Dear reader! How are you doing!
This is the third week that I am sharing with you my thoughts about what goes on in politics. Have you ever wondered why people believe that politicians have a lot of money?
It’s because of the ‘stomach’ politics. It’s now become a culture that once you see a politician in Kenya, the next thing is to demand money from them at least ‘ya macho’. What I haven’t comprehended is why a would- be voter would like to ‘charge’ a politician for ‘seeing’ him!
It borders on the absurd, doesn’t it? However, one can also say that it’s the politician’s way of buying political support while appealing to the basic instincts of a voter who is on a hand-to-mouth ‘journey’ of existence.
Let’s ask ourselves this question. Is it actually true that politicians have this infinite cash that they dispense at will? Is it that they have too much money going by the huge wads that would be bundled together? The truth is that it could must be loose change of 50s or 100s. Yet still, politics is a very expensive affair.
Sorting out so many demands on a daily basis can be draining, to say the least.
From funerals, weddings, school fees, fires, repairing roads, and so on, it’s not possible to meet all the needs of each and every individual. No man has enough money to feed a village for a whole five years, leave alone a whole constituency or county.
Many a politician ends up poor due to the high demand for cash from their constituents. This is because there are basically two types of them, in matters of finance.
The first ones are professionals who have excelled in their field and want to make a contribution to society or to self-actualise. They include teachers, doctors, trade unionists, human rights defenders, CEOs of public institutions, NGO activists and others.
To them, being elected into office is to help serve humanity to give back to the society.
They are the majority.
The second group of politicians is businessmen who have made money and mostly have been helping their community, something that prompts them to politics. This group is also looking for status and self-actualisation as well as recognition, a need in all human beings. The desire for stature, respect and approval that motivate here.
However, neither of the above two types has enough money for everyone. The business people thrive all the more, but business requires presence, yet politics is very time consuming. There are five types of monies that a politician should have if she or he is to have a proper work-life balance.
To begin with, tithing or giving in silence is the supposed to be the most rewarding act. The Bible says that when you give your 10 per cent modestly and without seeking acclaim, God will reward you in great ways. There is a burning need to be applauded for how much one gives in church or in harambees.
It’s the one thing that society has learned to manipulate politicians into doing. This way, many of them end up giving beyond their means, leading to financial distress and ruin in the long run. Giving in secret is actually more fulfilling and rewarding.
The second type of money that a politician should have is money for family upkeep. Many politician would rather deprive their family of money and other provisions in order to win public accolades. This is a big no-no since when the crowds are gone, including the most ardent supporters, only family remains. It’s therefore important for one to segment and ring-fence such resources for the well-being of his family.
The third type is investment money. It’s the norm that one will most likely not save much from politics since the demands for support from the people are unending.
A wise politician must save and invest for his future. This is so critical since the turn-over of office bearers in Kenya is very high. Investments in areas that don’t require one’s physical presence are the most desirable. There is no money in politics per se.
The fourth type of money is the day-to-day political money for sorting out the demands of the electorate or the public. This must have a given limit since there will always be a needy case.
One must be bold enough to decline some requests and distinguish genuine cases from fraudulent ones as well, since there are many people who want to misuse politicians for their own selfish ends.
The final type of money that a politician should have is campaign money. It doesn’t matter what you do to or for the people, they don’t remember. What matters is the kind of money you spend at the finishing line. How one finishes counts a lot, indeed. No politician has enough money to feed a village.
Our kind of practices end up procuring what I call poverty producing politics, whereby both the leaders and the led end up poor. In the end, some kind of regulation is needed in terms of how much money should financing politics as it is the basis of political corruption, which is the mother of all corruption.