When religion and politics ride in the same cart, the whirlwind follows. – Frank Herbert
Those who believe religion and politics aren’t connected don’t understand either. – Mahatma Gandhi. These are two seemingly opposing sayings from two great minds in history. But both hold true. It is upon us as to how we understand what is said.
In my outlook religion is one’s deeply private bond with God. We may belong to whatever faith we choose but only we individually have the right to follow our religious inclinations. Religion and tradition are very closely related but they are two different things. When politics is brought to the picture that is when the mix goes bad. As an individual, to me politics is a system that enables a smooth functioning of my worldly life by maintaining peace, law & order, and structure. But our dear friends, our politicians have managed to devilishly take gain of the public naïveté and have succeeded in mixing politics with religion.
Today as Goans we collectively stand at the edge of a gaping ridge as the State Assembly elections are approaching us at breakneck speed. If we closely observe and analyse the current political diorama in the state it is very difficult to make a decision on what is the correct course of action to be taken. With the elections set to be held on February 4, 2017 we have hardly any time to gather our wits and take a rational step.
It is very easy to make statements and pass judgments on who is a good or bad candidate or which party is “honest” and which is corrupt. But as rational human beings why don’t we recognise that, yes, religion is a big integral part of the decision making process when it comes to politics, but then, it is not the only deciding factor. Politicians have managed to set faith against faith. They breed on the general public’s fierce passion about religion. Problems that arise in the religious arena are blown out of proportion by these vultures that would do anything to grab a piece of the political action in the state or country.
It is sad that even some of our prominent religious leaders have nowadays started actively participating in the “dirty game” of politics. Generally advising people about political responsibility is one thing and openly declaring affiliation is another. I have even heard of religious leaders openly campaigning for certain political parties or for certain politicians. Leadership is often confused with dictatorship.
In conclusion I would like to say that our leaders, both religious and political, should recognise and respect the distinction between religion and politics and not indulge in mixing the two. They should realise that it is a dangerous mixture and nothing good can come out of it. Both should maintain a healthy relationship in view of peacefully running the mechanism of our very peace-loving and secular state. And my simple question to my brothers and sisters, as I mentioned earlier about the gaping ridge on whose edge we are standing, are we sensible enough to draw the line between religious politics and political religion? Or are we gullible enough to fall prey to the vested interests of our so-called leaders?
