04.02.08

The Importance of Politics

Posted in Kuwait, Politics at 10:35 am by Haider

In the run up to the parliamentary elections that will be taking place in Kuwait in May, I thought I should dedicate more posts on politics, so I can contribute to the way in which politics is approached, and help to reap the greatest benefits out of it.

We often associate politics with power-hungry politicians, and damn politics for being corrupt and corrupting, choosing to keep ourselves away from it, rather than to participate in it. But politics is far more important than we think, which makes our participation and contribution to the political process much more necessary.

The primary reason for the infamous reputation of politics is the lack of a popular definition of what politics means, and what it doesn’t mean. Often, the association is between politics and some (unfavourable) political practices. And while there is certainly exploitation of the political system in any country, politics isn’t defined by these practices.

Politics defines the way in which a country is run: what laws will be enforced and how they will be enforced. The political system in a country is the process by which political affairs are managed. For example, in a democracy, the citizens are given a greater role in deciding what laws are to be enacted, whereas a dictatorship would limit public participation, and grants the government, or an individual, the authority to make the law and decide how it will be enforced.

This is an extremely broad look at what politics is. Rather than give a detailed definition of politics (I will go more in-depth in the next political post), I would like to touch on the importance of politics, and what role it plays in our lives.

Since the political system in a country determines its laws, all citizens will be affected by the system that is used, and those that participate in the system. The authority to rule a country maybe handed over to a criminal, or a saint. The system may be the same in both cases, but those involved are different and, therefore, the consequences will be different. If a system limits the participation of a country’s citizens, then the issues addressed by the government may not touch on the real problems being dealt with by the population, making the government ineffective and, to a large degree, a hindrance to the progress of the nation.

Therefore,

If you wish to see the government deal with the problems being faced by you, and your country as a whole,

If you wish to exercise your intellectual freedom, without having restrictions placed on what you can read, see and say,

If you wish to exercise your spiritual freedom, to act according to your own conscience, without being fed the convictions of others,

If you wish to exercise your religious freedom, to practice your religion according to your convictions,

If you wish to exercise your financial freedom, to be able to work and earn money for your work, without it being confiscated by the government,

If you wish to exercise your political freedom, to be able to take part in the political process, and affect the way your country is run,

If you wish to have a say in how your country deals with other countries, and the degree of its involvement in the affairs of other countries,

If you wish to hold the government accountable for how it uses the country’s money,

If you wish to see the courts judge objectively, without concern for the backgrounds and political pull of those concerned,

If you wish to have your life and property protected,

You must work to ensure that the right system is implemented in your country, with suitable people running it, for a conscious and educated population that work for the well-being of all citizens, and for the protection of each citizen’s rights.

You can never escape the effects of politics, but you can decide what your contribution will be.

If your life matters to you, then so does politics.

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