POLITICAL APATHY

POLITICAL APATHY

Political apathy is a state in which citizens display negative attitudes or show no interest in political activities or political system of their country. It can also be defined as the lack of interest in the Politics of the society. It is a state of indifference or refusal of citizens to take part in the political activities of their country.

Forms of Political Apathy.

Refusal to Discuss Politics:  some people display their lack of interest in politics by not taking part in the generation of ideas that can lead to political development of their Society.

Refusal to Register for Voting:  some citizens do not participate in voters’ registration due to their lack of interest in politics. This in turn affects the political development of their Society.

Refusal to Vote at Elections:  some people even when they are valid voters do not vote during elections due to their carefree attitude towards politics and political activities.

Refusal to Supports Candidate or Political Party: some people refused to support any of the candidates or political parties canvassing for votes due to political apathy.

Refusal to Hold Political Office:   people also display their lack of interest in politics by refusing to hold political office.

Wrong Orientation about Politics:  some people lack interest in politics because they receive negative information about politics from people, as such they viewed politics as a "dirty game" or a "game of deception".

Refusal to Expose or Protest against Electoral Malpractices:   political apathy also appear in the form of not protesting or exposing electoral malpractices which is carried out by unpatriotic citizens to bring or install wrong candidates into power.

Reasons for Political Apathy

Bad Government:   bad government kills the interest of people who may want to participate in politics by the way and manner the political class does things especially when it is characterised by embezzlement.

Ignorance:  ignorance do not allow some people to participate in political activities. Since they do not know that doing so will help the society progress.

Type of Party System:  the party system adopted also contributes to political apathy. E.g. one party system, which is dictatorial in nature.

Poverty: poverty also make people to lost interest in politics. This is because most people are concerned with how to put food on their table, and have little or no time  for issues of politics.

Selfishness:  another reason political apathy is that when people did not see anything they will personally gain from participating in political activities, they care less about it.

Unfulfilled political promises:  the inability of the political office holders to fulfill electoral or campaign promises also deter some people from participating in politics.
g.  Election rigging:  some patriotic citizens engage in electoral rigging, which dampens the morales of some people, causing them to develop political apathy. 

Ways to reduce political apathy

Adoption of Multiparty System: for political apathy to be discouraged, there must be a provision in the constitution to allow many political parties to exist to enable the Citizens widen their choice of political programmes and manifestoes.

Adequate Political Education:  citizens should be provided with adequate political education to enlighten them about their political rights.  This will help reduce political apathy.

Rule of law:  the existence of rule of law will increase the interest of many people in politics. This is because; the rule of law preaches equality of all citizens before the law.

Independent Judiciary: an independent judiciary will be fearless to protect the political rights of the citizens, and to also check the excesses of the government officials. This will help reduce political apathy.

Universal Adult Suffrage: when all qualified adult citizens are not disqualified for one reason or the other, but are allowed to participate in politics, it will help rise the political interest of others.

Recognition of Opposition: also, when opposition political parties are allowed to operate freely without any form of interference, it will increase the desire of many people to participate in political activities

Assignment

Discuss five ways in people show lack of interests in politics

Dangers of Political Apathy to the Society

1. Emergence of an undemocratic government: government that would emerge may not reflect the wishes of the people.
Lack of accountability.

2.Lack of accountability by government officials: there will be no accountability on the part of the government because the people that are supposed to keep the government and the leaders in check have shown no interest in the affairs of the country.

3.  Denial of Citizens rights: the citizens’ rights cold be denied since an undemocratic leader may emerged
4.  breeding of corruption in government and abuse of power: corruption will set in when dishonourable people fill the vacuum created by the absence of credible citizens.

5.  Corruption: The government in power would not provide social amenities and infrastructural facilities since it cannot be held accountable.

 6.  Slowing down the pace of political development: political apathy hinders proper political participation which ultimately affects development.

7.  Loss of respect for political leader: there will be  Problem of legitimacy for those in power.
8. It is a threat to democracy and democratic culture: it will result to  Minimal popular input in decision making processes.

8. Wrong set of people come into power: It brings about election and appointment of incompetent and unpopular leaders if responsible/competent people refuse to seek political offices.

9.  Loss of respect in the international community/ bad image: the country will not be respected in the comity of nations