A force for the common good
If there was a survey conducted to find out about the role played by politicians in building bridges in communities, it would be interesting to discover the proportion of them that would be seen to be enablers in this regard. Perhaps this is the reason that the last President of the USA was regarded by many as a force for good by many people across the world – a lesson that could be usefully learnt and internalised by his successor.
It is likely that a significant number of politicians start out with ideals about making a positive contribution to the way the world is run. There are probably just as many who travel on the same career path because they come from backgrounds where they’ve been taught that they should play roles in protecting the interests of people who have done well in acquiring possessions.
In recent times, there have been some questions raised about the effectiveness of approaches used to select the men and women who get opportunities to hold positions of influence in various societies. Is this because particular modes of doing this have become less suitable than before, in the light of changing circumstances faced by these communities?
The tribal allegiances of the last few decades don’t seem to mean very much in the current state of affairs, which is why is was heartening to learn of a new Anti-Brexit political movement starting in the UK in recent weeks, for example.
There is no doubt that the job done by politicians needs to be performed by some people, however it is also becoming increasingly clear that nations and communities across the world are going to need to reassess the processes that propel the hopeful and willing contributors into the public space. How we ensure that these folks are held to more rigorous monitoring and accountability in the future?
