The corrupt politician is any government official that uses his/her office for illegitimate private gains.
Political corruption is as old as civilization and has brought down empires and nations; it also has other far-reaching effects.
Enjoy this poem and please read the article to the end and discover why “the power to fight the corrupt politician lies in your hands”.
If you would prefer the poem in the form of a video, tap on ‘play’, below:
The Corrupt Politician
I am the politician,
your country’s resource custodian
tasked with making and upholding laws
which I masterfully tweak with flaws
My colleagues and I are the government;
looting, the only task we’re competent,
spewing behind every truth, lies
like a quiet swarm of flies
With impunity, I plunder your resources,
give you stipends and renew my promises
just in time to win another election
I am the embodiment of corruption
I mount piles and piles of your cash
and repurpose those I can’t stash;
the rest though I wire overseas,
there I have my shameless accomplices
In all, I make your living unbearable,
ensure no jobs or you’re unemployable
You’re neither valued at home nor abroad
so you resort to crime and fraud
Sometimes I give the illusion of choice,
make you think you have a voice
I may even allow a protest
but in the end, you act at my behest
Call it communism or democracy,
to me it’s all kleptocracy and thievocracy,
“A game of wits and sharp practices
for the ruthless few in high places”
By the time you realize you’re in chains,
my child would have taken the reins
while you’d have dug for yours, a grave
I’ll always be master, and you my slave
The vices of the corrupt politician
The ‘vices’ of the corrupt politician refers to the different forms of corruption; they include:
- Embezzlement: The practice of withholding public assets or funds and converting it for other purposes.
- Funds misappropriation: A form of embezzlement that involves funds only (not assets).
- Nepotism, cronyism and tribalism: The practice of giving undue advantage to family, friends and members of the same tribe respectively. This ‘advantage’ could be in areas of business, politics, employment etc.
- Bribery: The practice of soliciting, receiving, offering or giving anything of value in exchange for favors or services.
- Parochialism: The practice of placing local or vanity projects ahead of the national interest.
- Others: Influence peddling, lobbying and so on.
There is no end to political corruption and corrupt practices.
Effects of political corruption
Every part of human existence suffers from the activities of the corrupt politician; from education to economic growth and even ‘health care’.
When funds that are meant for development or procurement of materials that would benefit the people/citizens are diverted, the people suffer.
Unchecked corruption, leading to gross human rights abuses, recycling of power etc, may push the populace to crime; that is why the highest rate of internet fraud occurs in the most corrupt countries of the world.
The corrupt politician versus the citizens
The truth is that the political corruption cannot thrive if the citizens do not facilitate it directly or indirectly.
People that have tasted power claim that it is addictive, so they can never get enough of it. This implies that if the average politician is not kept in check by the citizens, there is the tendency to hold on to power; that is why many political office holders remain in office for ‘decades’.
Some of the tactics that politicians use to remain in power include:
- “Divide and Rule“: a strategy that involves causing disagreements between people using certain sentiments, like tribe, ethnicity or religion.
- Electoral fraud: The strategy of illegal interference with elections, through the use of intimidation at polls, improper vote counting, illegal voter registration (ghost and underage voters), voting computer hacking and so on.
Conclusion
The corrupt politician is any government official that uses his/her office for illegitimate private gains.
Some of the vices of the corrupt politician include embezzlement, cronyism and nepotism.
Political corruption affects all sectors of the economy and also causes high crime rates, including internet fraud.
Finally, power is addictive therefore there is the tendency to hold on to power using the citizens as pawns.
Whether it is through your vote or through conscious efforts to stem political corruption, the power lies with you.
