Criminalisation of politics

Your timely editorial prompts me to express my sentiments on this subject that has hit media headlines. Gentlemen politicians of yester year would be turning in their graves when the political landscape of the country gets bloodied as the goon squads of their political masters go on a shooting spree. The gentleman politics of a bygone era when peace and calm prevailed during and after elections have now lost its sheen and glory, giving way to brute force and thuggery. The members of the underworld play a pivotal role in today’s politics because men at the helm utilise their services to accomplish their missions and fulfill their greed and ambitions. Time was when elections were held in healthy rivalry, following accepted norms and conventions. Ever since the PR with the Manape System of voting was introduced into 1978 constitution of JR, politics became a hotbed of violence, bullfights, cock fights, fish cuffs, bitterness, rivalry, attempted murders and murders have increased by leaps and bounds among the opposing candidates and even between ones in the same party. The contestants try every trick in the bag to outwit and outsmart their opponents. The virus of Manape has spread in the body politic as the contestants spend costly amounts for propaganda purposes to outdo the other. This in turn paves the way for enmity, bitterness and jealously. The gun culture has taken a firm grip in the conduct of elections whether it’s local, provincial, parliamentary or presidential.