TOO HONEST TO BE A POLITICIAN?

Friday, November 6, 2009

When asked if to consider entering the dangerous field of Nigerian politics, a man answered,

"I wouldn't make a good politician. I don't know how to lie."

That simple statement reflects an unfortunate reality in politics all over the world. Politicians are generally considered to be slick tongued individuals with the capacity to say anything to gain and maintain power.
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That statement also highlights that because of the reputation politicians have, average individuals do not expect them to be honest. But, if honesty is not a characteristic we expect from those who represent us, what does that say about who we are? And what does that mean for the future of representational politics i.e. democracy in Nigeria?


A tough question to ponder, but politics is probably the second oldest profession on Earth, after prostitution, and like the latter, it will be around in some form or another. In essence, politicians, those who lie or otherwise, will always be around.


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9 Curiosities. Add Yours.:

Azazel said...

Very Good question @ what does it say about we as humans..
Simple and short, it says that we humans are dishonest, selfish etc, and we should never expect our politicians to be saints..
I myself, never hold any politician to high standards.. Even if they are corrupt, all i ask is that htey invest the money they steal back into the country

joicee said...

All over the world politicians have this image...but in Nigeria it has taken to a whole ´nother level ...not only do have to deal with lies , there is the stealing and embezzling and the corruption without end.

I am passionate about Nigeria, but sometimes when I think about what we consider politics in Nigeria, I just get weakened.

Nigerian Entrepreneur said...

I agree that all over the world, politicians are apt to lie. However, the case in Nigeria is simply worrisome.
In other countries, people tell "intelligent lies" and apologizes when they are caught.
Over here, they simply tell a STUPID lie and insist that we must take it as the truth, even when a 2year old can detect that it is a STUPID LIE that has just been told.
As for apologizing, that never happens. Anyone that ask too much question may just disappear or be sent on a quick journey to the OTHER SIDE!
I believe Nigeria will get better, but we need to go back to the grassroot and start rejecting the stupid lies that we are accustomed to hearing from the politicians.

Jennifer A. said...

Man is innately evil. The only way that politicians will do the right thing is if they examine their conscience, and if they consider God.

The Activist said...

I still don't know why one as to lie as a politican. It's so interesting to even know that there are different lies such as diplomatic ones...

Seyi said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Seyi said...

I remember a survey conducted by the BBC sometime ago. The question was 'which person do you least trust?'.

As you may expect, 'politician' ranked number one, followed by Estate Agents....hmmm

Nnanna said...

Politicians = Liars
Diplomats = Liars
Attorneys = Liars
Businessmen = Liars
CEOs = Liars
PR Firms = Liars
etc

Lying is more common than it first seems, it's just been repackaged , renamed and made acceptable in many aspects of life.

Nigerian Politician don't even begin to approach US politicians when it comes to lying.

t said...

The corruption needs to be punished. Period. As a servant of the public, you rob the public, they should turn fifty thousand megawatts of wrath on you. In Nigeria, we don't do that. Moral relativism is killing us.

As for campaign promises being lies and all that, I don't think we are privileged enough to even suffer that problem yet. Corruption, from vote buying to buying the position regardless of the vote - that's the challenge they're still trying to fix.

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