By all means, find a role to play in the 2026 elections

One of the greatest political ideas from Plato’s philosophy is an appeal to participate in politics.

Plato contends that equilibrium in society might be achieved when leaders possess philosophical wisdom, or philosophers hold positions of leadership. He advises us not to worry about things we can change or those we cannot.

One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors. Democracy is antithetical to philosophy. Plato used a ship analogy to illustrate his point: the strongest person (common citizen) owns the ship but lacks sailing knowledge.

There are other sailors on board (politicians) but they are constantly quarreling and arguing with one another. And there is a navigator (philosopher/ intellectual/ learned/ wise) who knows the direction but does not have the desire for leadership or taking control.

Across all political parties, there has evidently been a significant decline in the quality of our leadership. Dear reader, by the fact that you found this article worth reading, then, for the sake of today’s analysis, you are an intellectual, a wise person and skilled sailor.

In several rural areas, it is common to find an LC1, LC2 or even city mayors who can hardly write or spell their name. In one of the localities where I once lived, I noticed that whenever I needed a recommendation letter or had some documents signed by the LC1 chairperson, she would ask me to put my request in writing and come back the following day to pick up the letters or the signed documents.

I would later learn the reason for not getting the task done on that very day was because she was completely illiterate. The allowance of one day was meant to permit her time to get her literate husband to sign the documents or write the recommendation letters upon returning from his day job.

During the recent vetting processes for some parties, it appears that to come up with an equivalence of UACE, some candidates have had to attach baptism certificates, first aid training certificates, conference attendance certificates, catechism certificates, marriage certificates plus recommendations from well-placed friends.

And to everyone’s surprise, some of them have gone on to emerge as the flag bearers despite the widespread contestation and public disapproval. Upon careful observation, it is evident that the most marginalized members of our communities often exhibit a significant interest in taking control or participating in voting.

This includes various forms of voting, whether it be by ballot or physically aligning themselves behind their chosen candidates. Under the over-used guise of “I am not a politician; I am not interested in politics; I don’t even vote,” we inevitably delegate not only the leadership positions but also the opportunity to choose leaders to the people least capable of discerning who the best candidate should be.

Unfortunately, many civic programs target the lowest of our citizens with the assumption that the educated not only know their civic rights and duties but are likely to exercise them without needing any directions or reminders.

The public days designated for voting are when we cruise around in our ancestral or country homes with our well-airconditioned 4×4 vehicles with heavily-tinted windows raised up as we drive past the common citizens who are duly exercising their civic duties. It is often said that democracy is the tyranny of the majority.

However, abstaining from politics equals aiding tyranny. To exercise indifference and total apathy during the electioneering processes, then later hide behind computer keyboards to critique the credibility of those elected is the highest form of deception, negligence and abdication of intellectual duty.

Interestingly, when things politically fall apart, with the central government losing monopoly over the capacity to control anarchy, it is the intellectual/elite who will suffer the most.

That gated and heavily guarded community you live in will not feel safe enough; the premises of that corporate job you go to will be closed without warning; the funders of that foreign-funded NGO and business will catch the next available flight for their safety.

The author is a social worker.

ssellwanga@gmail.com