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Alex Kvartalny @ flamedragon27.blogspot.com

Group 501

The Profile Of A Politician - Essay

“In governing, do not try to control”

Tao Te Ching

While many people associate politics and politicians with the people they see most often in the news programmes, there are several definitions of these notions. For instance, according to Wikipedia, “politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to behaviour within civil governments, but politics has been observed in other group interactions, including corporate, academic, and religious institutions. It consists of social relations involving authority or power and refers to the regulation of a political unit, and to the methods and tactics used to formulate and apply policy”. As for the definition of a politician, it gives the following one: “a politician or political leader (from Greek "polis") is an individual who is involved in influencing public decision making. This includes people who hold decision-making positions in government, and people who seek those positions, whether by means of election, coup d'état, appointment, electoral fraud, conquest, right of inheritance or other means. Politics is not limited to governance through public office. Political offices may also be held in corporations, and other entities that are governed by self-defined political processes.

The business of politics can be a treacherous river to wade through, but once being an ankle deep in the swift and often piercingly cold current it does not seem possible to turn back – so captivating it is. It exalts one's ego if you know that you can influence lives of millions simply by a thought, your thought in fact. It is widely assumed that politicians all come from dynasties that are power-hungry and seeking influence and affluence. Many think that the job a politician does is just the talking and enjoying the perks and, in some countries, personal immunity. There must also be reasons for the fact that such people are often viewed as corrupt. Some are of the opinion that men, having spent thousands of years in the job, are much better at governing than women who, until relatively recently, have been taking care of children and home. The list of stereotypes can go on.

The reasons for people going into politics are different. Many children are nurtured to follow in their parents' steps who are politicians themselves. For others, the desire to go into politics is not merely provoked by a general interest in the subject, it may be a matter of defending the family name and keeping the dynastic tradition going.Nepotism, or favouritism granted to relatives or friends, without regard to their merit or appropriate qualifications., can also get children involved into public affairs. But nowadays because of the freedom of speech and speed the information travels it is much easier to discover and prevent nepotism. Another route to the business is in a way the opposite of the previous notion – it is meritocracy. As Britannica Online Encyclopaedia puts it, “the best individual for each job, competitive examinations for entry, and selection and promotion on the basis of merit”. At the same time the power-, influence- and affluence- addicted also try to get to the top of the social ladder. However, there still are people – hopefully – who want genuinely serve the good of the country and the people. The world knows many such people. For example, Nelson Mandela or Mahatma Gandhi. In Belarus there are such historic figures as Tadeusz Kościuszko, Vitaut the Great and Pyotr Masherov.

The scope of a politician's job is vast. The responsibilities it entails are varied and depend on the rank of a politician. A lot of them make laws, pass them, approve budgets and more. If we take the President of the Republic of Belarus, then his duties include executing foreign and domestic policies, defending the rights and general welfare of citizens and residents and upholding the Constitution. So it is demonstrated that the tasks of a politician are not only about spending public money but also about many other things.

There are a number of challenges the job includes. To illustrate how difficult the job is quotations from Tao Te Ching can be given: “people are difficult to govern because they have too much knowledge” and “governing a large country is like frying a small fish. You spoil it with too much poking”. The last point being probably the most arduous of all. Another hindrance has to deal with the fact that the decisions that you make are liked by some but despised by others. So the rivals will seek any weak spots that you have and will try to make a mountain out of a molehill. Sometimes, as it was in the case of John F. Kennedy and many others, politicians are assassinated. It might also be difficult to resist the corruption, or dishonest or fraudulent conduct by those in power, typically involving bribery. At times, when a politician's personality becomes more important than the post he takes so-called personality-cults arise, Stalin being the most vivid example here. If the situation is bad when you come to power, as was in the case of Barrack Obama, you have to deal with the legacy of your predecessor. Obama had to find means to overcome the global economic meltdown and still has to resolve many foreign policy points.

