The civil society can steer the political class
A call to civil society to collaborate in order to steer the political class
Summary:
Career politicians and some state officials do everything they can to hold on to the benefits and opportunities that come with their best jobs.
Civil Society (CS) can leverage this dynamic to get them to work for justice and the country.
Without such effort,
Career politicians and some state officials do everything they can to hold on to the benefits and opportunities that come with their best jobs.
Civil Society (CS) can leverage this dynamic to get them to work for justice and the country.
Without such effort,
- Career politicians will continue to view CS as fragmented and ineffective groupuscules,
- They will continue to deceive the public with empty campaign promises, allowing them to secure their positions and benefits for decades, and
- Oppression and chaos will persist, locally and globally.
1. The Current State of Affairs
CS and the public have currently little to no control over the political class.Career politicians routinely ignore the public's demands, pursuing their own agendas without regard for justice or the country’s long-term interests.
Most of the time, they merely need to “hold the line”, dismissing public concerns until they fade away, before plowing ahead.
By the time the next election rolls around, the public has already forgotten their deeds and is easily swayed by their campaign promises, re-electing them and enabling them to retain their privileged positions.
And the cycle resumes.
2. Leveraging Civil Society's Power
Being a politician or a high-ranking state official offers substantial personal and professional opportunities, including:- a variety of allowances and benefits, and
- exclusive access to powerful figures in the diplomatic and business worlds.
CS can leverage this situation to get them to work for the people and the country.
3. Transformation of the Political Landscape
When politicians begin to feel that CS poses a genuine threat to their privileges and careers, their behavior and attitude will shift dramatically.Instead of ignoring people's demands, they will scramble to seek the favor of CS in every way they can.
In the process:
- Politicians will distance themselves from individuals or actions disapproved of by the public.
- Parties will expel members with even a hint of questionable behavior, ending their political careers prematurely.
- Political parties' infighting will increase.
- Inquiry commissions and independent reviews will become more rigorous, and their recommendations implemented more earnestly.
- Whistleblowers within state institutions will leak information to aid CS and the public.
- Even more behaviors and transformations, currently unforeseeable to us, are likely to emerge.
And, there are bonuses, too:
- CS's pressure for performance will not only drive politicians to work for the people, but will also clean up the political landscape, allowing only the most capable and ethical individuals to lead the country.
- If this transformation begins to take root in other countries as well, achieving absolute global justice and peace could become a reality within our children's lifetime.
4. Some Actions to Take and Their Impact
Here are just a couple of actions CS can take. Activists can come up with and develop even more.4.1. Collaborate Across Causes
CS organizations must collaborate to support each other’s causes.For instance, the disabled community or survivors of abuse will no longer be isolated, but instead supported by thousands from various advocacy groups across the country.
4.2. Create a "Lest-We-Forget" List
Politicians know very well that the collective memory of people is very short.So, they dare to disregard the public's demands, fully confident that they will secure their positions in the next election.
One way to fight back is to keep a lest-we-forget list that will
- Document politicians' actions, both good and bad.
- Highlight unfulfilled promises or unethical actions.
- Track their patterns of behavior.
- Inform and educate voters during elections.
These actions and others will gain CS credibility and influence, which will
- Attract more supporters from the public and within government institutions, and
- Compel career politicians and state officials to listen to their demands in order to keep their jobs and the associated perks.
5. Conclusion
As long as CS doesn't collaborate:- Career politicians and state officials will continue to view it as a collection of divided and toothless groupuscules,
- They will continue to deceive the public with their empty election campaign promises, allowing them to keep their best jobs and benefits for decades, and
- Oppression and chaos will persist both locally and globally, plaguing humanity.
Check out also:
- Thoughts about the appology to survivors of abuse in state care and action to take
- The road map for world justice and peace
- List of articles around justice
Please give your feedback below or by email to: fanine404@gmail.com
Well written, Hassan, good work.
ReplyDeleteAs a Voluntaryist I only advocate for the Civil Society to recognize government for the immoral and criminal collective it is and thus for each citizen to STOP giving their power TO the government which it needs to continue to rule.
My message is for all citizens to stop believing in the immoral legitimacy of their government; once enough of us do, government will disappear as slavery did without force in most cases since it depends on mass voluntary servitude to be established and maintained.
No one rules if no one obeys.
Reaching a stage where people are no longer dependent on entities (government, tribe leaders,...) that:
Delete- misuse public funds for unethical or harmful projects,
- perpetuate poverty and slavery, and
- incite oppression and violence against fellow humans,
is the ultimate goal we should strive for.
However, this vision cannot be achieved without taking intermediate steps.
In my view, the first step is gaining the ability to steer the political class.
Achieving this milestone will create ripple effects, paving the way for even greater transformations.
Politicians have no incentive to use taxpayer money wisely and/or judiciously because it's not their money. As long as taxpayers continue to pay taxes, the governments will continue wasting money. Because of the three-year parliamentary term politicians are shortsighted, seeking only to serve those vested interests who will reelect them. Taxpayers should unite to stop paying tax unless the government delivers on climate change goals, eradicating child poverty goals etc. We need a collaborative, not a competitive, approach to civil service. One option would be to slash MPs salaries so only those who were really committed would run for public office. Also, "the people united, will never be divided" is true. We need to set aside our petty differences, our prejudices, and seek to be truly humble. We need to love the sinner, not the sin and follow the examples of so many wise people to 'love one another". Human rights are for ALL people, not just for those we deem worthy, or who share our world view. We need to live and let live. We don't make ourselves any bigger by putting others down. It's our concept of ourselves as superior to others in some ways that is the cancer that allows hatred and division to thrive.
ReplyDelete"First they came for the Jews and I did not speak up because I was not a Jew. Next they came for the Communists and I did not speak up because I was not a Communist. Then they came for the homosexuals and I did not speak up because I was not a homosexual. Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak up." We are all fallen creatures. Let us support one another to get back up again.