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Need for Ethical Politics and Values By Victor E. Dike
For sometime now analysts have been shoveling through the moral puzzles surrounding the hate politics in Nigerian society as the political gods have reduced ethics in governance to individual preference. The bastardization of national values appears one of the major causes of the rampant unethical practices in politics. Some politicians in Nigeria would perceive the word, ethics, to be too controversial to discuss given the lack of rules in conducting political activities in the society, and thus, could change the topic whenever it pops up. Presently, the most hateful, mean spirited, corruptly-rich, and devilishly wicked individual who controls the political apparatus in the society could send into exile any person who poses a challenge to his corrupt political machine. However, is there no defined objective manner to differentiate right from wrong in Nigerian politics? This article examines the poor social values and rampant unethical practices in Nigerian politics and offers a solution.
Ethics is a branch of philosophy concerned with rightness and wrongness of human behavior and its effects on society. It is often used interchangeably with morals that refer to human behavior and to formalized code of conduct; it comes from the Greek word ethos and morals from the Latin word mores. Both are important in politics they are concerned with thinking and actions of leaders and people that take care of the needs of a community and its people. However, ethics assumes that individuals (particularly leaders) have the ability to make informed choices about their actions or behavior.
Scholars have often divided the discussion of ethics into three general categories, namely, descriptive (that reports and describes the moral choices of people); analytical (that scrutinize the choice of language individuals use to discuss issues of right and wrong); and prescriptive (that offers advice to people on how they should decide what is right and wrong). However, without getting into in-depth discussion of teleological (utilitarian) and deontological (non-consequential) perspective that forms the two different perspectives on prescriptive ethics (that is the focus of this discussion) it is the duty of every politician in Nigeria to abide by the rules of the game of politics and respect the constitution. In other words, they should do what is socially right and beneficial to the general public!
Few Nigerians would deny the fact that there is lack of basic human values in the society today. Some fundamental questions are appropriate: What happens to respect for human life and basic social values in Nigeria? What criteria should guide the activities of the politicians? Are they basing their actions in common human feelings and social welfare or their personal utility? Are the politicians not corrupting the youths? Are they creating a democratic civil Nigeria or an autocratic state? Is having courage dangerous in Nigerian politics? Is there any place for values and ethics in Nigerian politics? This writer is aware that the sycophants and political jobbers would dance around these questions even as they know that their master’s actions are creating economic disaster and political havoc.
However, many Nigerian politicians are faced with ethical dilemma as many of them do not seem to care about doing things that are beneficial to the society at large. The politicians want to win elections by all means; these include forging their credentials and assassinating their opponents, without minding the impact of their actions on the polity. Nigeria needs ethical politics and a peaceful path to true democracy!
Sadly, more often than not the Nigerian politician would think that the end results and circumstances should determine and control his/her behavior. And this perception is in line with the utilitarian teaching of John Stuart Mill and the situational ethical preaching of Joseph Fletcher. This group seems to forget that the Bible instructs “Thou shalt not kill.” However, Immanuel Kant who is often identified with deontological ethics (Greek- deontos – “duty to obey”) maintained that some actions are inherently right or wrong regardless of the end result or situation that leads to such action. Thus “Thou shalt not kill” and should not engage in politics of hate to destroy another person’s life and future regardless of the circumstances. As mentioned earlier, if the end result of action harms others, it is wrong, and if it benefits others, it is right!
This brings us to the politics of hate and cannibalism between Chief Obasanjo and Atiku Abubakar, where the former is plotting to destroy the life and political future of the later simply because he has total control of the political apparatus in the society. The President, in this writer’s judgment, has thrown ethical principles to the dogs! Are his actions dictated by the constitution, values of Nigeria’s pluralistic society or his personal idiosyncrasies? Are his actions helping to consolidate Nigeria’s democracy-experiment or are they destroying the system? Would any future Vice-President in Nigeria like to the treated in the same shabby manner Chief Obasanjo is treating Atiku?
