As the 2023 election campaigns officially begin, I can’t help thinking about this particular quote attributed to former US president Barack Obama. In the wake of president Obama’s first term election victory, he was quoted to have made a statement to GOP leaders which included
“Elections have consequences…” I can say boldly without any fear of contradiction that Nigerians today identify more with the truth in this quote than ever before.
Nigeria like any other country is run and governed on the letters of the laws/constitution. However, a lot depends on the inherent values of the leaders such that it is safe to say that the law runs on values. It is values that influence both the making and the interpretation of the law, values decide what gets vetoed and who gets what. But as a people we have paid little attention to this vital factor when choosing our leaders. We instead busy ourselves with religious and ethnic sentiments. This epistle is a modest attempt to make a case for values in the coming elections.
The foremost two values we must lookout for are authenticity and empathy.
Authenticity is simply being who you say you are. Possessing a truthfulness that goes beyond words. This ensures that we elect leaders whose words we can rely on. Leaders we can trust to speak and act against injustice in any and all parts of the country without cowering when their block of votes is threatened.
Empathy is a value that goes way beyond sympathy. It is, in practice, more about identifying with the thoughts and feelings of another person. This might require the creative ability to visualize yourself in the position of another person and asking “how would this make me feel?” this would perhaps take care of the thoughtlessness of leaders such as partying a night after hundreds of fellow citizens have been abducted or killed.
True, values cannot be legislated. However, values are the nerve of the law. We have all witnessed this one way or another; federal character being ignored, dividends of democracy being held in vindictiveness. We have also seen freedom of worship cited in defence of a decision to allow religious garbs in non-religious formal settings. We’ve seen valid court orders being treated as mere inconveniences that can be disregarded, judgements bent by the strong will of power.
To be fair to our politicians, the gap between what is considered an appropriate behaviour in day to day life and what it takes to win an election is just one of the many ways a politician’s value is tested. No other career path gets that much attention albeit justifiably.
This election is so important because it, potentially, will be the most keenly contested in the country’s history and we have more frontline candidates than in any other election. While we must recognise that these candidates have areas of strengths and weaknesses, as is evident in efforts of their supporters and critics alike who make claims on their behalf, we should also understand that their values must be tested against facts, experiences and antecedents. We should listen to the candidates bearing in mind that the task ahead requires actions and not just words.
With the current trend in the economy, it seems that Nigerians value nothing more than their, and that of their family’s, next meal. But we cannot forget that ours is the most important office in a democracy—the office of Citizen. Are we going to mortgage the future of the country and of our children over a pot of porridge? It is important to note that it is not only the politicians’ values that are being tested in this election. Whichever way we vote is a reflection of our values individually and as a people.
No comments:
Post a Comment