POLITICS AS HUMAN RIGHT: A DISCOURSE

 

POLITICS AS HUMAN RIGHT: A DISCOURSE

The task of making a society work for the good of all has a price tag. No nation progresses without its citizens showing concern to actively participate in the processes that shape its destiny. As citizens, responsibility has beckoned on us all, without exception, to contribute to adding value or creating one that leads to the collective prosperity of the state to that we belong together. One way of achieving this is active political participation.

 

Politics is a free moral game for free moral agents (people) upon which the lives and welfare of citizens directly or indirectly depend. It is a multi-level and multi-dimensional human activity that is decision-centered with practical implications for the kind of living conditions state functionaries could impose on the citizenry through the application of state powers.

 

The practical manifestation of the use of state powers, in any political dispensation, is the expression of the will of the state through regime operational ideologies, state policy direction, and legal provisions that willy nilly guide the general behavior and conduct of the citizenry.

 

Whether in a civilian or military regime, politics is a reality show of influence over how resources can be legitimately allocated amongst competing interest groups, segments, or individuals in a state. The game is so real, an activity, that whatever decision is arrived at, by recognized state functionaries shall have binding effects on every citizen and sector in the state, be it economic or socio-cultural life.

 

Voting during elections is part of politics. Your vote is your voice. Therefore, if you are an adult, 18 years & above as provided in Nigeria's constitution and you do not have your Permanent Voter's Card (PVC) which qualifies you to vote during elections, then, you are one of the nation's worst nightmares because you are denying the country your personal and obligatory voting power that could make a clear difference.

 

Politics is a deliberate sense of curiosity and the conscious need to know and to actively participate in the processes which often lead to the emergence of those saddled with the responsibility to govern a state(s) in trust for the collective good of the masses. In the words of a TED Talk guest, "Politics is all about caring for the facts."

 

In the words of Aristotle, man, by nature, is a political animal. Asikaogu (2018) noted that 'understanding the naivety of the primitive man, who lives in the stone age and wished to live in an isolated world of his own, the philosophy of Aristotle distinguished man by nature as a social and political being. He further represented the philosopher's hypothesis that human being is, by nature, destined to live in a pattern of life that is social and political suitable to their own nature. This submission provided a relatively convincing theoretical basis for perceiving politics as an innate and inalienable human right. In this light, men either in civilian-military establishments reserved the right to participate in politics because they are part of the state where the game is played!

 

The main thesis of this discourse is that politics is man and man is politics. The two phenomena are inseparable by nature and operation. He that abhors politics is like a reptile that runs away from the rain only to jump into an ocean to avoid being wet. This is what in physics is called 'work done zero'. As a man, you cannot run away from your shadow.  So also shall man not stay away from the game of politics completely.

 

Politics is a platform for self-discovery. You only get to know yourself better or, at least, what people claimed to know about you when you are involved in politics. This real or imagined knowledge of a political man or player by the public often relates to their Achilles heels, the weak side of the person in focus but this should not worry anyone because not participating in the game of politics does not change public perception about you. The only difference is that an individual misses the opportunity to know himself or test his level of influence or popularity when he excuses himself from the game of politics. It is naive for anyone not to express his agency or franchise - vote or be voted for because of negative public opinion about him.

 

There are two levels at which man is understood in any public space: What he knows about himself and what others know about him. The former is more profound than the latter because a man's capacity is an innate power that can only be activated and brought to bare personally. In politics, nobody blows your trumpet for you until you made yourself available and demonstrate through the power of social capital/contacts, intellectual ability, emotional and moral intelligence;(balance) that you can be relied upon and settled for, to provide credible leadership.

 

At least, when people propagate or campaign for anyone in the game of politics, the motivation for doing so is that the person concerned has the right credentials or profile to be marketed for public representation. The antithesis of this hypothesis is that there are times when people could project someone who is lacking in capacity to be elected for selfish reasons but this is an isolated case that hardly succeeds in sane climes. When a polity gets relatively matured to such an extent that virtues become priorities, then vices ultimately lose their destructive steam.

 

A political system that de-emphasizes baseless prejudices, inequality, biases, and corruption and upholds principles of inclusion and merit stances a chance of attaining sustained greatness. In other words, no nation achieves greatness through mediocrity but meritocracy which is a system that rewards virtuous exploits of its citizens.

 

Politics is a sacred call to public responsibility. It is a moral obligation for all citizens to invest their time and energy in sharing ideas as to how their ecosystem,

a state can best be governed. It is about sacrificing personal comfort to labor and make the system work or function efficiently and effectively for the common good.

