The nature of Political Parties

Political Parties

Political parties are like icebergs. You can see only their tips, their major parts remaining submerged. We are called upon to judge them by what they reveal of themselves. We are supposed to discover them by guessing about their true nature. We normally like or dislike political parties because we compare them to other parties that have exposed themselves more in comparative terms.
Human nature being what it is we like change. We find it difficult to accept people for long because most people will begin to show their ugly sides sooner or later and then we begin to judge them from their ugly sides alone. Clever politicians help their opponents to reveal their ugly sides as soon as possible. Some of them do little more than revealing the ugly sides of their opponents to come to power. The good sides of seasoned politicians are soon forgotten and the ugly ones preserved in memory.
As responsible voters we should try to be careful in falling into the trap of dramatic strategies of the newcomers. Sensationalist statements and acts are the best ways of misleading naïve voters. Wearing particular kinds of dress or giving undue importance to the symbols that adorn the identities of their parties are party gimmicks. When we judge parties by these we keep the wax and throw away the honey of a healthy democracy. If parties have remained in power for long and after so many years started making blunders, it does not mean that the newcomer will not make the very same or worse blunder in a shorter time while in power.
Of course this does not mean that the newcomer should not be given a fair chance to show the truth about himself. He definitely should get a chance to do that. But we must not be as enthusiastic as the newcomer in getting him in till we are reasonably certain that the newcomer is not all drama, all strategy, all gas. In a successful democracy the voter must be responsible to make the right decision or face the consequences.