ETHICS GUIDE
DEARTH OF ISSUE-BASED CAMPAIGNS AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR CONTEMPORARY POLITICAL LIFE
"Rather than love, money or fame, give the truth"…….David Thoureau.
Social media platforms are now awash with negative comments, direct barb throwing and specious arguments etc are whirling around instead of issue-based campaigns.
The adverse effects of this unethical practice is that among other things, is that it is capable of misinforming or diverting the attention of the unsuspecting readers off germane issues of good governance. It cam also create in the minds of the ever right thinking beings that the social media has been occupied by the lowborns who have turned it to the arena for unhealthy discourse or slanging for their own political ends .
Unfortunately as they are doing this they sway attention of the public holders from pressing issues to the mundane.
It was Osigwe Anyiam- Osigwe who posits that "If democracy must become a way of life for the people of Africa then its values and principles must be cultivated and imbued in the people in much the same way that religion is imbued in them". I totally agree.
We must therefore discuss issues that are most relevant to development and provide a leeway to our leaders to choose alternative solutions in case we disagree with their own methods.
A percipient fellow should appreciate and evaluate what should constitute the main political issues to broach on. This is constructive argument at its best.
It's tantamount to the abuse of 'group mind factor' to converge on the social media space to be throwing tantrums and "negative attack ads" on real or perceived political adversaries just to exact a revenge. Or be responding to the question of "will you say say yes?".
In order to fertile the ground for ethical take off in the political odyssey, we must foremost imbibe the culture of rational thinking and building good social image.
It is highly disturbing that rather than setting political template or brainstorming on common good, the common chord among the staunch arguer on social media, particularly Facebook, is descent to vulgar language. This is in contrivance to the pristine African values and a spit on its ontological and ethical requirements.
A renowned public Affairs analyst and third sector practitioner, Eze Onyekpere writes " ..it is submitted that the quality of the electoral campaigns is a forerunner to the quality of governance even after the elections. Candidates without clear cut ideas of governance are likely to descend into verbal abuse and use of gutter languages....". He was apt.
Consciously, we should be brainstorming on social media platforms on how to resolve burning issues like insecurity, economic downturns, policy wonk, infrastructural deficit and shed our searchlight on policy positions to any eventual winner in the electoral contest .
Through this we are indirectly constituting a marketplace of ideas.
This is an indispensable minimum of the ideals of participatory governance.
ISIAKA KEHINDE writes from Ibadan, Nigeria
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