The meaning of politics according to the Oxford dictionary.
- The activities associated with the governance of a country or area, especially the debate between parties having power.
- The activities of governments concerning the political relations between states.
- The academic study of government and the state.
- A particular set of political beliefs or principles.
- The principles relating to or inherent in a sphere or activity, especially when concerned with power and status.
- Activities aimed at improving someone’s status or increasing power within an organization.
The keywords seem to be government, state, country, power, status, parties and political beliefs or principles. I find this shallow and merely technical. I would say that politics must be build upon the land and nature that sustains lives including humans. It must not be made for administrative borders and the well being of just humans.
If we don’t work to save and secure the environment and ecology, human survival will become uncertain and then politics will be futile.
Therefore, the core of politics must be the activism for sustainable development of the land, preservation and development of ecology and water resources, local self-reliant chemical and GMO free agriculture, local and household renewable power generation and sound recycling and waste management methods.
Any politician who does not understand and carry this as the fundamental political principle is not worthy of 21st century politics. Since the given course of politics is in fact the crux of sustaining lives and civil society, every citizen of a nation must also understand this politics. A good politician must be an activist who would educate the people he or she represents in this political course so that they have the awareness and capacity to demand good politics from all politicians.
Politics is for everyone, not just for politicians.
The fundamental questions people must ask and politicians must answer. I mean, individual politicians and not parties.
- What’s the plan for sustainable land development in this district?
- How are you going to take care of the environment and ecology of this district?
- How do you plan to preserve and develop water resources in this district?
- What’s the plan for food security of this district and how are you going to facilitate local self-reliant chemical and GMO free agriculture in this district?
- How are you going to lift the status of farmers and fishermen with innovative and cost cutting technology?
- How do you plan to expand the market, improve distribution channels and set prices of local agricultural products so that farmers & fishermen will make the most out of their hard work?
- How do you plan to create jobs and increase productivity based on local resources, culture, skills and economic opportunity?
- What’s the plan for facilitating and increasing local entrepreneurship and regional market development?
- What’s your policy and plan to introduce and facilitate local and household renewable power generation?
- How well recycling and waste management is done in this district?
- Overall how do you plan to make this district meet the requirements of local self-reliance?
Well there are other areas such as education, health, transportation, transparent governence and so on that are vital in the lives of people and play an important part in politics. But, if we’re not getting satisfactory answers for the questions above, we and the coming generation are all in great trouble.
Powerful questions for those in power.
“What power have you got? Where did you get it from? In whose interests do you exercise it? To whom are you accountable? And how can we get rid of you?” – Tony Benn
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