A POLITICIAN'S FIRST DUTY
There are a few people who enter politics simply because they strive for fame and power. Some of
them may well have succeeded in getting what they wanted. But, as tempting as it may be to be
cynical, these people are a very small minority. It is my firm belief that most people join a
political party, or it's youth organisation, because they see things in the world that can be improved
and they think that they can find a better solution to it than those currently employed.
People may sign up due to deeply felt ideological convictions, or because they have just sent their
children to kindergarden and are displeased with how things work. They may join because they want to fight
for democracy in the Middle East or because they want to fight for a respectable retirement for our elderly.
Even so, we see a lot of power hungry politicians, putting their fingers in the air to see which way the
wind blows, sucking up to those higher up on the ladder and breaking the rungs they've climbed to make
it difficult for those below to climb higher.
A politician must always remember her first duty. That duty is not to her party who'd ideas she's embraced;
neither is it to those who have elected her to her current position, be it party members or citizens of her
country (though she has an obligation to these too); nor is it to herself. A politician's first duty must
always be to the ideas the she joined to fight for. Those may grow over time, and even change, but they must
always remain the foundation of her actions.
Of course, it's perfectly alright to strive higher in the party hierarchy. After all, without power the chances
of ever getting to implement those ideas, to make those chances, are pretty close to zero. But for every time
she rises in the hierarchy she must make an effort not to loose sight of her goals. If she does, the climb up
the ladder risk becoming the end itself - not the means that it was meant to be - and she may turn into one of
those politician's who only strive to promote themselves, and who can never quite satisfy their craving for power.
It's a trap most people are certain they won't fall into. And it's a trap dangerously disguised and hidden. That's why
an aspiring politician may never forget the first duty.
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