However, because Nigeria’s politics is not based on a person’s ideological conviction, the President had expected the Vice-President to agree and support whatever actions he would take, even if they are contrary to his principle. In fact, the brouhaha between them shows that their coming together was just a marriage of convenience as they are not ideologically compatible. Perhaps, Chief Obasanjo needed an influential person from the North to help him capture the support of the region and after Atiku had succeeded in doing that he now tossing off like garbage!
What crime has Atiku committed to deserve all the humiliation? This writer is not by any means saying that Atiku is a saint and Chief Obasanjo is not one either! It has been noted that Chief Obasabjo “hates” Atiku because he is a “disloyal” VP. But is Chief Obasanjo going to get Atiku’s loyalty by force? OBJ should earn it! However, has the maximum ruler been loyal to Nigeria? He has abused his political powers and committed numerous “impeachable offenses” without the society hanging him! Would any principled person in good conscience support a boss or person that is working against his/her interest? Only sycophants and political jobbers would do that!
As we have noted, Nigerian politicians lack ethical politics; and their actions do not add any values to the system. Chief Obasanjo’s administration has turned Nigeria into a society where politicians kill others to remain in power; the society is now a place where the leader would create political chaos to hold on to power; it is a society where the politicians would destroy the economy they are supposed to fructify; it is a nation where rogues are walking around as political leaders; and sadly it is a society where the leader would use anti-corruption commission, electoral commission, the police and the judiciary to silence the opposition. During the just concluded PDP primaries some aspirants were intimidated out of the race and they could have been assassinated or arrested by the EFCC, with charges of corruption dangling on their neck, if they had continued. The maximum ruler is always adopting a new form of tyranny! Electoral frauds that colored the 2003 politics are creeping back into the 2007 politics.
In industrialized and advanced democracies the constitution and societal values determine the actions of the politicians in the society. Understanding the values of a person or society brings clarity to the life of the person or the society. Let’s us for a moment put politics aside and answer this question: Is Chief Obasanjo’s shabby treatment of Atiku fair and proper? If Nigeria’s politics were being played well Atiku would have been the frontrunner for the presidency under the PDP in the forthcoming 2007 elections. Instead, he is being humiliated for having an independent mind! However, leading religions in the globe are re-echoing the ethical principle branded the Golden Rule-“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” This sermon is meaningless to those who are benefiting from the fraud and hate politics in the system. The politicians do not care about respect and dignity for human life, honesty and social justice in human intercourse; and this is a serious ethical problem in Nigerian politics!
For Nigeria to build a strong foundation for true democracy there is need for the society to promote ethical standards in politics, good social and moral values, accountability and transparency in governance. And for this to be possible the people should be politically educated and mature. This would enable the people to begin to question the sources of the wealth of the politicians’ who become “very rich” immediately they step into political office. According to Mahatma Gandhi “politics without ethical principles” is among the “social sins of humankind.” However, it is not too late for the politicians (and the people) to modify their political behavior and learn to play ethical politics that add values to the system. If Nigeria wants to transit peacefully from the democracy-experiment to democratic consolidation the politicians (and the people) should adhere strictly to the code of ethics and any person that goes contrary to the rules (operate outside the law) should be punished without fear or favor. This will be impossible in the current unethical political situation!
References
J. Rawls: The Theory of Justice (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1971) L.E. Raths, M. Harmin & S.B. Simon: Values and Teaching, 2nd ed., (Columbus, OH: Merrill, 1979) Persis Mary Hamilton: “CE Pain: Ethical and Legal Issues” (ANA\C: The Nursing Voice, Volume 11, Issue 4, December 2006, January, February 2007). J.P. Thiroux: Ethics, Theory, and Practice, 4th edition, (New York: Macmillan, 1990 J. Frankena: Ethics (New York: Prentice-Hall, 1973) Victor E. Dike: Democracy and Political Life in Nigeria, 2nd edition (New York, Lincoln, & Shanghai: iUniverse, Inc., Nov-2006)
Victor E. Dike, CEO, Center for Social Justice and Human Development, Sacramento, California
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