The New Order

-J. Gilbert.

TYRANTS, DEMOCRACY AND THE NEW DEMOCRATS

Times have changed, people have changed, leaders have changed, likewise institutions, systems and the climate too has changed!
While many may agree on these, not many may have come to terms with the reality. World over, people feel insecure and anxious. There is little believe and trust in institutions. They also do not feel the elites and established ideologies are serving them well. Hence, the wave of protests and agitations around the globe.
   In the picture recently, there is Beirut and Buenos Aires, which have succeded by the resignation of Saad Hariri and the victory of Alberto Fernandez at the polls respectively. There is also Hong Kong bubbling. In Spain, Catalonia is refusing to give up thier seperatist agitations, Biafra in Nigeria has also violated the dotting eraser inked on them. The protests in Iraq are a complete horror. The list is endless; Ecuador is on the role,  same as Brazil and well capped up by the United Kingdom.
While understandably, the quest for social justice is at the heart of these theatre-esque events, world leaders are fully aware that playing by the rules would slow them down in the dealings of "governance". The penchant to get away with high-handedness has reintroduced the other face of fascism. Dissenting voices are slowly being shut down by the powers in high places, increasingly.

   Assuredly, unorthodox card games in politics have become the norm among world leaders. Democracy itself is fizzling out. For instance, British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson single handedly prorogued the Parliament in order to have a no-deal Brexit approved by the EU against the popular opinion, after puportedly lying to the queen.US President, Donald Trump allegedly poured mud on Hilary Clinton during the elections that brought him to power by colluding with Russia then-this is anti-American democracy, and he got away with it.His current fierce challenger, Joe Bidden is having a similar doze. He is instigating Ukraine to investigate Bidden's son's business dealings in that country. In Russia, Vladmir Putin owns the press for his pocket and has zero tolerance for the opposition.His most vocal critic, Alexei Navalny has had more days in prison cells than out of it. Rodrigo Duterte of the Phillipines shockingly has strong support for extrajudicial killings.The largest democracy on earth, India has Narendra Modi, a President who speaks in ungoverned terms that are nothing short of petrifying for minority groups-they record deaths more often than not. Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Turkey and Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orban have both managed to circumvent their respective constitutions to assist in one party or one man list as the case may be.
   Closer in Africa, there is Rwanda (despite its many Singaporian comparisms) recording human rights violations.Yoweri Museveni of Uganda has been in power for over thirty years and has a long history of terrorising the opposition too.The media have been his victims as well.Eritrea has taken the shape of North Korea in Africa, nothing goes in or comes out of the country. Only God sees what transpires there. Abdel Fattah El-sisi of Egypt has his baggage there. In the previous elections in Egypt, he technically contested against himself and won by a landslide. This is a never-endimg list of world leaders bending the rules of politics and power-play to satisfy their thirst for power and control, and Nigeria can be no different when it is put under the microscope.
   As succinctly captured by Fareen Zakaria of the CNN, the world appears to be experiencing a "democratic recession". According to data gathered by scholars, the enthusiasm for autocrats has grown.The report further suggests that, between 1995 and 2014, there has been the urge by a large population who would rather have a strong leader who does not have to bother with Parliament and elections.That sentiment is pecked at 10 points in the US, 20 in Spain and South Korea and a whopping 25 points in Russia and South Africa, on top of previous points gathered. With the state of things, it cannot be said that there is an ideal model of democracy in the world today, it looks like an endless journey with no destination. Either of two options are available: The masses world over may sacrifice fundamental humam rights for better economic opportunities, or give attention to the Orwellian voice; " Until they rebel, they can never become conscious.And until they become conscious, they can never rebe