People often say, with pride, ‘I’m not interested in politics.’ They might as well say, ‘I’m not interested in my standard of living, my health, my job, my rights, my freedoms, my future or anyone’s future.’ If we mean to keep any control over our world and lives, we must be interested in politics.
Whenever we read or hear the word ‘politics’, we think about the affairs of the government and the ministers who govern. Politics is indeed related to state affairs and institutions like parliament where politicians assemble and discuss important matters of the state.
But why do people so hate it and castigate it? The simple answer to this question is that politicians have dirtied this profession. The power of authority makes them blind and the blindness leads them to the dark side. Consequently, they cheat and break all ethical norms. Despite reprehensible acts, they are not banned from or rejected in elections because there are no set rules in politics. Anybody who is either notorious or smart can take part in elections and enter the country’s or state’s legislature. The strangest thing is that there is no criteria or qualification that would have barred such persons from elections. When vapid persons with limited vision are elected as representatives, the country or the state’s fate suffers. In elections, people are fooled by promises and commitments.
The remarkable thing is that there is no mechanism or system that would improve the performance of an elected member and punish or reward him or her based on this performance. Politics has become dirty because political actions are only for the interest of certain persons or parties. It harms the spirit of the country. There are numerous aspects to dirty politics. Ministers defame the opposition, spread bogus news, and rouse passions of hate and violence. They pass sexist comments and infuse scorn in the hearts of people for others. Had there been rules to stop such hatemongers, politics would have been much cleaner.
Why good and decent people are not in politics? There are many reasons: first, they don’t get tickets or mandates from the big parties because the party patrons have their sons or daughters or close relatives to replace them. This gives rise to dynasty politics which continues because there is no rule to stop this age-old tradition. Secondly, the learned ones are not popular among voters or they don’t have sufficient money to take part in elections. Thirdly, there is a perception among decent people that politics is dirty business. However, politics is in itself never dirty; it is rather a noble undertaking that aims for the welfare of the people and shapes the nation. Every state or country needs enlightened ministers in parliament. They are the ones who can make the country advance as they will deal with things better than the ignorant ones. The contenders must be well-qualified to take on the big responsibility of leading an entire country. Corrupt and uneducated politicians are no less than parasites. Visionary people must unite to break the wheel and work for the prosperous future of the country.
It is 90% of the politicians that give the other 10% a bad name.

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Malik Manzoor