But politics are one of those things that split people right down the middle. Over the past year, if people are not reminding me that the current government siphons off billions of dollars for themselves and likes blowing up women at golf courses, they are telling me about power crazing opposition people who like sodomizing boys young and old alike and making men and women queue separately at the supermarket.
Regardless of which camp you are, you always think the guy on the other side is a dirty, lying, corrupt bastard. Then you hear other people talk about your guy, and you realize perhaps he isn't quite as perfect as you thought he was. Suddenly, this isn't about choosing between whose better anymore. It's about figuring out whose worse. In the end, we all throw our hands up in the air and declare the honest truth - all politicians are liars.
But of course they are liars. What did you expect? After all, we are the ones that make them liars in the first place.
Holding our vote ransom, it is the people who often demand promises of better roads and infrastructure, free education and healthcare, higher income and high employment rates, while at the same time keeping taxes low and inflation at bay. We want government to be transparent, efficient and benevolent with no corruption. We expect competent and qualified people to be put in charge of our country and bring it to greater heights, but we insist they must be selfless and noble, taking home an income no more than what an ordinary employee should. These demands are normal. But what's normal isn't always reasonable. Better education, infrastructure and good governance cost money, which means more taxes. Better business and economic prospects always come with inflation. Hiring good and qualified people is always going to be expensive.
And that's where the lying often starts. A man lies when he realizes he needs to in order to achieve his goal. And in the case of politicians, the people he is trying to serve becomes the people he needs to lie to. People make unreasonable demands in exchange for their votes, and politicians give them unreasonable promises to secure it. Later, when reality comes crashing down on everyone, we crucify the politician - the liar who duped us all into thinking he could make a change. But it was us who put him there in the first place. We chose him over that other guy - the one with the unconvincing campaign who promised higher taxes, lower wages and inflation through the roof.
We often feel like its an impossible choice - choosing between politicians. We hate that we have to choose between two liars. But even if there was such thing as an honest politician, we have given them a hard choice too - tell the truth and be shown the exit, or lie and then do your best later. If all politicians are liars, it is because the ones that were honest have all been booted out by us for saying the wrong thing - the truth.
I admit this cannot just be broadly applied to all politicians. There are those who go into politics for the money and power, there are those that are genuinely trying to make a difference in society. There are those who will grab, cheat, lie, steal and loot the country the first chance they get. And there are those who feel the burden of service in their hearts and act upon them, trying their best to do what's right for their homeland. At least that's what I would like to believe.
It will always take a bit of crazy for people to believe they can do great things. Climbing Mount Everest, running a 100km marathon, and yes, even running for public office. You need to believe that something can be done through you while all others have failed. You need to believe that you have something extra that others don't. Some people consider that 'extra something' confidence, some consider it talent and some consider it charisma.
This election, I hope the people elected into office will all have a different kind of extra something in them - integrity. Or maybe that's too much to ask...
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