Opinions of Saturday, 16 May 2015

Auteur: Farouk Martins Aresa

Migrants flee after democracy created chaos in their countries

What actions are African countries taking about the weekly sinking and dying of refuges apart from blaming others while stealing resources needed to alleviate poverty where both the rich and the poor flee from? More money is stolen and delivered by African leaders to the western world and international corporations than the total amount given in aid and odious loans.

The latest waves of refugees perishing in the sea between Libya and Europe should remind historians how the Moroccan Army contributed to the demise of last Empire of Songhai. Even worse, how the Christian and Muslim missionaries paved the way for slave trade, plunder Africa into Dark Continent for ages while royalties from Gold, Diamond, and Slave coasts were paid to British, French and American conquerors. It happens as fiction today but true as yesterday.

African leaders have made matter worse. They have raked the milk and honey flowing in their land for themselves and plunder them into Europe and America. Unfortunately, their grabbing avarice is worse than those of their colonial masters. They are not only stealing, they are ripping their continent apart subjecting the new and coming generations into abject poverty without any conscience. Indeed, they turn it into pride. Answer: like us, let them smell suya!

Those who seek political and economic advantages in foreign countries milking their systems with the help of missionaries by religious conversions and maximum profits with international big corporations must also open their doors to refugees. Fleeing to freedom, democracy and free trade of cheap labor negotiated according to western interest has consequences once it replaces indigenous autocratic and theocracy governments in exotic cultures as in Egypt.

Patrick Lumumba had been killed and humiliated the same way Gadhafi was. Lumumba offence against the capitalist countries was adhering to socialist principles like Scandinavian countries. Congo has never recovered from brutal devastation politically and economically after the death of Lumumba. The children of Lumumba’s Congo were turned into economic refugees in and out of Africa while Mobutu was installed to steal Congo blind and hid his loot in capitalist countries.

Mohammed Gadhafi was no doubt a devil in his own right. He paid dearly for his terrorist acts including hijacking planes resulting in loss of lives. While looking for ways to rehabilitate himself. He courted the western world, snitched on offer of nuclear technical assistance from Pakistan and compensated the families of passengers of Pan Am Flight 103. The devil deserved his day.

It was not enough, he was butchered like a dog by his people the way he desecrated enemies with the help of those he though would rehabilitate him. Today, his warning about Al Qaeda if he was toppled sounds as a ring of truth. Libya can never be united, controlled and peaceful as it was under Gadhafi. Even worse is the spillage of cancerous volcanoes spreading throughout Africa. Stable Libya that had employed Arabs and Africans was plunged into chaotic borders. There is a free flow of migrants from Libya to Europe. The flow is beyond capacity for Italy and other European countries having enough migrant problems to deal with. They are looking up to America for help as if Americans do not have their own border crossing problems. If Europe did not learn from history because they gain so much from slaves’ free labor and Americans that also enjoyed the same benefits of slaves’ labor; immigration problems will not be wished away.

However, the aging population of Western Europe and United States need young population of immigrants for health care, to contribute to old age social security checks and their economy. The agricultural labor is a necessity, not only to feed the population at home but also crucial for export back to the world these same immigrants come from. Many of the science graduates and small business creators of jobs come from the children of these immigrants.

In spite of host hostility to immigrants, there are special visas for the very rich that can invest about half a million dollars in these countries. For African money bags, that is a very small price to pay to get their families into most of the western countries. Of course the money is coming from the treasury of poor countries whose children risk their lives to cross seas and deserts. In short, there is brain as well as economic drain from the very poor to the rich countries.

Of course these rich countries have problems of their own; they unite the poor that feel their jobs are taken away by recent immigrants and the conservatives that detest migration from countries and people that look different from them. Yet, there are jobs the hosts will not take, even when available in severe locations or lower wages. So they complain that immigrants will take any job at very low pay. They claim these recent immigrants encourage unlivable wages.

The reverse is that big manufacturing and agricultural corporations do strike agreements with politicians in the poor countries to lease their arable land so that they can introduce genetically modified seeds for production that is exported out at dictated prices to the highest bidders.

Africans must revolt against leaders not against themselves. Immigration is a touchy subject in every country as seen in South Africa. They are maiming their own brothers, sisters and children because immigrants always get blamed when there are no jobs for the natives or the economy is not that great. Both Nigeria and Ghana had kicked one another out so natives can dominate small businesses and play major role in driving the big commercial trade and market.

Instead of African leaders to look into mirrors when challenged, they blame history, immature level of democracy and spiritual forces the devils cast on them. As traitors of their communities, they fail to accept responsibilities, do aid, abet and conspire as accomplices to drain, loot and plunder the resources of their motherland with foreigners for the benefit of their families. Suya!