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The art of being a politician Bongo style
2007-02-27 09:44:40
By Guardian Reporter
Once I had the occasion to allow my brain to stray into the world of politics and I discovered that there was plenty that I had missed by distancing myself from this exciting game.
And I remember that I also had the occasion to say exactly,that politics has become interesting and I would therefore want to join in.
I say politics is an exciting game because the people involved in it are exciting, which means, all of us are exciting because we are all involved in politics whether by design or by default, whether we like it or not because we live in it and work in it. It is a nice game.
Of course, I remember one of Africa`s great sons, mzee Kenneth Kaunda, former president of Zambia used to rebuff the long-held notion that politics was a dirty game.
Kaunda said politics as such was not dirty, that it was the hands that handled politics that made it dirty. Credit.
The inference created by the notion that politics is a dirty game assumes that one has to be a crook, a thief, a swindler to survive in politics; that honest and upright people cannot handle politics.
Kaunda, was saying the opposite, that it was the crooks who soiled politics.
Plural democracy has made this game even more exciting not only to watch, but also to take part in.
I think it is more interesting if you are in it, I mean participating in it, because in politics one grows bigger and wiser and more respectable.
Without even wanting to do so, you find yourself carrying some airs about you that were not with you before entering into politics.
Certainly, there is cash involved as well, and sometimes big money too.
Well, who would not appreciate a shilling or two in the course of serving the poor wananchi.
It will give you the strength to work even harder in order to serve them even better.
So, in politics some little cash rewards, which sometimes are mistakenly referred to as the dirt, are allowed.
Since I had decided to enter into this interesting game called politics, I went to seek some advice from a seasoned politician who is a friend of mine.
And, to my joy, he was more than hospitality itself.
I discovered that that was one of the attributes of a politician - always ready to help, and to help free of charge.
So, this politician friend of mine gave me plenty of useful tips on how to go about not only surviving in this trade (is it a profession?), but also to flourish in it.
For instance, he said the first thing I should learn to do was to make myself popular with the people.
One way of doing this was to be able to always be on the alert for anything coming out of whoever I considered my opponent`s mouth or pen in order to identify an area or areas of attack.
The second thing, he said, was to be quick in finding faults with whatever the opponent said or wrote.
`Don`t give too much thought as to whether or not your argument is strong. Remember that you have a strong insurance cover in the form of democracy, which gives everyone the right to speak out his or her mind, foolishly or otherwise,` he said. Democracy is good.
Another way of popularising myself was to identify issues that would interest and captivate the people and to be vocal about it.
I have to make sure that the people are as familiar with my name as they are with the names of their spouses.
For example, the talking points lately have been the radar, the Mtera dam and the by-elections in Tunduru but centering on private candidacy. `If you really want to join politics, don\'t let such opportunities pass by,` he said.
I do not clearly remember how our discussion went on from here, because my mind was preoccupied with something my friend had said. It was about the private candidacy in the Tunduru by-elections, or rather the controversy surrounding private candidacy.
I remember the High Court ruling in favour of private candidacy last year, but I do not remember reading anywhere where anyone has said anything to the contrary. So, why the hue and cry about private candidacy?
It is true that the office of Judge Lewis Makame, Chairman of the National Electoral Commission (NEC) said when announcing the date for the Tunduru by-election that there would be no private candidate in the by-election.
He said he was aware of the High Court ruling on private candidacy, adding that he was also aware of the government appeal to the Court of Appeal against the High Court ruling and that he was waiting for the verdict of the Court of Appeal, further noting that the private candidates issue applied to general elections while the Tunduru one was a by-election.
Some civil societies and NGOs asked the Electoral Commission to reschedule the Tunduru by-election to allow for the amendment of the laws to allow private candidates; the NEC saw no point in postponing the by-elections.
In its judgement, the High Court had directed the government to start preparing guidelines that would allow private candidates in the next general elections.
Since the government had appealed against the ruling, such preparations would only start after the decision of the Court of Appeal.
Suddenly, it occurred to me that I had missed my friend`s lesson that if I wanted to be a politician I should always be alert and ready to grab such opportunities of seeming flaws in the government to show the people how the government and its ruling party were denying them their civic rights.
My friend had noticed that I had strayed a little bit in concentration and asked what the matter was with me. I told him, upon which he laughed and said I was not doing badly in our first lesson.
`But watch out for another situation to exploit, because, as you will see, the private candidacy stuff will fizzle out soon after the by-elections,` he said.
He went on: `The politicians you see now shouting about the radar scam until their blood veins stand out in the foreheads, necks and everyplace in their bodies are only there to sort of advertise their presence to the public. It will soon evaporate into thin air. Just wait and see,` he said.
Then my friend narrowed his eyes to minute slits and said in a solemn voice:`Be wary of the press. These people have no hearts. They make you today and tomorrow they crush you to dust, but more about them next time when we have the time,`he said with finality.
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