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Maretta Bellingan wrote in Rapport last week: “There are people who when they hear you work for a newspaper, quickly make excuses. No, sorry, I don’t read the newspaper, too much bad news.  What does one say to someone like that?  Carry on regardless, you uninformed ‘palooka’.  Who wants to be part of this life if you prefer acting like an ostrich? Or: No, I understand, the world is evil, the less you know, the less you have to feel.”

Her article once again reminded me of some people’s reaction when it comes to politics.  When they hear you are involved, or even merely interested in policitics, they are quick to remark: “No, politics is just a dirty business, I don’t want anything to do with it, let the politicians go ahead, they are only doing it in their own interests anyway.”  And with this generalisation they easily evade their responsibility.

This attitude is often justified from a Christian point of view.  The greatest part of our country’s population consider themselves Christians, thus a few remarks on this topic.  I am not a minister of religion and don’t want to dwell on the field of theology, but because I also belong to the group who call themselves Christians, I have my views about the matter. (I do, however, accept that many may disagree, and I respect that).

Politics in itself cannot be “dirty”. Politics are about the principles by which a country is governed and managed, and the practical application of these principles.  It is all about the code of conduct; the policies of a government in respect of specific issues; procedures and behaviour.   In the Bible, the issue of governments is a big one. In the Old Testament it is explained in detail which were good and which were bad governments. In times where the leaders served God, it went well with the country, and the opposite was also true.  In the New Testament, it is said that all governments were put in place by God. The Bible teaches that we have to obey our governments and pray for them. I can’t imagine that this means you always have to pray for the “rubbish” . It is understandable that there is a negative perception regarding politicians, but again, we cannot generalise.

No country can exist without a government – no matter how “spiritual” you are. We are still here on earth and it is given to us to take care of, control and manage. People often want to distantiate themselves from politics, but the decisions of government have a direct impact on each of us, whether it be on the level of economics, security or education, or any other level. Whether you want to admit it or not, political leaders have a direct influence on our daily lives. We deal with government departments on a daily basis, which carry out government policies; policies that are set by the legislative authority, consisting of people. Our election system in South Africa operates like those of many other countries – a democratic system by which the citizens of a country decide who their leaders must be. The solution is to get the right people in those positions. However, because people choose their government, it does not mean that God is left out of the picture. It does, in fact, place a greater responsibility on us to be involved and to vote. Why?  Because God uses people to carry out His purposes on earth, and uses us to elect them. 

My question is this – don’t Christians have a role to play here? It is specifically in this area where Christians can practice their morals and values to the benefit of everyone.  I’m not talking about a political party with a Christian name. No matter what the name, morals and values must become evident through policies and behaviour.  (Personally I don’t really care much for a Christian name for a political party – for a few reasons, but that is a different debate).  People don’t necessarily want to hear that you are a Christian; they want to see and experience it. Christians who want to distantiate themselves from politics, to me often seem ‘holier than thou’. “You keep yourself busy with earthly things, and I will keep busy with the heavenly”, . The danger is that we can become so heavenly minded, that we hardly mean anything to anyone here on earth. I would much rather see more “Josephs” and “Daniels” in our government, Biblical figures who held top political positions and had a remarkable impact on the government and population of their time. So much so, that they still serves as examples today. Even Jesus showed His disciples how to pray “May Your Kingdom Come; Your Will Be Done; As It Is In Heaven; So Be It On Earth”.  It surely means that while we are still here on earth, we have an important role to play.

Politics do not apply to matters of government alone, but everywhere: in the workplace, church, sports – you name it. This is not the problem. It is the politics within politics, the politics at work, church and sports that make it problematic. That is what is “dirty” about politics. This is when everything is merely about your own advantage, and where principles and values no longer apply. We are not compelled to have anything to do with that. It was CJ Langenhoven who said: “Eer ‘n man na sy posisie, dit is genoeg dat hy die posisie oneer aandoen”. (Translated: “Honour a man for his position, it is sufficient that he is a discredit to the position.”) We as South Africans are tired of honouring the government and people in positions of authority just because they hold those positions of authority. We would love to honour a person or government because they deserve it.

Politics are about ‘serving’. The call for more Christians to become involved in politics, is not to create a Christian power base. It would hold its own dangers if that were the motive (another further debate). The purpose is always to put the best and effective government in place to serve its country and its people – people who are qualified and competent, no matter what religious views they have. Christians must however be involved.  The fact that things got “dirty”, is precisely the reason why Christians who live their principles and values, must be involved.

Even though we must obey and pray for our government, it does not mean that we can’t differ and criticize them. How could they construct policies without this? It is true that politics may sometimes become slightly robust in order to reach a solution, but this does not mean that we must become enemies and destroy each other in the process. It is in the ways in which we differ and debate that need to be changed in South Africa.  I warned in my previous article against the spirit of bitterness and intolerance which has taken a grip in our land (especially since the split in the ruling party), and if this is not managed well by strong leadership, it could lead to political violence on the road to Elections 2009. This is not something we can afford. The Christian belief is based on forgiveness and love – love for every person – no matter what…Can we handle our politics in the same manner? Yes, a thousand times YES!!!

Barend La Grange                                                                                                  Elections 2009