Commentary
By Andrew M. A. Sankoh, Sydney, Australia.
Sierra Leone, like many other African countries is experiencing a stalemate situation. The relationship between politics and development is locked since independence. Our colonial masters locked it and buried the key beneath the diamonds and mineral resources.
We demanded independence and they gave it to us. Now we have to go searching for the key. By the time we find it, we would have depleted all our resources, killed all those obstructing the passage. When we finally get it, there is no one to rule. There is no hypocrisy about this. This situation is such that one cannot find the right words to describe just how serious it is. Now what is politics and development? What is the relationship between this two key concepts? I read a very funny story about the meaning of politics. Let us read this story and learn as we laugh over the cynicism it produces. I shall then attempt to review some of the ideas of great thinkers like Plato.
What Is Politics? (The Cynic version)
A little boy goes to his dad and asks, "What is politics?" Dad says, "Well son, let me try to explain it this way: I’m the breadwinner of the family, so let’s call me capitalism. Your Mom, she’s the administrator of the money, so we’ll call her the Government. We’re here to take care of your needs, so we’ll call you the people. The nanny, we’ll consider her the Working Class. And your baby brother, we’ll call him the Future. Now, think about that and see if that makes sense," So the little boy goes off to bed thinking about what dad had said.
Later that night, he hears his baby brother crying, so he gets up to check on him. He finds that the baby has severely soiled his diaper. So the little boy goes to his parents’ room and finds his mother sound asleep. Not wanting to wake her, he goes to the nanny’s room. Finding the door locked, he peeks in the keyhole and sees his father in bed with the nanny. He gives up and goes back to bed. The next morning, the little boy says to his father, "Dad, I think I understand the concept of politics now." The father says, "Good son, tell me in your own words what you think politics is all about."
The little boy replies, "Well, while Capitalism is screwing the Working Class, the Government is sound asleep, the People are being ignored and the Future is in deep poo."
What Is Politics (Near academic Version)
Politics everywhere has always been associated with images of government, politicians and their policies or more negatively the idea of corruption and dirty tricks. The word itself comes from the Greek word “polis” which means the state or community as a whole. So the “polis’ was meant to be an ideal state whatever ideal may mean. Plato and Aristotle are the key original thinkers of this ideal state phenomenon. In Plato’s book “The Republic” he attempted to describe what an Ideal State is and how we can achieve it.
But why in fact Plato should be concern about theorizing the “polis” society? Plato was not happy the way his society then was going especially with the way man was relating to it.
He probably reflected on his experience and found how man’s nature is self-preserving that makes him think and act for his own interest different from others. He had the idea that “man is by nature a political animal” meaning man’s nature is driven by instincts to pursue his interest in the “polis” society. So if everyman inherently thinks and acts in this way, what sort of society do you imagine it to be. In the material world where man seeks to get the greatest share, if everyone is left to follow his instincts to satisfy this “ego” and “super ego” there is bound to be conflict of interest. The material resources are limited, diamonds once extracted are never replaced. In the thinking of the great philosophers, politics is a way of recognizing this limited resources and the instincts in man to attempt to govern in everyone’s interest so that everyone gets a fair share of the limited resources. The questions that one can then ask are; Is it true that conflicts occur due to the opposing interests of people? And how can politics resolve these conflicts?
If people were to agree spontaneously on a common interest in society even though they have opposing interests, one would think that there would never have been a need for politics. This demonstrates the need for politics to resolve this conflicting opinions through persuasion, bargaining for reaching a final decision.
Now the final decision is reached. How does politics ensure every one abides by it. This is why power and authority is vested in a government to enforce the laws we all agree on to prevent our individual interest above the society’s. This is the complex part. If the government is ruled by individuals, how can individual interest be limited by those in power? A redefinition of politics with the new concept of power is necessary here. In general terms, politics is power struggle between those in influential positions. Individuals who are able to galvanized support from as many people and groups as possible gain power by doing so. The people would need to be convinced that these individuals offer them solutions to the conflicts of acquiring society’s resources. But if the people vote or elect their leaders based on some rationale of individual interest, then the government is saddled with the burden of satisfying these obligated interests first. Dahl writes “a political system as any persistent pattern of human relationships that involves, to a significant extent, control, influence, power or authority." (Dahl, 1984, p.9-10)
The ultimate power is found in government. Miller continues to name the state as "the chief arena of politics”, in the modern world. (Miller, 1987, p.391) It is within this institution that all of the aforementioned takes place. Now we have added government which requires a new definition of politics. Thus, politics could be defined as the workings of government as a guarantor to a peaceful society. The politicians run the government; they try to form the ideas on how to settle conflict in the society they govern through laws. In Sierra Leone, we have a government so we tend to relate the politics as the workings of that government. However, in every community and corporation where there is hierarchy politics must exist. In a company for example, a boss makes decisions and resolves conflict. In a tribe, a leader makes decisions to keep internal conflicts to a minimum and ultimately ensures the survival of his tribe. Thus politics is present in every community and is used to manage workings and disagreements that may occur within any co-habitation.
Politics is the means to creating a more organised and peaceful society, by providing methods to resolve conflict that naturally occurs between men, by means of civil discussion and rational compromise. It thus stems the need for violence in tense situations and ultimately looks to avoid the degradation of a community into utter chaos. Authority is the underlying feature of politics and ensures its enforceability. Power underpins its very existence; it is a prerequisite for politics exist. Without authority, politics simply is not feasible. The most visible and widely accepted example of politics is the workings of the governmental institutions. However, although at first glance one may not be aware of it, politics in its various forms is present wherever and whenever humans form a community. Referring back to the views of Aristotle, politics is an intrinsic feature of mankind.
We have had here a funny and intellectual exercise on politics, power and government. We now know that all societies have some form of politics however primitive. In the Sierra Leone context, the system of government did not develop out of our traditional politics that was in existence before we were colonized. We inherited a system where a few individuals became influential through their role to the colonial masters rather than through the respect and integrity gained by their fellow citizens. Since the colonial masters interest was capitalism the system that exploited our resources, these individuals follow their instincts and thirst connived with former colonialist to better their lives at the expense of their fellow men.
So politics, government developed with the aim of progress, which is essentially the notion of development. Progress achieved by the wise and fair use of our limited resources on behalf of everyone by government. Because politics has an inherent notion of development, we are confused that achieving politics and government is all what we need. This is the key that was buried under our natural resources. How do we get it if our governments continue to be overwhelmed by individuals who pursue their interest as they go in search of this key. If this individuals forget that they are normal human beings who have a life after power, whose ideas can never be the same with others, who become custodians of other lives in the context of that which belong to all of us, how can we achieve what is in the best interest of the whole society?
Let us end with the cynical story. If dad (capitalism) marries wife (government) and continues to sleep with nanny (working class) exploiting her at the expense of the children (masses), how can the baby (future) be considered if the present children are themselves not been well fed. What must we do and how must we do it to get they key to unlock the relationship between politics and development?
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