Riaan Endlini engakhulela kuyo, uMongameli uNixon wayeyisikhohlakali. Abazali bami bavotela ngokumelene naye wonke amathuba ababewathola, futhi sonke sajabula lapho esula esikhundleni sakhe ngesikhathi sakhe sesibili, endiza ngokuhlazeka esuka eWhite House eya ekuphileni ngaphandle kwamehlo omphakathi.
Ukuthi wayeyisigebengu, i-warmernger, isidlakela, isigebengu esinonya, usongo kuMthethosisekelo – lawa kwakungamaqiniso angenakuphikwa.
Ngakho kimi, ukuvakasha kwakamuva ku- Richard M. Nixon Presidential Library and Museum e-Yorba uLinda wayeyisenzakalo esishintshayo, esigoba ingqondo esabekela inselele ukucabanga kwami futhi kwangiphoqa ukuba ngivivinye imibono yami eyanesikhathi eside ilukhuni ngokumelene nokulandisa okuhluke kakhulu.
Abanye abantu abathandi ukuthi ukucabangela kwabo kuphikiswe. Nganquma ukukwamukela.
I-Opinion Columnist
Nicholas Goldberg
U-Nicholas Goldberg usebenze iminyaka engu-11 njengomhleli wekhasi lokuhlela futhi ungumhleli wangaphambili wekhasi le-Op-Ed kanye nesigaba Sombono WangeSonto.
Angizange ngiye emnyuziyamu ngenxa yomlando wale nyanga. Kepha ngerekhodi, uJanuwari 2023 uphawula iminyaka engama-50 yasungulwa Izivumelwano Zokuthula zaseParis lokho kwaholela u-Nixon ukuthi ahoxise amasosha aseMelika eVietnam, kanye nokugubha iminyaka engama-50 ye- kwecala labaphangi baseWatergate phambi kweJaji Lenkantolo Yesifunda Yase-US uJohn J. Sirica.
I-Vietnam kanye ne-Watergate kwakuyizindaba ezibalulekile ekubunjweni kwami kwezombangazwe. Ngangimncane ngeminyaka ye-Nixon – ngineminyaka engu-16 kuphela lapho esula ngo-1974 – kodwa ngamasha ngokumelene nempi futhi ngalandela ukulalelwa kwe-Watergate kuthelevishini, ngokunengeka okufanele.
Emnyuziyamu, ngangazi ukuthi ngizongena kwenye indawo yonke. Eyodwa lapho kwethulwa khona amaqiniso afanayo kodwa ngandlela thize abonakala ehlukile, lapho indaba ishintshile ngobuqili ukuze ubanjwe ungalindele futhi uphoqeleke ukuba ubhuqe ukuze uthole iqiniso. Njengokubuka iFox News ngemuva kweminyaka phambi kwe-MSNBC.
I-Nixon eyethulwe umnyuziyamu yilowo odinga ukwahlulelwa “ngalutho olungaphansi kwempilo yakhe yonke nomsebenzi wakhe,” njengoba uMongameli Clinton ekubeka emngcwabeni ka-Nixon ngo-1994. I-Nixon yasemnyuziyamu ayinacala noma ayinasici, nokho isithombe esipendwe ngokuyisisekelo sifudumele, siyancoma futhi siyathethelela.
Le Nixon iyinkimbinkimbi, indoda enombono, iqhawe elidabukisayo elehliswa amaphutha akhe.
Ngazulazula emibukisweni, ngifunda ngezinsuku zakhe eseMbuthweni Wezempi, nangokuqomisana kwakhe nowayezoba umkakhe, uPat. Wayebonakala engumuntu oqotho. Kodwa angikwazanga ukuzibamba ngizibuza: Ngabe ngiyadlalwa?
Impela babeqinisile ngempumelelo kaNixon: Wenza okungavamile, okungokomlando vakashela eChina ngo-1972 okwabeka isisekelo sobudlelwane obujwayelekile phakathi kwe-US nalelo zwe ngemva kweminyaka engaphezu kwe-25. Kwakungalindelekile futhi kwashintsha kangangokuthi kwaveza isingathekiso: “umzuzu we-Nixon-to-China.”
Kamuva ngalowo nyaka wahlangana eMoscow nomholi wamaSoviet uLeonid Brezhnev, ebeka inkundla yezivumelwano zokulawula izikhali kanye nenkathi entsha yokuvinjelwa kwezikhali phakathi neMpi Yomshoshaphansi.
Ngokumangazayo, kwakunguNixon – waseRepublican – owathi udale i-Ejensi Yokuvikela Imvelo futhi yasayina uMthetho Wezilwane Ezisengozini. Usayine i-Occupational Safety and Health Administration ukuthi ibe khona.
Eqinisweni, kunzima ukucabanga amaRiphabhulikhi namuhla esebenza ngaphesheya kwendlela kumaphrojekthi abaluleke kangaka.
