Electioneering should be defined by issues and programmes
Now that the formal political campaigns for the 2027 general election have officially kicked off, we least expect that our politicians will obey certain ground rules. As the frequent eruptions have demonstrated, the fault lines in our federation are many. Inter communal relations remain fraught with occasional conflicts and intense anger. Non state actors and sectarian extremist groups remain active while many citizens are still frozen in their ethnic, religious and regional cocoons. We therefore expect political gladiators to be more conscious of the sensitivities of our fragile nationhood on the campaign podiums. In this environment, the utterances of politicians could easily become tools for magnifying artificial differences and aggravating latent tension.
To the extent that mutual respect and an understanding of our common differences are vital ingredients for national cohesion and unity, our politicians must not allow a seasonal campaign frenzy to undermine our hard-won unity. A fact-based knowledge of national issues should inform the policies and programmes that political combatants advance to help their cause. Our public must see their campaigns as friendly fire, not as hostile exchanges.
