What is politics and who is a politician?

By Inuwa Waya

Aristotle defined politics as the political science that involves the study and the organisation of the City-State to foster virtue and enable citizens to live a good and complete life which he considered to be the highest human good.

Plato’s notion of politics is deeply intertwined with ethics and the idea of the good.

The philosopher believed that the purpose of the state is to cultivate justice and virtue in its citizens, leading to a unified and harmonious whole.

A more modern definition added another angle to the term. Harold D. Lasswell, for instance, defined politics as the struggle of who gets what, when, and how, and concluded that it involves the study of the influence and the influential.

In his Modern Politics and Government, Professor Allen R. Ball was of the view that politics is concerned with conflict, compromise, decision-making,power, and authority.

In David Easton’s “The Political System,” the focus was on the authoritative allocation of values in society.

From the above definitions, it’s very clear that politics is concerned with establishing a just and egalitarian society that brings happiness and prosperity to the people.

How come we are told that politics is a dirty game? Whose interest are they referring to if they say in politics, there is only a permanent interest? How do we define influence and the influential? Why in spite of all the established systems, there has never been an ideal state in the World? The answers to the above lie in understanding the character of the politician and to determine whether his selfishness can be separated from his political outlook. Who than is a politician?

According to the major dictionaries, a politician is a person who is actively involved in government as appointed or an elected representative. The Cambridge dictionary added that a politician is someone who, in part, is skilled at using other people to get power or advantage.

The same addition was made by the Oxford English Dictionary when it defined a politician as a person who acts in a manipulative and often devious way to gain advancement within an organisation.

Broadly speaking, a politician is a person who is involved in politics, usually as a member of a political party or holding a position of power within a government. His primary job is to represent the interests of his constituents or the general public in the legislative or executive branches of government.

It is curious to note the two angles adopted by the dictionaries in defining who is a politician. In explaining or defining a word, dictionaries consider a number of factors, the most important of which are historical development, usage in real life, and the context in which the word is used.

In simple words, the dictionaries defined a politician they way the people understood him in real life. It is very clear from his role that a politician is very important, if not the most important member of the society. Why than did the people adopt a negative perception him ? There could be many reasons, but one that stood out is his conscious behaviour.

Over time, when seeking an elective office, a politician makes promises to the people. During electioneering campaigns, he talks and liens to the people like a cockatoo. He promised to bring happiness and prosperity. He makes undertakings such that people feel loved and cared for.

Immediately after he is voted into office, his character begins to change. He displayed acts of sleaze by engaging in corrupt practices such as taking and offering of bribes, misuse and abuse of public funds, and pursuit of parochial interests against public good.

In order to guarantee personal gain, a politician takes decisions shrouded in secrecy and devoid of transparency and accountability. Abuse of power and apparent show of arrogance defiance of the constitution become part of his attributes..

He breaks the law with impunity, oppresses his opponents, favours his supporters, and applies the law selectively. Politicking at the expense of policy- making and campaign of calumny and blackmail to smear political opponents are always in his agenda.

In order to avoid scrutiny and accountability, the politician emasculates the state institutions. To cover his track of lies and deceit, he relies heavily on propaganda of all types.

False, useless, and adulterated information are disseminated to the people. The politician is at best when intimidating and cajoling the people. These are the characters of a politician, whether in Europe, America, or Africa. The African politician, however, had additional notoriety.

His birthdays, family weddings, and other forms of anniversaries are characterised by fun and pageantry as a show of wealth and affluence of the upper class in the social strata. Perquisites of office and other deserved and undeserved largesse make him look down on the people, including those who helped him climb the ladder.

Their services are now no longer needed until another round of election. His attention and assistance go to new friends and praise singers.

The people’s basic needs are no longer his priority. Rather than appealing to reason and consciousness, the African politician capitalises on tribe and religion as a means of perpetuating himself in power.

Poverty alleviation, human and capital development, and eradication of illiteracy are campaign gimmicks as far as the African politician is concerned. The African politician is keen to travel to Europe and America to enjoy infrastructural facilities but show little or no interest to have these infrastructures built in his country.

The African politician holds dear all the tenets of democracy before election and turned to a dictator after assuming office.

In general, it was these acts of treachery and deceit , broken promises, manipulation and the pursuit of self- interest rather than public service, that led people to become disenchanted with the politician, disillusioned with politics and refer it as a dirty game whose end is interest and nothing more. Be that as it may,

It is imperative at this juncture to make two important observations. While politics may appear to be dirty due to the character of the politician, it is still important and necessary because it is the only means through which every society governs itself.

It is, therefore, absolutely necessary for the people to embark on reforms that will change the behaviour of the politician as the main operator of the political sphere. Every politician must be held accountable for manipulating the public for votes, breaking promises, intimidating political opponents; abuse of power, and the pursuit of personal aggrandisement.

This is a sine qua non for establishing a durable, stable, and enduring democratic environment throughout the African continent. The future of the young generation lies in establishing a solid foundation for socio-economic transformation in every country in Africa.