Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Omar al-Bashir

Some might have followed the news that the South African High Court ordered the arrest of an African president, but he escaped through a South African military base (he was wanted by the International Criminal Court). This represents the basic branches of government in conflict (judicial, executive, and legislative). This particular case forced a revelation. Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu reportedly said that the episode spoke volumes about South Africa's moral fabric. If we understand the High Court decision as representing justice (by authorities), and the president's escape as an evasive manoeuvre (by authorities), this dynamic has become commonplace in South Africa, from the lowest to the highest levels. I have personal experience of it. OBSERVATION: However, I do not think that one can fairly say that South Africa is "corrupt", unless one refers to something good with badness in it. From coast to coast, one finds good, incorruptible people. Even within the same organisations, one finds both good and bad.

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