrust on him akin to Obasanjo phase 1. In the confusion and afraid of the fate that immediately befell Abacha, he quickly handed over power to Obasanjo 2. Had Abacha not died the one mega man march would have continued with willing syncophants in abundance to stoke the fire. I am yet to see any apparent role played by Nadeco and their ilk via peoples power in Abacha's demise except it has been confirmed that they provided the proverbial apple or their acts were chronicled in the biblical book of Jasher. Having said that, the coups in Paki and Thai are ominous and portend of opportunities for potential copycats in Nigeria who are watching gleefully, and who ab initio joined the military with an eye on power among other purposes. Look at the ongoing scramble for the vacancies created by the death of the 12 gens recently. As long as politicians continue to treat the people with disdain and openly play the religious and tribal cards as well as rig elections in a bid to keep their hold on power the Thai example may not be a dream but an already foretold Nigerian nightmare. Afterall what does it take for a coup to succeed, support by traditional rulers and the Uk and or US. It would be realistic to prepare for it rather than wish it away. Posted by akuluouno| 26.09.2006 05:52

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