Spanish princess in trouble over $2m only? We don’t want Western values here!

 

By Jenerali Ulimwengu

The Spanish head of state is a regal personage whose full name is Juan Carlos Alfonso Victor Maria de Bourbon y Bourbon. His lineage goes back five centuries to Louis XIV of France, the man they call le roi soleil, the Sun King, who built the sumptuous palace at Versailles, a true exemplar of luxury and excess.

It was this French ancestor of King Juan Carlos who came to personify the European absolute monarch of the epoch, having ascended to the throne at the ripe age of four and gone on to rule for over 70 years.

No wonder, then, that it is to Louis XIV that is attributed the declaration, l’etat c’est moi! The state, it’s me!, or, I am the state!

So, when in 1975, King Juan Carlos was handpicked by the fascist dictator Francisco Franco to rule over Spain after decades of fascist rule by the general, it was widely expected that the young king would tread the path of the absolute monarch.

Soon he showed his mettle by opting for a progressive approach and choosing to reign rather than rule. His easy manner and sporting pursuits also endeared him to the younger generation.

That may or may not explain what is happening in the Spanish royal family these past few days with the king’s own daughter accused of financial delinquency, including money laundering and tax evasion.

In effect, the Infanta Cristina and her husband, Inaki, have been put under investigation for embezzling public funds to decorate their luxury mansion in Barcelona.

That the daughter of a relatively popular monarch can be hauled before the courts of law over such matters — the amount mentioned is “only” about $2million — speaks to the modernity that Juan Carlos has allowed to flourish in his country, maybe to emphasise that no one is above the law.

There is also the small matter of the economic crisis that has hit Spain very hard, and the moral eyebrows that rise every time there is a suggestion that some Neros are still fiddling while Rome burns.

That is certainly a far cry from what we get on the African continent. We are now apparently completely inured to the outrages committed by our rulers, even at times of extreme hardship.

All too often it seems as if the more the people suffer the sweeter the luxuries enjoyed by their rulers, for then the differential is greater and the better-off-than-thou feeling is more intoxicating.

Not in Africa, we would not allow nosy cops and busybody sleuths to pry into the private affairs of our princes and princesses with the obvious intent of discrediting our worthy rulers.

Rather we would incline toward the Turkish solution, as demonstrated by premier Tayyib Erdogan, who sacked hundreds of police chiefs after they conducted corruption investigations of the politically powerful, including ministers’ sons.

Now, that is more African, for there is a desire on the part of some overzealous goody-goody-two-shoes wanting to destabilise the state machinery by harassing the hardworking family members of leaders whose only fault is to have recognised opportunities, grabbed them and worked hard and smart.

No wonder Afro-Turkish co-operation is doing spectacularly well these past few years.