In any democracy, the power of the people is in their ability to make their choice by voting their conscience. Their votes are their weapon to salvation from damnation. Whoever has won the votes of the people through an election has entered into a social contract with the people.
Some win the votes by hook or crook method, all in the name of the people. However the victory comes, the people who have provided the ladder to his/her political pyramid have entered into a social contract with the people. As the representative of the people, if the representative at any level speak and act well he may be said to be giving the people effective representation even if he takes the lion’s share of what is meant for the people.
Some of them fall prey to second or more term temptation, using the power of the people to exacerbate their crises of perennial penury which takes the shape of massive de-empowerment. In most cases, they enjoy the connivance of some unpatriotic constituents who spread the gospel of more terms as a panacea for the People’s liberation. Empowered with liabilities, this set of people use their lying tongues to spread their demonic sermon that ranking membership would do the magic for the people’s development. These unreserved apologists continue to project the misdeeds of these politicians as their epic achievements having cornered the loot with the People’s traducers.
To the best of my understanding, democracy which is a precursor of capitalism is practiced according to ambience and its peculiarities. That is why the liberal American democracy cannot be imported like a tokunbo car to Africa. It would suffer stillbirth, just like African democracy would not find a fertile ground to grow in Uncle Sam. For instance, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), the largest party on the continent, out of desperation, has invented what has been fondly called consensus democracy - an euphemism for imposition of candidates on an unwilling electorate. This Doctrine of Imposition does not mind the endemic dynamics of geo-political composition. That is why the party could not have two presidential nomination forms. This could be alien to a liberal democracy; although behind – the scene –maneuvers is a function of power politics in all polities.
Let us look at the case of a House of Representatives member who has not briefed his constituents throughout the duration of his tenure. Competent sources say the speaker of the House of Representatives take home N4.95 million in a year, as his deputy earns N 4.574 million in a year. The rest of the members are paid N9.529 million each annually. The issue here is not about the modest salary but the allowances and emolument. Tell magazine of December 1, 2014 reported that a member of House of Representatives earns N204 million per annum. There has been alarm that the cost of governance in Nigeria is the highest in the world even as civil servants’ take home cannot take them home.
What then is the hindrance confronting a federal lawmaker from briefing his people on his achievements, challenges and failures.
Most of them insist on robbing the people the more by gunning for a second or more term, without minding the political particulars of the people even as they urge the people to sacrifice their conscience on the altar of political avarice. If justice and fairplay are cardinal ingredients of democracy which is believed to be the government of the people then the popular demand of the people should prevail. The political composition should also be viewed under these lenses.
What justification does a federal lawmaker who has not reported progress during a-4 year tenure, who has not sunk a borehole in any of the villages in his federal constituency, who has robbed the people of their power have in seeking for a second term. It is obvious that as armed robbers rob with the guns. Some pastors rob with the Holy Book while politicians rob with the power of the people. The people can seek for their right they are allowed to use their only weapon which is their votes. Vote your conscience wisely!
No comments:
Post a Comment