Yusuf Omar – Opinion | 8 February 2017.

Politics is not an easy game to play. At the same time, it’s not easy to just walk off the field. On the one hand, there is a need to follow stories and issues that affect our lives and the lives of others however, on the other hand, it is an uphill battle trying to separate the good from the bad. Every word uttered by a politician needs to be scanned and reviewed, every statement could have a different meaning or no meaning at all, and every concern could have an ulterior motive. I often find myself battling to decipher the concerns and statements by political parties. As I sit in the studios of Radio Islam, ready to analyse a story that’s making headlines, I have to awaken the investigator within in order to find some truth, or at least what I see as truth.

Like this morning when the EFF had concerns regarding Jacob Zuma assigning the SANDF (The South African Army) to stand guard at the State of the Nation address. They claim that it is uncalled for and this valuable resource should only be used during a period of urgency. I agree with them. I mean, when universities were being burnt and shops were being looted during the fees must fall protests, the army was never called. So why call them for a parliamentary gathering that has a slight possibility of major interference? But my mind wasn’t at ease yet. My mind still wondered, wondering whether the EFF’s concern is truly for the public of this Rainbow Nation or is it just an attempt to paint the president, and his party, with a negative brush. Similarly, when Donald Trump spoke of the flaws in Hillary Clinton’s policies, some of it made sense, but was it sincere? Did he have the people of America in mind when stating his findings or was it just an attempt to put down his competitor. Local or international politics, you’ll find this everywhere. Ulterior motives, false promises and deceptive words has unfortunately formed the core of modern-day politics. It’s a day in the life of a dirty politician.

Guess what? The radio show was done, I went off-air, but my mind still wondered. I started thinking about the dirty politicians within all of us. I started thinking about our ulterior motives and deceptive words.

I started thinking of that lady who asked one of the ladies in her family about her dress. She was told it looked stunning. She was given a ‘wow’ when she walked out of her room. She failed to realize that the wow was only given because that lady thought it looked horrible and she wanted her to be seen in public wearing that dress. That lady will stop at nothing to be the best dressed at the wedding, even if it means deceiving others.  Is that not a trait of a dirty politician?

How about that lady who constantly criticizes her sister’s efforts to serve their mother. They both married and living separately but both want to be known as the daughter that cares. So the one sister took the mother out for coffee. When the other sister hears about this, the words are

“so much money but she can only take her mother for coffee. So stingy, she couldn’t even take you out for a decent meal. When last she took you out for shopping mommy?”

This sister with the complaints, is she really concerned about her mother’s well-being or is she just saying that because the greed for popularity has overtaken her. No matter what, she has to be the favourite, the one that is doing more. Dirty politician or not?

What about that man who complained about his colleague to management. His colleague arrived late and missed a meeting. The question is, is that complaint a sincere complaint for the betterment of the company or does that man crave his colleague’s healthy position. Perhaps he feels that by reporting the problem, he will eventually be given that position. Is that not what a dirty politician would do?

The point is that we can all fall prey to this despicable habit. It doesn’t take a high profiled man in a suit to be a dirty politician. Remember, being such a person with such habits will never bring any good. It will destroy family ties, damage friendships and shatter relationships. We might think that this is the way up the ladder but in reality, our motives will eventually catch up to us. We will destroy ourselves. That mother will eventually figure out the reality. If not in this world, she will come to know on Judgement day. That colleague might get pushed off his position but there’s no guarantee that you will be given that seat.

I’m not writing this so we can think of various people as we read through the examples. We need to look into ourselves as we read this. We need to ask ourselves “Am I a dirty politician? Did I ever do something like this? Is it worth it?’

The next time you decide to do something of this nature, stop for a moment and think about being in that person’s shoes? Would you like it if your efforts were constantly criticized? How would you feel if you were deceived? So what if you not the favourite, the best dressed or the most popular. The one’s you are trying to impress are probably out to destroy you with their dirty political motives anyway.

I conclude with a hadith of Nabi S.A.W. that has more wisdom, insight and thought than this entire article…

Anas R.A. relates that Nabi S.A.W. said: “None of you truly believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.” [Bukhari, Muslim]

Yusuf Omar resides in South Africa and holds a BA in Islamic sciences. He is currently a writer/presenter at Radio Islam. He loves playing with words and has an interest in fine arts. He also believes in mermaids. Check out some of his other articles here. Interact with him on Twitter and Instagram.