The issue of sexual preference has also entered the domain of politics of choice. In Zimbabwe, the head of state himself has publicly led the crusade against homosexuality. In July 2004, a court in France sent a priest to prison for officiating in a gay marriage. The court declared the marriage illegal.
In South Africa, on the other hand, the constitution guaranteed full rights to all minorities, including homosexuals. It is arguable that the constitution of South Africa is closer to the idea of peaceful coexistence than any other constitution in the world.
Ideologically, choice can be limited when certain schools of thought are regarded as illegitimate, unpatriotic, subversive or heretical. In the 1950s the United States passed through the painful period of McCarthyism when lives were ruined and careers destroyed because socialist views were regarded as anti-American. The worst excesses ended after Senator Joseph McCarthy was censured by his Senate colleagues in 1954. But it remained risky to have strong left-wing views in American politics right into this 21st century .
Paradoxically, Islamic parties are banned in such Moslem countries as Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt and severely restricted in Turkey. One of the fears of these authorities is that the victory of an Islamic party at the polls could trigger the establishment of an Islamic state with even less choice for other views. In Algeria such a fear led to the abortion by the military of the 1992 election, which the Islamists were poised to win. Algeria has been plunged into civil war ever since.
Peaceful coexistence requires the optimisation of political choice for the people. But all values are relative and have to be balanced against the dictates of other values. Which brings us to the fourth pillar of peaceful coexistence " the pluralisation of power. While all capitalist countries are not necessarily democratic, all democratic countries are indeed capitalist.
Liberal democracy in its sense of openness is pluralistic. We believe that some degree of capitalism is necessary in order to pluralise power " so that power is not monopolised by the state. Richard Nixon, U.S. President 1969-74 was hounded out of office by a privately owned newspaper, the Washington Post. Salisu Buhari, former Speaker of the House of Representatives was forced to resign by The Nwews magazine. In a country without private property and commercial advertising, such a situation would be impossible. Capitalism is not enough to guarantee us democracy because it is not sufficient condition for peaceful coexistence.
However, capitalism does guarantee that the most powerful in society are not only those in government. Capitalism helps reduce the danger of the concentration of power and therefore serves the cause of peaceful coexistence.
But to make sure that the female half of the population really shares power, a society needs more than capitalism. It needs specific strategies for the empowerment of women. Peaceful coexistence would demand greater sensitivity to the concerns of the underprivileged as well as the needs of women.
Nevertheless, the idea of reserving legislative seats for women at least for a generation is a concept well worth considering by the countries of the world. It would be an interim measure in the process of pluralising power across the gender divide in all countries where women continue to be politically marginalised.
Globalisation has created a more homogeneous world at the macro level but it has created more heterogeneous communities at the national and micro level. Peaceful coexistence demands greater respect for this evolving diversity of the picture as a whole.
Tolerance as the second pillar of a plural order " is a readiness to esteem difference in opinion, religion, ideology, political affiliations and certain areas of personal morality. Victims of intolerance do not necessarily evolve into paragons of toleration. A culture of tolerance has to be cultivated and institutionally consolidated.
The third pillar of a plural order is the optimisation of choice. This affects issues which range from a woman's right to marry a married man to the spectrum of political parties which are allowed to participate in elections.
The forth pillar of peaceful coexistence is the pluralisation of power. Power cannot be extended adequately to the female half of the population unless a more determined strategy of gender-empowerment is undertaken. A plural order which is truly constructive of peaceful coexistence is necessary to avoid the perils of divisive politics such as now engulfed Plateau State.
Dual and plural societies can harbour the seeds of civil war, genocide and other forms of conflict. And yet political and moral reform is often a coy mistress, elusively shying away. We should plead to this moral coy mistress in the same terms in which Andrew Marvell (1621-1678) pleaded with his own mistress in 1670.
