| North Korea seen as in pursuit of dynasty | Send to a friend |
| Wednesday, 21 December 2011 12:28 |
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The Political Platform Reporter Dar es Salaam. An ailing 82-year-old Kim Il-sung suffered a cardiac arrest and died some 12 years ago. Besides his death bed was the former North Korea President’s son Kim Jong-Il who had apparently ordered medical doctors to attend to his late father.His father appeared to have assumed the role of a ‘life president’ of the Republic of North Korea until he met his fateful death. Kim Jong-Il, however, changed his title to a ‘Great Leader’ before he succeeded him as the next president after his demise.Kim Jong-Il has been greeted by the same fate as he too succumbed to heart attack at the age of 69 years aboard a train en route to outside Pyongyang,A news anchor with the North Korean state television could not hold back her tears, as she broke the poignant news on Monday. Although Kim Jong-Il died on Saturday, the death was reported two days later as the media is compelled to operate in North Korea.The world was stunned to hear the presenter declare a 27-year-old Kim Jong-Un an heir to the country’s vacant presidency. From the ‘life leader’ to the ‘great successor” as they were fondly referred to, another Kim was set to become the next president, perhaps the youngest on this planet.And so was Pyongyang, which rallied behind the admirer of both James Bond and Michael Jordan, stunned by reports on the new President. The younger Kim though still remains a mystery; his name came to limelight in October last year when he was promoted to the rank of four-star General by his late father.This just shows how the Kims are keen in grooming their heirs early enough and their commitment to ensure their ‘dynasties’ are there to stay. This is not the first time the world has witnessed such a scenario. From Kennedys of the US to Gandis of India, a lot remains to be seen in what the young Kim will offer to the communist country.Political pundits in Tanzania have received the Kim Jong-Un’s succession to the North Korean presidency with mixed views. Dr Benson Bana, an associate chairman with Research and Education for Democracy in Tanzania (Redet), is of the opinion that North Korea should be treated as an ‘isolated case’ from all other countries in the world. “The country has excessively been practising controlled democracy, which is not democracy at all…this is typically North Korean, no other country should dream of pursuing its path,” he observed. Dr Bana has not only cautioned over African countries taking a leaf from the enigmatic leaders, but also stressed that this should serve as a lesson to some selfish leaders on the continent.“Gaddafi was about to do the same and so was Kenyatta, this is tantamount to sultanship abolished long ago. North Korea has never known democracy,” he noted. The academician also wondered if the 27 year old would be able to keep the ball rolling as his predecessors. But Dr Azaveli Lwaitama, a senior lecturer at the University of Dar es Salaam, sees nothing wrong with North Korean democracy recipe, as he argues that communist countries had never put in place electoral systems practised in the universal democracy formula. “The same applies to UK, which also pursues successions. The country boasts having separation of a heads of state and government,” the firebrand academician observed. The Tanzania’s ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi, according to Dr Lwaitamas, did the same if its sole 34-year rule was anything to go by. “CCM is acting like a monarchy in this country, which is no different from what is practised in The UK or North Korea. They are all the same,” he said. Balancing stability was never simple and that whatever the Kims were was imperative, he said, citing the Butos and Kennedys had established in Pakistan and and the US, respectively. It would be worthwhile if North Korea was discussed in a global perceptive instead of an isolated case, he suggests. Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites           |
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