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Sunday, June 4, 2017
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IN ITS simple and more common knowledge, politics is the art and/or science of government that is basically relevant to and concerned with the form, the pursuant organization and consequent administration of the State categorically in conjunction with the good and welfare of its citizens – and indirectly in relation to other States.
Among more civilized countries, the usually opted form of government is democracy. Theocracy is quite rare except for the now emerging phenomenon of religious extremism here and there. Royalty is by and large few. Communism is still around. Dictatorship appears to be on the way out. Democracy, however, still remains as the most common form of government the world over – the Philippines included.
There are the politicians who are those charged with running the government – a charge, obligation or commitment they themselves freely and deliberately assume at the instance of the majority of the citizens in a democratic country. They are charged with the responsibility of giving public service that promotes public good which in turn finds its reality in emergence of continuous and gradually improved public welfare – primarily through socio-economic development.
In a democratic country, the government is thus viewed and considered as “of the people, by the people, and for the people”. So is it that democracy may not but respect human dignity and human rights precisely appended to every human person.
The said public service, public good and public welfare plus the said human dignity, human rights, human persons have to be respectively rendered and acknowledged by politicians in a democratic country – without consideration of the color, the race and creed of its citizens.
When politicians basically engage in self-service for their private good and personal (relatives and friends) welfare, when politicians have no respect for human persons and wherefore neither recognition of human dignity nor considerations for human rights, the conclusion is clear and easy, viz., the citizens have all the prerogative to remind, censure and even get them out of office. After all, the said citizens are the ones that fund their salaries, offices, their staff, etc. etc. by the continuous payments of various taxes from birth to death.
It is a big loss for the country as well as a big exasperation for its citizens when these or those politicians are saddled either with incompetence or any given personal disability, are liable either for graft and/or corrupt practices, are responsible for either illegal and/or immoral acts.
If private individuals guilty of doing the same actuations are censured by civil and/or moral laws, the more so is such in order when public officials themselves are guilty of the same censurable behavior.
It is a basic principle that if the content and intent of laws are applicable to private citizens, the more so they are to public officials. And this brings to mind the censures made by churchmen upon erring politicians.
These supposedly respectable individuals should be the first ones to know that such basic universal mandates that Churchmen teach and insist such as “You shall not kill.” “You shall not steal.” and the like – all these and other moral imperatives also apply to them as politicians. Said Commandments are not about politics per se./PN
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