Gaddafi, his ego and dream of African kingdom

By Juma Kwayera

As the curtain came down on the 12th General Assembly of the African Union on Wednesday, newly elected chairman of the continental body, Muammar Gaddafi, chided his peers for their "ethnic" greed and political chauvinism that prevents them from federating.

His displeasure was a product of his failure to whip the 28 heads of state who attended the summit, billed as a decisive moment towards the political integration of the continent, into

The chastisement drew the wrath of the inflated ego of his erstwhile comrades-in-arms, including Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni. He blasted the Libyan leader for attempting to return Africa to the era of serfdom, kingdoms and tribal chiefs.

On the final day of the summit, Gaddafi kept the summiteers discussing the issue for a marathon 16-plus hours, before the conference adjourned at 2am.

His push for a union government took on an urgent tone on Monday when he was elected malik maluk (king of kings) of Africa by kings, sultans, princes, sheiks and African traditional leaders as he prepared to be proclaimed president of federal government for the continent.

Prior to the summit, Libyan media reported: "The bulldozer of the African Union led by the Guide Muammar Gaddafi will carry on its passage all the undecided ones in the continent who want to take much more time for the creation of the African federal government."

He envisages United States of Africa with one army, common currency and passport. He has been holding court with some of the African leaders he has been friends with, but who during the four-day meeting — ordinarily the AU conferences take two days — scoffed at the proposal to form a political federation of 53 African states. On Tuesday, Museveni reportedly exchanged harsh words with Gaddafi over malik maluk status to the consternation of the presidents assembled at the UN Economic Commission for Africa conference hall.

Prince of Africa

A Kenyan delegate told The Standard on Saturday that when Museveni responded to Gaddafi’s posturing, he lambasted Libyan strongman for attempting to drag the continent into the medieval era of kingdoms.

"He told him that kingdoms were abolished in the last century. Museveni even warned Ugandan kings against backing Gaddafi’s ambitions and even warned them they risked banishment if they did so," the delegate said.

Museveni and Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe were some of the leaders Gaddafi has propped since they came to power. He financed Museveni’s rebel movement, the National Resistance Movement that toppled President Milton Obote in 1986.

During state visits to either country in the past, Gaddafi lavished praise on Mugabe and Museveni as "true sons of Africa," and himself the "prince of Africa."

At the height of the clamour for democracy in Uganda, where Museveni was bent on suppressing the opposition, Gaddafi advised Museveni against relinquishing power saying, "Revolutionaries never quit."

At the summit, he told his colleagues African leadership is based on social principles, not democracy, which he shredded as alien and divisive. The African confederation was a project Gaddafi revived in 1999, during the second ordinary summit of the AU in Libyan coastal town of Sirte.

However, his quixotic views on the United States of Africa expressed in his Green Book, have been dismissed over perception that his ultimate objective is to Islamise Africa.

Shop for alternative

Not surprisingly, Botswana Foreign Minister Phandu Skelemani, told The Standard on Saturday that Gaddafi’s perception of the African Union was a crazy idea, a view shared by virtually all southern African states.

This is why his election to chair AU was delayed by two days as his peers shopped for an alternative, which was not available immediately. Initially, it had been suggested that President Kikwete retains the reins for one more year. He declined, citing the election he faces.

The next option was Madagascar, which hosts the next summit, but the meeting coincided with a coup attempt on the Indian Ocean Island. Algeria ruled itself out because of the elections slated for April, while other potential candidates — Egypt, Tunisia and Mauritania — were ruled out on various accounts.

The union of Africa initiative elicited little excitement until the Accra, Ghana, summit in 2007 at which a decision was taken to accelerate the process.

The 12th summit was earmarked as the deadline for AU to transform into a federation. Consequently, the secretariat was transformed into a commission to fast track the transformation of AU into a union government.

The report that was to be tabled at Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, if adopted, would have created a union government with either Gaddafi as AU chairman or AU Commission chairman Jean Ping becoming the first president of the federation.

According to the Director of Africa Affairs and AU Directorate at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Patrick Wamoto, the prospect of Gaddafi being at the helm African union government inspired him to push for a federal government.

"Gaddafi’s tenure will coincide with the 40th anniversary of the Libyan revolution. It has been Gaddafi’s dream to mark this anniversary by elevating himself to the union presidency," he said.