Aristotle describes politics as a practical science of the people since it affects people's happiness and satisfaction. Politics is the heart of human development. Politics is the practice and supposition of influencing other people, it's the distribution of power and resources justly.
Well if you don't know, politics affects every facet of your life, every endeavor you engage in is influenced by the political state and health of your country. Politics is nationwide with politicians' governance, power, and resources but it's also in your workplace, education, and even family.
Your involvement is inevitable. Political affects business, internet connection, transport, and communication and it's wise to understand how the political systems work. From policies, their enactment and execution, and how it affects all from grassroots levels. We all have a role to play in politics to live harmoniously with everyone.
For example, the education system, its structure, quality of public schools. This is a place where your children go for education, it is in the hands of the government. It's the role of politicians to ensure the smooth functioning of our systems within the country. For example in Kenya, if a bill, let's say to improve the plight of teachers to make education more efficient, has to be passed, the members of parliament have to debate and discuss and pass it before it's implemented. After successfully passing the bill, the executive arm of government must enforce and put it into practice.
All political decisions made by legislators affect the social and economic health of all people through tax, and salary among others.
Every time you go exercise your political right to vote, you give the politicians your right over state resources and power to make decisions that have a direct impact on your life. You trust them to make rational decisions based on your needs. Being politically active prevents the issuance of your power as a person to the wrong people. It's your right to choose a better way, a better person who will be accountable for your rights and resources, otherwise it will keep disappointing you and you will be partly to blame.
The political state of any country influences our thinking, and how we see things. It influences our choices ie if we choose to be violent or peaceful. It gives its people freedom and offers opportunities for prosperity and meaningful lives. It offers a point of reference and a sense of identity. Some countries are known to be prosperous and it's all attributed to their political structures and their activity in the delivery of resources and proper management of power.
For example, during elections, a good electoral commission is fully responsible for the delivery of fair and just election results, and the peace of a country relies on them. In the case of Kenya during the 2022 general elections, as tension rose and everyone wondered who the next president will be between Deputy President William Ruto and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
The peace of the nation is in the hands of the electoral system in this case Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) of Kenya, a government political structure. In the case of a dispute by either of the candidates, according to the constitution, it should be forwarded to the judiciary, whose decision will determine the validity of the electoral results.
Many countries have ended up in wars due to precarious political and government structures. In those scenarios, we blame the government leaders for not embracing and implementing policies that they know were essential for sustainability and stability.
This comes back to bite us at the lowest levels because we elected leaders based on provisions of personal advantages ie bribing in form of resources, opportunities, promises, favoritism, or influence while the good of everyone; selection of good leaders for their character and vision is sidelined.
It is the responsibility of all citizens to filter the good leaders from disarray and to discern transparency. Citizens have access to publicly available information about the actions of those in power and demand consequences for their wrongdoings.
The current societies are redundant to avoid politics, especially with the inception of technology where the occurrences of any political exercise are transmitted across the globe in real-time. This political engagement through access to information and how you react to them through riots, can function in highly subtle ways within the formal institutional context and across the political scope from autocracies to democracies.
As much as political unhealth may persist, it's our responsibility to inaugurate competent institutions that can effectively tackle problems about public goods and power. It's an end we must chase and must not be sidestepped.
" To do this, we must overcome the fear of talking about politics and confront it as part of the challenge of development" Kaushik Basi, Senior vice-president and chief economist at the World Bank.
Research shows that around 10% of Americans over 18 years did not want to be engaged with politics, they believe it does not concern them or that their vote you or participation has no effect at all. What they don't know is that it affects them whether they like it or not.
According to International Monetary Fund, countries with higher democracy and freedom show lower inflation rates which have a substantial impact on the daily expenses of regular people. Many people believe that politics and politicians are dirty, it might not be further from the truth but it's still a stereotype.
Mahatma Gandhi said that a few drops of dirty water do not make the ocean dirty. Good people are aspiring to make favorable changes in the political scene.
