A POPULIST OR JUST A VICTIM OF CIRCUMSTANCES ; LIZ TRUSS UNCEREMONIOUS DOWNFALL.

Photo courtesy of FB
 " I am not a quiter but a fighter." This is outgoing British Prime Minister Elizabeth Truss that she uttered in the floor of the House of Commons when she was responding to Labour Party leader and official opposition leader Sir Keir Starmer. Truss was under sharp criticism barely a day after sacking his Treasury exchequer Minister Kwasi Kwarteng in unceremonious manner after his mini budget flopped in a big way. The populistic cut of taxes by 45% with ZERO commensurate plans on which avenues in the economy where they will generate revenue to seal that void made the British sterling pound to sink way below the dollar and the euro. The financial markets especially the London stock exchange (LSE) found it rough. The Bank of England inorder to salvage the already sinking ship , it had no option than to raise the bank rate hence pushing the cost of loans and mortgages up something that cause an uproar in the entire United Kingdom.

Liz Truss will enter into the British history books as the shortest serving PM. She has occupied that seat and 10 Downing street for only 44 days. It has been a marathon as she tried to put thinds in order especially the economy which has been battered by the energy crises in Britain and many parts of western Europe. After pressure piled on his predecessor former PM Boris Johnson to quit that position after a series of scandals and irresponsibility in transacting his business. The mishandling of the COVID 19 and the other economy was the genesis of Johnson downfall. Truss came with alot of hope and promises to write off the ills of Boris Johnson. She was able to convince the Tories that she was best poised to occupy the 10 Downing Street. But with that much hype and tempo , PM Liz Truss has bowed out. She has certified that the responsibilities bestowed on her and the only thing which was expected from her even before the pressure was mounted on her by the British citizens and the Parliament was just to call it quit.

When the Tories were searching for Johnson replacement in the 10 Downing Street , the two front runners were Sunak and Liz Truss. During the debates which were watched world wide by a mammoth of people especially Britons, Liz Truss outsmarted Sunsk twice especially on the domestic economy , the European Union politics and the British foreign policy. That's how the Tories settled on Truss who has failed to live to their expectations. In her move to sack the chancellor of the exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng , it was just a face saving exercise because, the mini budget that led to the uproar in the whole of UK had the full blessings of PM Liz. That's why Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer was asking Liz Truss, what is she doing in the office. She ought to have gone home with Kwasi Kwarteng. That's the irony that infuriated her Conservative Party wo lost both faith and trust in her and pressured her to quit.

The reason why liberal DEMOCRACIES continue soaring high both socially, politically and economically is because, meritocracy, rule of law , strict adherence to the oath of office, ideologies and promises made to the polity are very solid. If you find it difficult, to avoid compromising and tarnishing your name and traversty of laid rules, you just call it quit. Again , the conservative party which Liz Truss was leading and which fronted her for that coveted seat of the Prime Minister lost trust in her. They didn't shield her flaws , ineptitude , laziness, cluelessness and high handedness just to please her and fellow conservative s. Infact, the labour party which is the official opposition party played very minimal role in pressing PM Liz Truss to quit. In sub Saharan Africa , can the political party where the president come from take responsibility of putting her to task in the Parliament for coming up with populistic Economic policies , Dictatorship, violation of the constitution among other ills? I don't think so. In Kenya, if I come closer home , can Kenya Kwanza Alliance affiliate party MPs and Senators , can they put the president into task for violating the constitution and crafting Economic policies which are punitive to the citizens bearing in mind the coalition has the majority in both houses as it is happening in the UK? They cannot and that the last Kenyans can be expecting. MPs who can do that can be labeled as rebels and politically ex-communicated. Reason cannot be something that can take the centre stage but sycophanticism.

Oooh my , we have a long way to go. Do you expect a cabinet secretary or a senior civil servant can take responsibilities by quiting after the ministry or state department under him/her fails to execute the duties and responsibilities assigned to it? Or is implicated in a scandal both sexual or economic one? The statement they put forward after calling a press conference is , him/her and the ethnic community they hail from is being targeted  and they would rather die than resign. PM Liz Truss when she came out from the 10 Downing Street to address the UK residents as to why she has made a decision to call it quit. She didn't heap blame on his predecessor Boris Johnson. She didn't tell the Britons that , she failed in reinvigorating the British economy because the mess that Boris Johnson left was enormous. She solely took her own responsibility and did the honourable thing : Quiting. Will developing nations ever reach to this point? Or it will take several centuries to come? Methinks, it can only happen if our leader embraces political responsibilities to be the cornerstone of their Nations leadership. If not , plundering , embezzlement, looting , corruption , authoritarianism , ineptness, mediocrity etc will continue being our fodder.





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