THE US has been touted for long as the ‘Greatest Democracy’ in the world – arguably it is. Hence the scenes that unravelled at the Capitol on Wednesday were quite unimaginable even when the mayhem was live on your TV screens.
A sense of disbelief overtook the discerning viewer, can it be real or a soap opera staged in time for the handover season in the Federal Capital! Alas it was for real and the most saddening (or stunning) aspect was that the person who apparently gave the boost to the rag-tag supporters was the President himself!
Well, we have had sufficient shockers from Donald Trump during his four tumultuous years in power – enough to develop an inertia. The bars were lowered for him given the track record of statements and behaviour unbecoming for a person holding the position considered the most powerful in the world.
Even with such low expectations of propriety, one wouldn’t have imagined that the head of state would instigate an insurrection in his own country!
The aftermath is the lowering of America’s prestige as a beacon of democracy – going forward, its ability and credentials to lecture democratic principles from other countries shall be suspect.
‘Banana Republic’ is a term that originated in America and used to derisively refer to small countries ruled by ‘pocket dictators’. Today, bananas should be rightly feeling redeemed of the ignominy they were subjected to! Even if for the last 10 days of his Presidency, can retribution by removing him from the position (Article 25) salvage some of the lost glory?
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