 

When a man is comfortable, what makes him even more comfortable is to strive to make the public extendedly comfortable too. Anything short of that is a tyranny of interest and a profile in the culture of individualism that does not advance the social welfare of the total population. Even this is a form of a political brand that could be imposed on society when people who are skeptical about subsisting political system failed to participate in politics to checkmate it.

 

In politics, one's worldview, perceptions, or interests cannot always win. The rhythm of the game is that you win and sometimes lost out in the competitive bid to decide which direction society should go. When a politician loses a chance to dictate how things are done in a state, an opportunity has come for him to restrategize, especially, when he has the conviction that the virtues he stands for are good enough to advance human progress. Saying no to an alternative governance model and failing to have your way with the option you feel is best for the state should not discourage a political game player.

 

With time, consistency, and more convincing information, governance model (s) that were unpopular and turned down could gain frequency and become a new toast for state policy direction. For instance, the glaringly rejected liberal political cum economic system (capitalism) which was popularised by Frederick Hayek in the past has now become the toast of the 21st-century political economy. Also, democracy as a system of government that has gained frequency, especially, in Africa and Latin America today was hitherto unpopular in those continents in the early Sixties through nineties. Those significant changes referenced above came about through sustained agitations for a better governance system which democracy is argued to stand for or represent.

 

Make no mistake about it, the earnest prayers or incantation of praying men shall woefully fail if its focus is not tailored towards motivating them to legally discharge their civic duties and obligations as a citizen. Taking part in politics in a democratic system is the continuation of prayer towards making society a better entity for all.

 

For any faulty system to be fixed, the people it governed must be increasingly dissatisfied with it before they gather the motivation to respond towards fixing it. Politics is a bloodless fight to end bad political system (s) or the deliberate attempt to introduce a new order of things. This is the main thrust of the new populist mentality that is sweeping everywhere in the world today.

 

Populism is a political ideology that seeks to eliminate alleged domination of political space by elites for selfish reasons. Therefore, Rodrik (2018), described populism as "an anti-establishment orientation, a claim to speak for the people against the elites". In other words, populism is a deliberate political movement against any form of oligarchy and aristocracy which are systems of government estimated to have skewed state resources in favour of the minority rich and powerful members of society.

 

In a situation where the contradiction in society is arising from the poor masses, the political antidote to change and fix the system is good governance. Good governance can influence the society away from counterproductive behaviors through hope sustained by giving the citizens a high sense of belonging and welfare support. There is no better way to extend one's political endorsement and legitimacy from people than to serve them with distinction and respect.

 

Except in undemocratic political dispensation where people come to power arbitrarily - via charisma (personal influence), heredity (monarchy) or force (military), religion (theocracy), active political participation in party democracy, can only be possible through registered party membership. This is because it is at the party level where people aspiring for political offices have the opportunity to nominate or be nominated (primary election) as candidates to contest in the secondary (general) election except where there is legal provision for independent candidature which is not the case in Nigeria and most developing countries.

 

No matter how credible a person is, so long as he does not belong as a member of a political platform, he has limited capacity to influence political decisions at the party level, if possible, at all. Affluent, that is, rich and uniquely powerful (charismatic) members of the society could have some arbitrary influence because of their resource base but cannot be nominated without party membership in party democracy. That is the reality of how powerful political platforms can be in a democracy.

 

It takes a foolish wise man to assume or arrogate powers he cannot deliver to himself. His wisdom starts and ends with being schemed out through legal provisions and his foolishness takes over and leaves him with perpetual regrets. When the laws say to be a party man to be relevant, do not swim against the will power - spirit and letters of that legal dictate or risk being politically crushed with remedy. A word, they say, is enough for the wise!

 

A man who carelessly created the opportunity for his human right to be usurped must not come back complaining that he or she was robbed of the same. You are either participating actively in politics or actively conniving with the system you are not satisfied with to sell your birthday or the right to vote and be voted for. God forbid that a man who knows his right from his left could be so cheap, naive as to avoid the game of politics. The basis for participation must be objective so that something worthwhile is achieved for the collective good of all.

 

(Modest thoughts with Ayuba Yilgak'ha, March 22, 2022; SMS: 08116181263; Email: loisayuba420@gmail.com)

 

References

Asikaogu, J. (2018). A critical review of Aristotle's view on human sociality. International Journal of Humanity, Social Sciences & Work Place Ergonomics in Africa, 11(4&5), 37 - 48.

 

Rodrik, D. (2018). Populism and the economics of globalisation. Journal of International Business Policy, 1(1), 12–33.