Why we cannot leave the world to the politicians to manage

Jul 26, 2024

Sunday  Observer- Anil Netto
As the political landscape in Europe undergoes a seismic shift, recent elections have laid bare a growing discontent.

In many nations, centrist or mainstream political parties have failed to deliver on the “people’s agenda”: affordable and quality health care, adequately funded schools and universities, as well as genuinely affordable housing, energy and nutritious food. Instead, they seem to have plenty of money for military spending and adventures abroad.

These parties also pay lip service to the major environmental challenges of our time.

The failure by mainstream parties to improve the lives of the working place has contributed to a public distrust of politics among many people. Given this “trust deficit”, many people sadly withdraw from participation in electoral politics, contributing to low voter turnouts. We even saw this in recent by-elections in Malaysia.

Others who are disillusioned lurch to nationalist, populist parties on the right, even those with fascist tendencies. These parties tend to favour wealthy interests and lower taxes for the rich. They are unfriendly to immigrants who are often scapegoated for the economic problems of their host nations. They care little for climate change.

Disillusioned voters might even vote for those pushing a conservative, narrow religious agenda (no matter what the religion). This parties may appeal to those who have lost hope that the other mainstream parties could provide them a better life in this world.

Amidst this gloom, we have seen the encouraging emergence of green candidates, smaller parties and independent candidates who put issues that matter to the people at the forefront. They also take a more independent perspective of foreign policy in an increasingly multi-polar world. They do not subscribe to neocolonial interests, whether in politics or the economy. They want an end to the wars in Ukraine, Syria, Yemen and Myanmar and the genocide taking place in Gaza. Still, they are in a minority – hopefully that will change with time.

For now, in many parts of the world, policies are formulated to benefit Big Capital and Big Business, propped up by establishment interests. Public opinion is moulded in their favour by public relations firms, powerful global media organisations and Big Tech, through its algorithms.

These days, we see the emergence of “stakeholder capitalism”. A few gigantic investment companies hold sizeable stakes in multiple companies around the world. These large global investment firms control trillions of dollars worth of assets. They may even have the ability to influence the politics and economies of a string of nations.

So, we cannot leave matters of the world to just the politicians and electoral politics. Ruling politicians invariably come under tremendous pressure or influence from big business, the establishment, superpower strategic interests, large multinational companies and international financial institutions.

In the process, party manifestos and the people's agenda fall by the wayside.

Ordinary people have to step up and be counted. We have a role in making a difference in the world. We need to protect the ecological balance and to work for the people's interest and the common good.

Christians and people of other faiths are called to build the kingdom of God, a world of compassion and concern for the poor.

This kingdom has values that are diametrically opposed to the values of the rulers of the world.

We are called to empower the poor and to free captives unjustly imprisoned. We are called to care for the sick, the homeless and the infirm. Like St Francis, we need to see the world as interconnected.

Jesus challenged the corrupt or compromised religious leaders of His time and repeatedly exposed their hypocrisy. These leaders were in league with powerful imperial occupiers and wealthy local landowners. Together, they were accumulating fabulous wealth.

In contrast, the ordinary people suffered from poverty, hunger, disease and heavy taxes. Jesus spent a lot of His time with them and spoke to them of a Father who was deeply concerned about their suffering and oppression. If God could care for the sparrows and the lilies in the field, how much more would He care for people who are overburdened with suffering, sickness and oppression!

The Church today continues this legacy through its “preferential option for the poor”. This is at the heart of the Gospels and Catholic Social Teaching and deserves to be expounded with greater clarity.

May we all do our part in working for a more just and sustainable world, no matter where we are. We could get involved in community and other civil society groups. Why not volunteer free services or provide them at discounted rates for those from lower-income households. Make our voices heard when forests, hills and biodiversity are threatened.

We are not powerless! God has given us the Spirit to build a new creation.

Let’s pay heed to those who are suffering among us. Let’s listen to the cry of the poor and the cry of the Earth and respond to it. May Thy kingdom come.

(Anil Netto is a freelance writer and activist based in Penang. He believes we are all called to build the kingdom of God in this world.)