What The Papers Say
Daily Times, Nigeria, February 28, 1986
Triumph of the people's will
That arch-dictator Ferdinand Marcos of the Philippines has resigned and fled into exile proves the immutable law that political power ultimately belongs to the people. Despite his stubborn effort to pervert the cause of democracy and perpetuate his tyranny willy-nilly, he has been forced to succumb to the mighty will of the people.Even to the most cynical, it was abundantly clear that Mr Marcos did not win the February 7 presidential election. But as is common with most leaders of the Third World, he used his incumbency to fraudulently manipulate the electoral figures to make him the winner of the election.
What the 68-year-old dictator, who has ruled his country for over 20 years, probably failed to understand was the magnitude of the Filipinos' disenchantment with his rudderless and ruthless administration. And they marvellously demonstrated this by their iron determination to stand by the candidate they overwhelmingly voted for Corazon Aquino, the 53-year-old widow of opposition leader Benigno Aquino, who was callously assassinated by Marcos' loyalists.
As part of his effort to cow the Filipinos into submission, Marcos ordered armoured cars, tanks and heavily armed soldiers to advance on the strong-hold of his opponents. But the courageous people of the Philippines trooped out in their thousands and used their bodies to block the advance of Marcos loyalist forces.
It was a classic case of determined civilians armed with nothing but the will to restore democracy to their country over- powering heavily armed soldiers. To a great extent, too, the armed forces of the Philippines deserve every commendation for the successful routing of the dictator. Its faction, loyal to the ideals of democracy, threw their weight fully behind Mrs Aquino to wrest power from Marcos, not for any selfish consideration to take over power for themselves but to protest dictatorship and electoral fraud.
Now that the will of the people has prevailed, Mrs Aquino, the new president, should redirect the ship of state to safer shores; far away from its former destination buffeted with dictatorship victimisation and planlessness. She should eschew all forms of vengeance and win over her opponents through infectious love. All her energies should be directed to promoting the well-being of her people. She should make the long-tormented Filipinos to breathe a new, fresh air of liberty and authentic democracy.
The task before Mrs Aquino, who is barely 10 weeks old in active politics is daunting, but not in any way insurmountable. With the application of the same type of determination she used in ousting Marcos from power, she should succeed. But she must guide against the trappings of power and seek advice from well- meaning people at all times to revamp the economy and put back the Philippines on the path of progress. We wish her every success.
The Guardian, Nigeria, February 28, 1986
Mercy, sirs
When the news broke last December that a plot by some members of the armed forces to overthrow the Federal Government had been foiled, the nation was genuinely outraged that such a plot should have been conceived by anyone for any reason whatever. Solidarity rallies were held in several parts of the country by patriotic citizens to demonstrate support for, and loyalty to a government they saw as dedicated to fulfilling their deepest yearnings. In their rage, many called for the summary execution of the alleged plotters. A panicky government bent on vengeance would have succumbed to such calls and liquidated its opponents, without the benefit of even a peremptory trial.Not so the Babangida Administration. The accused were tried under military law by their peers, and given ample opportunities to defend themselves. Representatives of the Nigerian Bar Association were admitted to the proceedings as observers. From all indications, efforts were made to ensure that the trials were thorough and fair. In each case, the sentence seems to have corresponded with the weight of the evidence against the accused. The innocent were discharged and acquitted, or not even brought to trial at all. Although 13 of the plotters have been convicted of treason and sentenced to death by firing squad, we are satisfied that this is no instance of "better hang the wrong man than hang no one". And under military law no other sentence could have been imposed.
But we are not dealing with a purely military matter. We are dealing with a matter that is in the public sphere, one that concerns the governed at least, as much as it concerns the government. And the concern of our countrymen is that we should begin to repudiate the culture of blood-letting that has been a tragic fact of our recent history. Far too often, human life has been taken wantonly by the state as well as by desperate criminals, with the result that traditional belief in the sanctity of the human person has been seriously eroded.
Capital punishment, as we have consistently stated, should have no place in our penal code. Thus, in entreating the Armed Forces Ruling Council (AFRC) to substitute a lesser punishment , for the death penalty passed on the coup plotters, we are not engaging in special pleading. Believing that sparing the lives of the condemned men and ensuring that they are never again in general a position to plot another coup will serve the ends of justice better than executing them by firing squad, we beseech the AFRC to commute their sentences to appropriate terms of imprisonment. By so doing, the AFRC, with its re-assuring commitment to human rights, can help the nation cultivate anew an abiding respect for the dignity and sanctity of the human person, including even those whose acts threaten or violate those noble precepts.
