Politics Is a Dangerous Game, Don’t Get Involved When You Are Not Ready

The late Doe killed President Tolbert, shot and killed 17-Americo-Liberians who held power and accumulated huge wealth for themselves from 1847 to 1980. The Americo-Liberians who were in politics at that time lost everything including power and influence in a few seconds–that too is the danger of politics.

The late Doe was also killed in cold blood, he too lost all his wealth power and influence within a split second—that too is the danger of politics. Taylor amassed huge wealth, power and influence for himself, he later lost all his huge wealth, power, and influence, but manages to save his own life by being behind bars in Whitman’s land for 50 years-that too is the danger of politics.

Who knows what will happen to former President Sirleaf and current president Weah. But whatsoever that may or may not happen in the future, that too would be considered as the danger of politics as well. It is never too late for anything to happen to political leaders and their players in politics, especially in Africa, where politics is a visible death trap-“BITTER, BUT SWEET.”

Most Liberians venturing into politics had not studied normal political science in former academic settings either at a university or a tertiary institution across Liberia that would equip them to fully engaged their time and services in the public life of their country Liberia.

The fact of the matter is that politics have consequences and hidden dangers unawareness to political participants and their followers, especially in Liberia. Most of the Liberian politicians are either college dropouts or ex-rebel fighters who have no other qualifications but to turn to politics, especially the part of politics that requires them to represent their people in the Liberian Legislature.

Some of the major outcomes of politics can be deadly, devastating, dangerous and the destruction of properties and even sudden death of those participating in politics, especially on the part of those who are not preparing for politics, but will want to get involve for multiple rationales. For example, some little experienced politicians can sometimes be burned alive, their homes set on fire and all their children can sometimes be burned and or buried alive or killed. Some can be adopted, and or kidnapped and taken away and slaughtered and their bodies are thrown in remote pits. Others are armed bushed, beaten, and or hunted at night or even intending to eliminate them for good.

Political science is one of the many sciences being offered as an academic course in most Tertiary institutions for students who are interested in politics. The knowledge and wisdom gained from political science are purposely for the good governance and the smooth management of government that propelled the wheels of society. But it appears multiple individuals are discovering their paths to politics with a relatively different agenda.

For example, individuals who run as Representatives or Senators often claimed to be the mouthpiece of their people who elected them to parliament. They also claimed they represent them in Parliament.

Since the end of Liberian brutal civil genocide that killed about 150000 Liberians and non-Liberians also in cold blood and the nation swiftly returned to normalcy from a political standpoint, the political appetite on the part of hundreds and hundreds of Liberians both at home and abroad has become astronomical. Most of the newcomers within the Liberian political circles, do not have rich job creation skills or concepts, their paramount focus is to canvas to run as representative or senator in their districts across the length and breadth of Liberia while foreigners’ takeover the Liberian business enterprise to the detriment of Liberian own businesses.

Most Liberians who now see a representative job as formal job creation for them, are not fully aware of the dangers embedded in such local political undertakings, especially politics that are practiced in the hinterlands. For instance, most chefs have abandoned their farming duties with the hope of migrating to Monrovia in search of a political job at the Liberian Ministry of Internal Affairs. Most of such chiefs have crafted what is called the “Council of Chiefs” supported by funding from taxpayers.

Those chiefs did not only bring disservice to their native villages, urban towns, and cities but have virtually let the young generation of farmers down in those villages, who by and large have overtime engaged in mechanized farming to feed surrounding villages and have cash returns in place of goods that are no more because politics have overwhelmingly overshadowed those food generating concepts especially in the hinterlands of Liberia.

Those disappointed Liberian chiefs who moved into politics had shown a very bad signal that seeking for better future in politics in Monrovia was the newest way forward in life, as a result, most villagers and village kids who have themselves become men and women in their rights, are beginning to take advantage of local politics either as a representative or a senator within the corridor of the Liberian Legislature.