Politics is
a double-edged sword. It must be used responsibly and if it is in the wrong
hands, it can bring about the downfall of the nation. History has shown that
the greedy and sly politicians would suffer the gravest consequences. They
would be overthrown and even killed in some instances due to their selfish egos
and abuse of the mandate and trust that had been given to govern.
When we talk about development, it must be something directly
related to the well-being of the people. It must have the greatest impact on
the improvement of their livelihood and in so doing, eradicate poverty among
them. But in reality, I doubt the politicians nowadays really care about that.
Of course, all the time, they shout about development for the people. They launch all kinds of slogans to that effect. They seem not to get their priorities right. They should first provide the most basic infrastructure first that the poor people need badly especially
roads, water and electricity. When these
basic needs of the people especially in the rural areas are not being met, do
not talk or shout about the mammoth projects that they claim can change the lives
of the people for the better. Do not
talk about the healthy financial state of the nation. Do not talk about our nation is on the way to becoming a developed nation, so on and so forth. All that is immaterial if it is compared to the immediate needs
of the people. We only want to hear mammoth projects about rural road construction, water
treatment plants and rural electrification. We also want to hear more
allocations for building more schools or rebuilding them as some look like
slums in the Third World.
In short, development must be people-orientated and it must
always go in tandem with the immediate needs of the people. Only and only the immediate and basic needs of the people have been provided, then we can go to bigger development projects. Do not tell me building rural roads has a lesser impact or some politicians even dare to claim it is not economical due to the lower density of the populace. With more roads, people living in the hinterlands can transport their agricultural produce for sale in the towns and cities. Thus, their living standards would be raised and at the same time, they help to reduce the cost of living through cheaper greens and fruits. It must be reminded that the power of the politicians
comes from the people so it must be used to improve the welfare of the people first and
not the other way round.