Futhi uma kubhekwa i-vituperative, ipolitiki yanamuhla ezilimazayo, kunzima ukungaphenduki amazwi akhe ekugcotshweni kwakhe kokuqala: “Asikwazi ukufunda komunye nomunye kuze kube yilapho siyeka ukuthethisana.” UNkulunkulu uyazi ukuthi uMongameli Trump akakaze asho noma yini ecabangisisa kangaka.
Kodwa isinyathelo ngasinye engasithatha emnyuziyamu sasiwuhlelo lokubhekana nokuhlola izinkolelo zami nokucwasa, ngihlanganisa amaqiniso ngendlela engangiwaqonda ngayo nalabo abethulwa.
Yebo, uNixon wazuza ifa leMpi yaseVietnam kubanduleli bakhe beDemokhrasi – futhi ekugcineni wayiqeda. Kodwa waphinde waqhumisa amabhomu ezindaweni zasemadolobheni, amachweba ezimayini futhi wengamela ukuhlasela kwamasosha awela umngcele eCambodia. Bekungamele kumthathe iminyaka emihlanu ukuqeda impi.
I-Nixon yarekhodwa emakhasethini adumile e-White House athi iWashington “igcwele amaJuda,” futhi “amaJuda amaningi awathembekile” nokuthi “awukwazi ukwethemba ama-bastards.” Kodwa uma lawo mazwi aqoshiwe ayeshiwo emnyuziyamu, ngangiwakhumbula. Kunalokho, embukisweni wamakhasethi, ngakwazi ukumlalela ehalalisela amaPirates asePittsburgh ngokunqoba kwawo kochungechunge Lomhlaba Lwango-1971.
Angikwazanga ukuzibamba kodwa ngacabanga ngendima ka-Nixon yokuhalalisela ngesikhathi sikaMcCarthy – isikhathi sokufakwa ohlwini lwabamnyama, izifungo zokwethembeka, ukuqanjwa kwamagama kanye nokushushiswa kwabantu ngenxa yezinkolelo zabo zezombusazwe?
Kuthiwani ngokugxeka amaRiphabhulikhi “Isu laseNingizimu” ukuze awine abavoti abamhlophe eNingizimu besebenzisa ulimi olubhaliwe ukuze badlale ngokwesaba ubuhlanga?
Futhi ekugcineni, i-Watergate. Ngaphambi komkhankaso ka-1972, obhululu bakaNixon bagqekeza ihhovisi likadokotela wezengqondo kaDaniel Ellsberg, bagqekeza ekomkhulu leDemocratic National Committee e-Watergate Hotel, benza “amaqhinga angcolile” futhi bakhankasela ukusetshenziswa kabi kwezimali. Babeqondise izitha zezombusazwe, okuhlanganisa nokuhlomisa i-IRS ngokumelene nabamelene nayo.
Umnyuziyamu, ngokubonga kwawo, ube nombukiso ophelele walelo hlazo elimangazayo kanye neqhaza elihlazisayo likamongameli ekufihleni lokho.
Ekugcineni angizange ngithole izinkolelo zami eziyinhloko zinyusiwe noma umbono wami ngezwe ubhidlikile. U-Nixon useyisikhohlakali engqondweni yami. Kodwa ngaba nombono ohluke kakhulu futhi ngiyiqonda kangcono indlela abanye abangayibona ngayo le ndoda ngendlela ehlukile. Ngabona impumelelo yakhe. Futhi nganikezwa isikhumbuzo esidingeka kakhulu sokuthi abantu (ngisho nalabo abanjengoNixon) abavamile ukuba bahle noma babi.
Okungibuyisela ephuzwini lami eliyinhloko, okungelona ukukhetha ukulwa mayelana nokwehluleka nobuhle bukaNixon.
Iphuzu lami liwukuthi, kimina okungenani, kubalulekile ukuhlala ngivulekele ingxabano, ukubekela inselele imibono yami yangaphambili kanye nokulalela imibono ehlukile ngomqondo ovulekile. Kwesinye isikhathi kuyangisiza ukuthi ngiqinisekise engivele ngikukholelwa. Kwesinye isikhathi akwenzeki. Ngivame ukukujabulela, kodwa ngezinye izikhathi kuyadida.
Kodwa kulokhu ngiqinisekile: Ukukhuluma kuphela nabantu ngaphakathi kwamabhamuza ethu, sizivumela ukuthi sibuswe ukuhlukaniswa, ukuhlukaniswa, ukuhlukaniswa kwamademoni kanye nokuchema kokuqinisekisa – lokho kuwubuvila ngokomqondo.
Zonda u-Nixon ngazo zonke izindlela, uma kulapho amaqiniso ekuholela khona. Noma ungakwenzi, uma ucabanga ukuthi lokho akufezile kuhambisana nokwehluleka kwakhe. Kodwa yizwani.
