Gone are the days when politicians would speak truth to masses. There are more politicians who believe more in Machiavelli’s centuries passed judgment that politics needs men who know nothing of golly or ethics. The present working of politicians in the world makes one easily to believe that politics is the game of cheats and it is a luxury and comfort for politicians at the cost of the interests of masses. We scarcely come across any politician who speaks truth nowadays. And it is generally believed that that two-facedness, double standards and deceit are their special characteristics, although they swear by principles, and ideologies. But there is no doubt that if wished and determined, politics can be made ethics based and a very contributory endeavor. Politicians like Washington, Luther, Lincoln, Gandhi and others have shown that politics can be agreeable and complementary. It is sure that as long as political leaders do not work on honest lines, there can be no genuine social or moral progress. The politicians have a big role in bringing excellence in the society because they are fortunate to enjoy popularity among the public and public is sure to obey them. The politicians or leaders should not think that they have only the right and duty to rule people but they have a just responsibility to guide people in the right direction and lead them towards goodness.
“In today’s political order values are least bothered and the symbols of goodness and righteousness, have undergone a radical change and it is witnessed that values and principles are being sacrificed for the sake of expediency and selfish gains. The current political atmosphere and scene in most parts of the world particularly in Kashmir is devoid of moral ardour and undesirably, opportunism has become a matter of faith with politicians or with those having even a slight bent of mind towards politics”.
Material advancements should not be the only concern of politicians but their duty is also to set the system of the society right and push it towards sound progressions. The poet of the East, Iqbal (RA) is right when he say’s in his eternal verses,
“Juda Ho Din Seyast Se Toa Rah Jati Hay Chengaizi”
Iqbal is very clear in these lines that politics without principles and integrities brings tyranny and barbarity and suppresses goodness and justice. No religion of the world says that politics is not a part of the religion and they are separable. Our beloved Prophet (SAW) was a great leader and politician who handled every situation very wisely not for his own interest but for the benefit of the people and the social system. He (SAW) never said that politics and religion are disagreeable and these should be kept apart. But dismayingly, the politicians of today separate the two, evidently for their own interests and incase they confine their politics under the bondage of the conviction; they can not enjoy those comforts and luxuries, which they enjoy at the cost of others. The politicians of today take refuge in the so called democracy and under its garb legitimize their misdeeds. Any democracy today merely reiterates the story of a struggle for power, for perpetuating the safe hide and to keep any kind of opposition away. Political parties symbolize nothing more than a bitter rivalry and greed for power by ousting all other rivals. Rules, regulations and principles are thrown to the winds and selfish aims and motives are achieved. The politicians of today try to keep values and politics separate because they know that civility does not allow the adoption of short term aims but prefers values so that a better moral order and social system is established and magnified. In today’s political order values are least bothered and the symbols of goodness and righteousness, have undergone a radical change and it is witnessed that values and principles are being sacrificed for the sake of expediency and selfish gains. The current political atmosphere and scene in most parts of the world particularly in Kashmir is devoid of moral ardour and undesirably, opportunism has become a matter of faith with politicians or with those having even a slight bent of mind towards politics.
(The author is a veteran academician in Jammu & Kashmir. The views, opinions and conclusions expressed in this article are those of the author and aren’t necessarily in accord with the views of “Kashmir Horizon”.)
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