Political Ideologies and our Polity
Political parties in Nigeria do not have ideologies. Intellectuals complain that ideologies are what define parties, citing the Conservative Republicans and Liberal Democrats in the US as examples. Would 2015 be any different? I don’t think so. Here’s why. Ideology is the sum of ideas and manner of thinking of a group, social class, or […]
Political parties in Nigeria do not have ideologies. Intellectuals complain that ideologies are what define parties, citing the Conservative Republicans and Liberal Democrats in the US as examples. Would 2015 be any different? I don’t think so. Here’s why.
Ideology is the sum of ideas and manner of thinking of a group, social class, or individual. Ideologies form the basis of economic, social and political policy. (Definitions from here)
Our not so nascent democracy is still evolutionary and reflects the psychology of majority of the Nigerian people, and no, the Internet generation is far from the majority. The politicians know this and rely on it. Quotas, zoning and such are still rife in our government partially due to this.
LOOK BACK BEFORE YOU PLAN AHEAD
The 2011 elections were the subject of more reporting than any other election in Nigeria. With the proliferation of access to information via Social Media platforms, citizens were part of the democratic process and every one with a mobile phone and internet access could be a reporter.
Reports of vote purchase were widespread in both rural and urban areas. More disturbing was the fact that these transactions were mostly unhidden and went unchallenged. In the university community where I was resident, students were offered cash sums between 1,000-3,000 naira. Students, who prior to Election Day did not intend to vote, received calls; they appeared in minutes, asking for the dealer. I heard stories of votes bartered for foodstuff and cloth materials (wrappers) in rural areas. Via interactions with people resident in other parts of the country, I’ve gleaned that this was a national issue.
More recently, in our political scene, protests and rallies for and against individuals have become popular. Rent-A-Crowd became the popular phrase in social commentary by the intellectual elite. Society groups, movements and unions with no prior recognition sprouted up in solidarity with controversial government officials. Of course, those in opposition of such officials organized their own groups, movements and unions. Intellectual elite laughed and cried on observing these, they show us the sorry state of our democracy.
HUNGER DEY TOWN
Varying reasons come up when searching for the causes of our abnormal polity. Most credible is this, _“Hunger Dey Town”! _
Food is a basic human need. On the streets, it is common to hear, “na man wey belle full fit argue”. That is the truth; ideologies are principles that one stands by. The masses that haven’t solved their basic needs do not care much for ideologies. Their primary motivation is making ends meet.
With widespread unemployment and crime, the masses are quick to grab at means of instant gratification. It has become part of our culture, as we have scarcely felt the benefits of having a government. Pittances received for being part of a rally/protest, or for selling their vote or for those who have risen a bit above the basic level, fraternal bonds. These are quick fixes, and play no part in advancing our desire for development.
Our present political class continues to exploit this hunger to their advantage at the elections. We should act to change the status quo and improve the standards of our government.
THE ROLE IDEOLOGIES PLAY
Ideologies are guiding principles for individuals or/and organisations. How would ideologies benefit our polity?
1. Accountability: Knowledge of the guiding principles of a person or organisation would help to check their authenticity. Ideologies lose abstract nature when put in practice. In our polity, knowing what a party stands for will help predict the methods to their governance.
Presently, there is no method to the madness as members of different parties easily defect from one to another. Defections are easy because there is no conflict of ideals. No party possesses a monopoly on examples of good and bad governance in Nigeria.
2. Quality: Candidates brought forward by parties would be such that reflect the ideologies of the parties. Quality of the candidates presented would subsequently improve.
Perhaps our political class is aware of the implications of having or/and publicising ideologies, and wish to remain unaccountable to the people. Being benefactors of the existing system, they do not wish to tip the cart.
THE WAY FORWARD
Having recognized the role ideologies would play in improving quality of governance within the parties, and that the present make-up of our political class may not possess what it takes to construct ideologies, what can we do?
We have two options, the catalytic method and the normal method.
The Catalytic Method: Intellectual participation in political parties would accelerate the formation of party ideologies. Lobbies built from within and without by the more knowledgeable; from within by lobbying for the party building an identity beyond symbols, from without by reputable officials giving parties principled conditions for their membership.
The Normal Method: We can fold our arms and wait for the masses to demand ideological parties. This would take generations, as it would require liberation of the people from the throes of hunger/poverty, and massive re-education of the people, breaking ethnic and religious bonds. _Can we afford to wait? _
I don’t think so. Yes, we know that the masses may not care for ideologies presently. The masses would still vote based on ethnic, religious biases or in exchange for money/material gain. We can however peddle some influence to create ideologies nonetheless, to better control the options. We have nothing to lose and everything to gain.