Politics: Claims and Counterclaims
(This text is the part of Politics assignment during my 1st semester of Bachelor in Media Studies, Kathmandu University)
Question: Politics is all about claims and counterclaims. Explains the statement with appropriate examples
Ans: As said by the great scholar Aristotle “human is naturally a political animal by birth, all human becomes the active member of political society. In our society there is presence of people with diverging views, principle, logic and aim of life. There is a kind of rush in achieving a goal that may be short termed or long termed. Everybody has their own logic and proof to achieve it. Depending upon their ethical, economic, cultural and historical background some claims and remaining counterclaims, because everybody is afraid of loosing their existence in the society. It is the natural behavior of human to highlight its existence and exercise their control over other through media or organization. This is how politics is all about claims and counterclaims.
Defining politics, it has literal meaning “polis” which means city-state. So politics is the process of acquisition and application of power, allocation of scarce local resource, the practice of deception and manipulation, the making of collective decision and the exercise of local authority. Anyway anything that is concerned with general life and the future of state is related to politics directly and indirectly. Also politics is the phenomenon of conflict and cooperation because there is the intervention of disagreement, different demands, competing needs and opposing interest of people living with in same society. Daily there is emergence of new and controversial idea in media and we can see some people supporting as well as criticizing the idea from their perspective.
Let’s verify the above statement from various examples on local, national and international level.\
A. local level: In our society suppose there is often conflict between two brothers of a same family for possession of their father land after the death of their father .both brother will first sit together for a talk to divide their land equally .But if the lands are situated in two location then there will be questions over the economic price, societal aspects, near from market, availability and other many factors.
Of course both brother will attempt to get best land so that will have more price, quipped with electricity, near market, good society, security etc but both cant get exactly what they think .There is will rising different claims and counter claims. If the family matter is not solved then they knock the door of court. Now the matter of family matter become a societal issue .Their lawyer argument about the issue and divide the land on the judge decision .Its depends upon the logical power and self power of those brothers .Based on their claims and counterclaims, the lands at two different location will be divided not exactly in a manner they have expected because they will have to comprise on some point. This is how the issue is resolved neutrally.
Thus to regulate our society there need a rules and regulation which is applied to every people .The rights and duties are applied to every people and if there is imbalance in its use then security problem may occur. Thus state act as the check and balances in issue like above.
Recently in the Nepal political revolution, we saw a great revolution i.e. Jana Andolan 2 in Nepal. We show all the whole population crawling in the road for the down of king’s autocracy. But still kings was supposed to take the sovergnity in himself to rectify the democracy .one side the supporter of kings were claiming to sustain the kings rule and letting it to continue. On the other hand 8-party alliance was forming to behead the king from the rule. Those include congress, Maoist, communist, democratic, capitalistic party and many more. They all had their own principles, background but they compromised with each other to form the unity. After snatching the power from the King, they formed the interim government but still these leaders of different party are arguing and discussing with each other daily and shows their dissatisfaction with one another’s view .In the eye of general people they are seem to fight daily as if they have their personal rivalry but actually they do all these thing for politics’ .politics is about all the activity that concerned with the general people.
The main question is why do they fight if the decisions made by anybody are applicable to the entire citizen? Because they strongly support their claims and try to suppres other counterclaim by their principle, historical background which may have weakness of present policy, and try to highlight their existence in most appropriate way.
B. Swimming in the ocean of claim and counterclaim, the parties come to understanding, compromise and peaces talk .Finally the issue is resolved and this is how politics is done.
Its is very hard interpret the international politics because the information about the interference of powerful nation like US and Britain in our country is not openly talked. Talking about the policy of George Bush, he was ready to provide special military helicopter during the underground period of Maoist. In the government, the political leader strictly criticized the step and did not allow applying the act. On the other hand George Bush claims that he was doing that to destroy the terrorism and his statement is very famous” you are not with us then you are with terrorist”.
In politics every thing start with claims, struggle with counterclaim and end with compromise .So it is the just the art of exercising the authority and how to make believe the citizen that he is actually working fro the people, though in real sense it may not be.
So politics is something that is directly or indirectly concerned with the general life of country and it is the tool that is used to maintain ones existence in the state. The never-ending demand of human and the diverging nature of human give birth of claim and counterclaims