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.
