The Problem with Prolonged Power2 min read

Robert Mugabe and the Zimbabwean military’s surprisingly secure coup has managed to dominate the headlines overnight.

When we woke up on Wednesday to witness another controversial figure be brought down by their own people, I thought to myself how it always ends badly if a politician stays in power for more than a decade in an age of democracy.

Mugabe is a figure that my parents told me about when I was younger and the fact that he has only managed to fall after more than 30 years in power, comes to show how much these individuals crave the spotlight.

Saddam Hussein, Muammar Gaddafi and Idi Amin (even though he only lasted 8 years in the Ugandan Office), all were once favoured in their respected nations.

The general public backed these men for revolting against corruption in their countries at the time.

But the same corruption that these ‘heroes’ fought against got into their heads after years of leaching on to power.

These ‘leaders’ have enslaved the general public for decades, dividing communities, harming the innocent and before you know it, the whole country wants to get rid of the corruption by overthrowing or waging war against the establishment.

Age and time doesn’t effect a corrupt leader’s thirst for power as nepotism gives them an extension to their madness.

This is evident with Bashar Al Assad, as he succeeded his father Hafiz in taking control of Syria, currently at the height of a civil war claiming more than 400,000 lives.

The problem with all of these men is that they have progressively established dictatorships in office while the rest of the world thrive under the premise of democracy.

Prolonged power has gotten them out of favour of those who once admired their character and after years of oppression, the people just want to flush out all of the negativity.

What makes a good leader is the ability to sacrifice themselves for their people, not sacrifice the people for themselves.

It is understood that Mugabe and his wife Grace are being held in custody of the Zimbabwean army while the capital of Harare is on lockdown.

Last week saw Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa get sacked from office and replaced by Grace Mugabe.

After the recent coup, Mnangagwa has vowed to come back lead Zimbabwe in an effort to create new era of democracy.