Of the bad or rotten apples falling, Donald Trump is not the only one as a few others are joining him in the political landfill. Rahul Gandhi of India who wears one of the most iconic surnames of the 20th century is now languishing in jail, while Kosovo’s former president Hashim Thaci once called the George Washington of Kosovo went on trial for war crimes on Monday but Like Trump, he too pleaded not guilty; and there is the ICC arrest warrant for Putin for his war crimes.
What is significant here is that these four are famous names now seen as notorious criminals who should be behind bars and not be free on the outside. So one by one, the courts are picking them off but in my book, “Tyrants Wanted” it is implied that the world should cut down the damned tree upon which these white collar criminals sit.
But it is a start and Tyrants across the globe must no longer feel safe; that they are above the law. My book critics the ICC for not being more proactive and act only when the crime was committed. Kosovo’s Thaci, for example, committed the ten charges he is facing three decades ago and an exemplary court would have taken him out before he had time to commit his wrongdoings. But as the platitude says, better late than never. He pleads not guilty like Trump because they believe leadership gave them the right to do wrong so how could they be guilty they must ask, one imagines.
However, the arrest warrant for Putin is a step forward for the ICC as he is still in power. My book suggests that before he commits more war crimes, abduct and kill more children, he should be removed and brought to trial immediately; that for that to happen, a bounty of a 100 million dollars be placed on his head and that he be wanted dead or alive. Two centuries ago, the law understood how important a bounty was if these criminals would interest a bounty hunter. Now when we have Russian oligarchs worth billions and who are losing billions because of the war, a bounty has not been raised which one feels would be a done deal if they are approached on the matter.
Victor Hugo said nothing is more powerful than an idea whose time has come and I am pleased that the bounty idea coincides with the coming of my book which I hope reaches the relevant people worldwide. It is time the Putins of the world are no longer untouchable. It is time the political pot hounds of the third world also know that their time to bark has ended. To that end, I have sent out a copy of my book to The Hague, if only to plant a seed.
L. Siddhartha Orie