You can ignore politics, but it won't ignore you

I've never been interested in anything related to politics. When I was in secondary school, I learned that it was called political apathy in civic education. I didn't want to know what was going on in the news even when my dad made us sit to watch AIT every day at 8 pm, and kaakaki ‘The African Voice’ at 6 am every morning before we went to school.

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Because of this disinterest, I haven't exactly been able to understand how the game of politics works. Every time a new leader is to be elected into power, I think the people would consider how long they've suffered to choose someone who can begin to enact change but every single time, the person I think is wrong for the country gets to be announced as the new president.

I cannot fully understand it.

When I was being nominated to contest for vice president of my department, all that was needed to discourage me was the processes involved. I had to go about consulting certain stakeholders in the department, people who other contestants would also go to consult so they too could find favor.

Then I was told that I needed to have a manifesto, something I would use to provide a written version of what I wanted to do for the students. When I asked for samples, I saw bogus promises that had been made by the previous contestants who won. None of those things were ever done, at least none that I knew of.

I was told by the electoral committee chairman that if my manifesto wasn't convincing, it could give my opponents the upper hand.

I went back to think carefully, for some reason, I felt like I was going to become manipulative if I indulged so I went back and told the electoral team that I was no longer interested in contesting.

My class governor and the stakeholders of the department who had nominated me because they felt I would do their dictates once in power came rushing both to my house and my inbox but I refused vehemently. I didn't want to be a part of such drama.

I had a manifesto I thought was genuine but since they said it wasn't convincing enough, I wasn't ready to promise what I couldn't deliver. I believe I would do the same if I am ever placed in a position to contest for a position in my state or country.

I'm not sure I would want to get myself involved with politics but if I ever do, I would want to win square and fair, or else I would just accept my defeat, no matter how good my intentions for the state are. This is because to me, winning fraudulently is already an act of compromise against the greater good intended.

Once it's easy to compromise just to win, it would not be difficult to compromise just to take some money out of the state's purse, neither will it be difficult to withhold pensions and salaries just so I can send my kids outside the country.

Once I allow my conscience to be bought or silenced, every other thing I ever intended would go down the drain.

I like to think that not all politicians are bad, they must have had good intentions but because they were desperate, they succumbed to means that booby-trapped them.

I wouldn't want to be like that if I ever assumed any political position in the future so I would stay clear of politics altogether instead.

I've seen the effect that political power can have on people and I don't want to be like that. In my first year at the university, I had a senior colleague who helped me with reading materials and notes so I could read ahead of my course outline.

In my second year, he contested for president of the Faculty of Arts and won. I was so excited that I ran over to hug him the day after his elections but the next thing I heard was his special adviser asking me not to jump on the president.

“He's the faculty president now, you can't treat him like your regular friends”

As if that was not enough, his manifesto had been the best, promising to hold tutorials for students from every department under the faculty of Arts but he never did. Not even once.

I think that just as it is always said, politics is a dirty game and anyone who seeks to indulge should get ready to either go hard or go home. I don't think there is any good politician anywhere nor do I believe I can become the first if I delve into politics.

So on the options of becoming a politician or enacting change, I would happily pass even though I understand politics will always affect me one way or the other.