in the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
(i dedicate this page to those who thinks like me > politic is faraway from me, so why bother?? haha)
what is actually goin on??? news A says this n news B says that.. which one is true?? everyone is having their own hidden agenda n propaganda.. n to know that, i've to first know what is politic as the ignorant are being manipulated.
not trying to support or going against any party, but it's just my own reflection. been through some books, some historical stuffs n grabbed e basic ideas which i found very much interesting.
Political Science........
~ Many find politics as distasteful, inherently immoral or, at any rate, amoral. Misuse of power, influence peddling, n outright corruption r prominent features of politics. But we need not like e thg we study. Biologist may behold a disease-causing bacterium under a microscope. They do not "like" e bacterium but r interested in how it grows, how it does its damage, and how it may be eradicated. Neither do they get angry at e bacterium n smash e glass slide w a hammer. Biologist first understand e forces of nature n then work w 'em to improve humankind's existence. Political scientists try to do e same w politics.~
Personally, i too thought that i'm not going to involve myself into this political craps, but i was wrong.
~ Politic is e study of "who gets what".
Suppose something utterly natural occurs, like a flood. It is e political system that decides whether n where to build dikes n whether n which of e flood victims to aid. The flood is natural, but its impact on society is controlled in large part by politics.
How about science, bacteriologists squinting thro' microscopes? That is not political. But who funds e scientists' education n their research institutes? It could be private charity (e donors of which get tax breaks), but chances r e govt plays a major role.
When e U.S. govt decided that AIDS research deserved top priority, funding for other programs was cut. Bacteria n virus may be natural, but studying them is often quite political. In this case, it pitted gays against women concerned with breast cancer. Who gets what: funding to find a cure for AIDS or for breast cancer? The choice is political.~
~ Some people dislike e concept of political power. It smacks of coercion, inequality, occasionally of brutality. Some speakers denounce "power politics", suggesting governance without power, a happy band of brothers n sisters regulating themselves on e basis of love n sharing. Communities formed on such a basis do not last; or if they do last it is only by transforming themselves into conventional structures of leaders n led, buttressed by obedience patterns that look suspiciously like nasty old power. Political power seems to be built into e human condition. But y do some ppl hold political power over others?~
~ Is power identical to politics? Some power-mad ppl (including more than a few politicians) see e two as e same, but this is an oversimplification. We wight see politics as a combination of goals or policies n e power necessary to achieve them. Power, in this view, is a prime ingredient of politics. It would be difficult to imagine a political system without political power. Even a religious figure who ruled on e basis of love would be exercising power over followers. It might be "nice power", but it would still be power. Power, then, is sorta enabling device to carry out or implement policies n decisions. You can have praiseworthy goals, but unless you have e power to implement them, they remain wishful thoughts.~
~ Other see e essence of politics as a struggle for power, a sorta gigantic game in which power is e goal. What, for example, r elections all about? The getting of power. There is a danger here, however. If power becomes e goal of politics, devoid of e purposes, it becomes cynical, brutal, n self-destructive.
"Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely".~
"If liberty and equality, as is thought by some are chiefly to be found in democracy, they will be best attained when all persons alike share in the government to the utmost." -Aristotle Politics
The advantage of e biological approach is its simplicity, but it raises a number of questions. If we grant that humankind is naturally political, how do we explain e instances when political groups fall apart n people disobey authority? Perhaps we could improve e theory by modifying it: Humans are imperfectly political animals. Most of e time ppl form groups n obey authority, but sometimes, under certain circumstances, they do not. This begs e q of which circumstances promote or undermine e formation of political groups.~
~ Each community need to agree on e best ways of choosing leaders n appointing responsible persons for running its affairs. Institutions n structures for this may vary from place to place. They must be developed in such a way as to ensure that e best n most capable persons are appointed to positions of responsibility instead of those who actively seek influence n power for their own ends.
Institutions must work on e principles of shuura n justice, unity n brotherhood. Cliques, factions n parties that promote division in e community r to b discouraged. In forming rules n procedures for community organisations n institutions, from e smallest committee to e most complex organs of state, there need to b checks n balances that control e arbitrary use of power, that ensure respect for e rule of law, n a free flow of information except in defined cases where security is at risk. There need to b provisions that ensure that rights of all r respected n that defined obligations r discharged.~
~ Human resources r arguably e most valuable in any community n society. Any community needs to be concerned to protect these resources, ensure their health, strength, dignity n general well-being, obligations n rights.
In the time of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), every able-bodied man was expected to be fit n ready to defend e interests of e community. There were no expensive standing armies as such. At e approach of any danger, the noble Prophet could call upon individuals with e required skills or mobilize e whole community to face threats of a more dire nature. It was a society where ppl were free to do anything that was lawful without any restrictions. There was no crippling bureaucracy, no stiffing legal restrictions. There was freedom to speak e truth, freedom to access to e head of e community, freedom to roam e earth in search of knowledge or livelihood. Ppl were not kept under surveillance, they were not faced w e anxiety of carrying an identity card wherever they went, their lives were not pried into, they were not suspected n hounded. They could meet n associate freely for mutual self-help n for peaceful purposes.
These r some of e ideals n practices that should be upheld n cherished in any Muslim community so that ppl r able to grow n develop naturally n support one another for e greater good.~
"There was never a victory greater than this victory, for when it was war the people did not meet, but when the truce came and people felt secure against one another, they met and indulged in conversation and discussion. And no man spoke of Islam to another without the latter espousing it, so that there embraced Islam, in those two years, (between the pact of Hudaibiya and its subsequent violation by Quraish) as many people as those who had embraced Islam before, or even more." -Ibn Khaldun
So, what is my conclusion n what's ur say?? DO THINK!! God grant us 'aql or mind to think, so let us consider this matter carefully n don't be a blind follower. n for those who are still blur, let's wait n watch, haha.. may Allah guide us in choosing e best option.
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| “Allah commands justice, the doing of good, and liberality to kith and kin, and He forbids all shameful deeds, and injustice and rebellion:He instructs you, that you may receive admonition” (Quran, 16:90) |
[ books referred : Political Science (Roskin M.G., et al.), Islam the Natural Way of Life (AbdulWahid Hamid), Glimpses of Islamic History (Irfan Faqih) ]
