Africa-Press – Namibia. ONE OF THE BEDROCKS of our democratic institutions is the social contract between voters and elected representatives.
It hinges on people’s values, what they judge to be right or wrong, what they deem important, the causes they espouse, and the ideals they embrace in strengthening the quality of the country`s democracy.
Whichever example one looks at, at whatever point in history, you will find that good and functioning democracies have clear, strong norms.
These norms are upheld both by the governed and those who govern them, or those who aspire to govern them one day.
As not everybody can govern, politicians are entrusted with power in order to represent the interest of the general public.
Citizens expect those entrusted with power to possess political integrity. This means politicians must act consistently in the public interest rather than serving private interests.
At a minimum, the public interest implies that decisions are taken independently of private interests and are not intended to sustain the power holder’s own wealth or position.
The separation of the public and private spheres is paramount in political integrity.
Politicians won’t always make decisions that align with the short-term preferences of everyone, but it does mean they act in a way consistent with a set of moral or ethical principles and standards.
Integrity is further defined as the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles or moral uprightness.
It is the practice of being honest and showing a consistent and uncompromising adherence to strong moral and ethical principles and values.
In ethics, integrity is regarded as the honesty and truthfulness or accuracy of ones actions. This seems to be a difficult quality to find in contemporary Namibian politics on either side of the political aisle.
Both see a lack of integrity in their opponents, yet there is a total lack of integrity that plagues both sides.
MONEY AND POWER
The biggest moral deficiency facing the majority of current and aspiring political leaders is the desire for money and power.
Past and recent internal political campaigns indicate that delegates align themselves with a particular candidate or slate to advance their own agenda at the expense of the regional or national agenda.
They are driven by the lust for power, prestige, status, and authority. These “objects of admiration” gratify a need for self-aggrandisement by feeding oversized egos.
They believe that they confirm their sense of superiority to others, probably their most coveted need of all.
A primary characteristic of today’s politicians is an exaggerated sense of status (to be called honourable) as can be witnessed by contending for positions during congresses or local authority elections.
Ironically, despite the ethical values they profess, these politicians can be viewed as “moral relativists”.
What they adamantly deem immoral for others is somehow acceptable for themselves.
Whether we characterise the personal “allowances” they make as constituting a double standard or outright hypocrisy, these privileged concessions to self clearly broadcast their overblown sense of entitlement.
Even before taking office, these individuals may have been inclined toward such “entitled thinking”. But there’s little question that once elected their newly elevated status promotes further exaggeration of this tendency which ultimately must be seen as anti-social.
During election campaigns, political leaders spend their time pretending – visiting poor people, overnighting in informal settlements, and cooking for vulnerable elders.
However, once elected, they park all those concerns until the next campaign.
Now they are often tied up in intimate dinners with associates and donors.
This means those with more money and power are given more attention and get more access to them, while those they visited during campaigns are forgotten.
PEOPLE? DID YOU SAY PEOPLE?
The question of politicians shortchanging the electorate by saying one thing and doing another, when this can’t be justified by genuinely changing circumstances, is one of the issues on a wide and complex spectrum of political integrity.
Integrity is closely connected to trust, and we know that’s a quality in short supply when voters think of politics and politicians.
Frankly, a number of politicians have no problem with most citizens remaining poor such is their fatalist understanding of poverty.
To them, some people are destined to suffer unless they “wise up” and embrace some form of fraud or the other.
I believe this total lack of integrity among candidates of some parties is one of the reasons for voter apathy during elections.
Most voters are tired of promises, infighting, lies about other candidates, their party, and their agenda.
They want political parties to field competent, incorruptible people with the right values who will drive a virtuous cycle where good democracy begets good governance, and good governance begets good politics.
This cycle can be underpinned and sustained by ethical political parties.
WHOSE INTERESTS?
The question which is of particular interest to Namibians as we prepare for the 2024 elections is whether some politicians (current and aspiring) in Namibia have the political rectitude to steer the country out of the ills besetting the citizens.
We need to be able to trust that the people we will send to parliament will prioritise the common good rather than their donors and friends.
Namibia needs politicians who will take a proactive stance on social issues to fix the structural conditions enabling poverty rather than choosing to support private businesses belonging to their associates.
Foreign direct investment (FDI) alone will not lift unskilled citizens out of poverty.
Without investing in healthy and well-educated citizens, attracting all the investors on earth to Namibia will not produce real progress or long-term development, particularly if citizens have not been empowered to produce wealth themselves.
The quality, affordability, and accessibility of services should therefore hold the key to social well-being, cohesion, and stability – and often the sustainability of life itself.
Decisions about which services are provided to whom and how they are regulated should be at the heart of national and local politics.
For More News And Analysis About Namibia Follow Africa-Press