But what makes one person a good politician? Are there any traits typical of a lot of successful people in public affairs? The Enzine Article website gives these 10 characteristics that are necessary if you want others to follow you:

1. The ability to listen.

2. The ability to acknowledge and change.

3. The ability to form one-on-one relationships.

4. Successful people make sure they surround themselves with like-minded people.

5. The ability to know yourself: It is very important to know what you're best at, and what are your weaknesses.

6. Successful people refuse to let other people dictate how they should do certain things.

7. The ability to communicate

8. Successful people display high levels of optimism and confidence.

9. People who are successful are the ones who are passionate at what they do.

10. People who are successful are the ones who develop high levels of patience and dedication to see the results.

Populism is a phenomenon that it intertwined with the notion of politics. The word populism is derived from the Latin word populus, which means people. The concept can be understood as political program or movement that champions the common person, usually by favourable contrast with an elite. Spartacus could be considered an example of a populist leader of a slave rebellion against the elitist rulers Ancient Rome. In more recent times, the French Revolution, though led by wealthy intellectuals, could also be described as a manifestation of populist sentiment against the elitist excesses and privileges of the régime ancien. Abraham Lincoln could not have summed up the populist ideology better when, in his famous Gettysburg Address, he advocated "... government of the people, by the people, for the people”. Someone who tries to reach out to ordinary people talking about their economic concerns is referred to as a populist. A populist now is In the 20th century populism gained an altogether more ominous character when dictators such as Juan Peron and Adolf Hitler used demagoguery and populist rhetoric to achieve their privileged leadership positions. Though populism is often associated with ideologies such as nationalism and socialism, it is not always necessarily so. Populism can be both left wing and right wing. In the above examples, Juan Peron would be perceived as a left-wing populist; while Adolf Hitler would normally be thought of as a right-wing populist. The best known Russian populist politician is Vladimir Zhirinovsky.

One of the examples of a successful politician is the current Russian Prime-Minister and ex-president Vladimir Putin. He has it all – personal charisma that helped him not only to improve the overall economic situation in the Russian Federation but also win the title of the Time “Person of the Year” for his “extraordinary feat of leadership in taking a country that was in chaos and bringing it stability”. His popularity ratings have remained high, routinely around 70%. He remains by all standards a controversial figure since he had been born into an ordinary Russian family and was later able to rise to the top. Mr. Putin used every possible way to achieve his goal it seems. A lot of people have criticized him for being an ex-KGB agent and thus implementing some of its techniques in the way the country is governed. For him, it was an opportunity to learn and he is of the view that the end justified the means – he claims never to have ordered to have anybody killed. The popular Russian humour TV show “KVN” once joked, paraphrasing a well-known nursery-rhyme “Dad can do everything” and substituting the word “dad” with “Putin” about him capable of everything but for being a mom. Interestingly enough, there are few women politicians, much fewer than men at least. Are men better politicians?

Because of the history of repression by the male population women have shied away from politics for a very long period. The lives of Nefertiti, Cleopatra, Joan of Arc, Mary Queen of Scots, Elizabeth I, Catherine the Great, Queen Victoria, Golda Meir, Indira Gandhi, Margaret Thatcher, Hillary Clinton and Angela Merkel and many others prove that women are no less capable of being good leaders. Today, due to the mid 20^th century feminist movement and changes in economy and the way of lives of millions we are seeing more women at top jobs. We are likely to seen even more in future.

It is not the easiest job to govern effectively and to serve the good of the country and its people. Many theories exist how to do that properly but so far humanity has not been able to find the perfect formula. Perhaps, when it does there will be more positive things, less hunger, war and poverty. The future depends on many factors, you, the person reading this essay included. The choices you will make, the pressure you will bear on your government will spread way beyond the borders of your country. For Margaret Mead once said, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has”.

Works cited:

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nepotism

2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tadeusz_Ko%C5%9Bciuszko

3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masherov

4. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/482290/public-administration/36938/Principles-of-public-administration#ref=ref417554

5. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meritocracy

6. http://ezinearticles.com/?Top-10-Characteristics-of-a-Successful-Leader&id=1552997

7. http://www.quotedb.com/quotes/1821

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