7 June 2019
Benito Mussolini Italian Prime Minister in the 30s rose to power democratically. Gradually his dictatorial tendencies started showing up, those who should have spoken out against it kept quiet. Within 5 years he consolidated power and silenced the entire opposition.
Dictators don't just rise in a day, they rise gradually, testing the waters and accessing the strength of the opposition and civil society. They start by destroying the judiciary and having a grip of the law in their hands, next they trump up charges against those who disagree with them and imprison them using kangaroo courts, self implanted judges or detain those they disagree with indefinitely without trial.
Next they go after the press, they jail journalist, in some cases people start missing, next and the most dangerous part of it, they start having admirers, those who follow the dictators so much, love their every move and defend the indefensible just to align and make meaning of the dictator's cruelty.
Gradually, the dictator's men control the press and control the type of news people hear, at this point the people’s psychology is affected, their minds are imprisoned and their followership defies common sense. This is when you see the dictator's die hard followers defending outright foolishness. Now, while the whole world see the folly, only the die hard followers, under the spell of deception fail to acknowledge reality.
Mussolini influenced a lot of young leaders after him including Adolf Hitler who almost anihilated the world. The danger is dictators build around them a cult like follower-ship.
As history is being written today, don’t ever find yourself on the wrong side of history. No matter how a man emerged as president, watch out for sign of dictatorship and facism. Break away from that spell of deception and align with the truth.
Now, how do we know a dictator is rising? When you hear of detention without trials, abuse of judiciary, arrest and detention of pressmen, killing of protesters, and when you hear of muzzling of the press and abuse of human rights, don’t wait to be told, a dictator is here. Let history not record you as being a part of those who murdered justice, let history greet you taking sides with the people.
Speak out, don’t allow another Mussolini rise again in our time.
Princewill Odidi writes from Atlanta, Georgia
