Political Stewardship: A Benchmark for Evaluating Democratic Political Governance

What is Political Stewardship?

Stewardship is a term that describes the managerial role played by someone in managing another person’s property. A steward is not the owner but only the manager. When applied to politics, in the context of a democratic environment, political stewardship refers to elected leaders playing the role of political managers who are entrusted with the governance of a nation-state and its public resources that is the property of all citizens. The elected leaders are not owners of the nation-state and its public resources but just managers.

Realistically, one can seldom see an effective or competent political stewardship in political governance. It is the lack of political ideals like political stewardship, which prompts a need to have this ideal as a benchmark to evaluate political governance. When current political governance is compared with the benchmark of political stewardship, one would be able to see: 1) Whether political stewardship is being practiced in one’s nation-state; 2) Whether elected leaders considered themselves as managers for the nation-state or owners of the nation-state; 3) Whether the management of public resources, tangible and intangible, is judiciously carried out for the benefit of all citizens; 4) Whether a transparent management accountability system is in place for all citizens to inquire, evaluate and reflect for their informed decision making to determined the performance of their elected leaders.

Why is Political Stewardship Needed?

When there is a lack or absence of political stewardship, there will be increase or rise of authoritarian oligarchy, tyrants and dictatorships, which are against the practice of democracy and the rule of the law. Authoritarian oligarchy, tyrants and dictatorships are against political stewardship as they consider their respective nation-state and its resources as their private property. Any form of token civil government becomes their tools and the citizens become their servants. Law enforcement agencies and the military becomes their whip to keep all citizens in line with their dictatorial policies. Kangaroo courts become the enforcement institutions to give sham legality to dictatorial laws and legislations. The national economic becomes a private pie to be shared among the family members, relatives, friends and cronies of the authoritarian oligarchy, tyrants and dictatorships. The remainder citizens will eventually compete for economic scraps from their masters’ tables. This scenario is now a reality in many parts of the world and not just a political fiction. Any modern day person who cherishes freedom of though and expression, democracy and the rule of the law should become a strong advocate of political stewardship if they don’t want live like peasants in a nation-state of modern medieval-type tyrants.

What is the Core Schema of Political Stewardship?

Political stewardship begins with an accurate political schema that should be ingrained in the minds of all citizens. An accurate political schema is one that establishes the citizens as the actual power base of a nation-state. All elected leaders are the managers who are entrusted to facilitate the implementation of the governing powers, for the wellbeing of the nation-state. If elected leaders are just managers of governing powers, then, the following checklist will apply:

1. Do elected leaders (managers) stand for and represent all citizens of a nation-state? It takes all citizens of all culture, ethnicity and religion to make a nation-state. If elected leaders do not represent the entire nation-state, it would lead to eventual divisions, conflicts and political polarizations.

2. Are the resources of the nation-state invested and managed judiciously by the elected leaders (managers) in a transparent and accountable manner? Any mismanagement, misuse or abuse of tangible or intangible resources of a nation state, would lead to the creation of debts that would have to be borne by current citizens and the unborn future generations of the respective nation-state. So, does any citizen want their elected leaders (managers) to make debtors out of them and their children? Do you want your country to be a debtor nation? If the creation of debts is not tolerated in the commercial world, why should it be tolerated by a nation-state?

3. Do elected leaders (managers) use their entrusted governing powers to protect or abuse the citizens? One clear-cut principle in political stewardship is that elected leaders (managers) must never ever use the police or the military against peaceful and unarmed citizens. It is like a manager using the company security guards to beat-up the company stakeholders over differences of opinion. In the event of a consistent breach of this principle, it is a sign that democracy in nation-state is going to the dogs. It would be just a matter of time that authoritarian oligarchy or dictatorship would emerge. And the nation-state would eventually become a police or military state.

4. Do elected leaders (managers) once elected, start changing laws and legislations that will promote their continual governance, which would eventually lead to a perpetuation of a political dynasty. Whenever a single facet of a nation’s law is changed, the question to ask is who benefits from it? If the answer is not the citizens, then, one can be assured that it is for the elected leaders (managers). And why should elected leaders change the laws for their benefit when they are there temporarily as mangers for the nation? The answer is simple. They intend to stay or they are making way for the creation of a dynasty!

5. Do elected leaders (managers) consistently use their entrusted governing powers to manipulate the judicial system of a nation-state? When a judiciary becomes the rubber stamp and mouth-piece of elected leaders (managers), it loses its credibility to dispense justice for the people. And what can be expected from the process is the creation of kangaroo courts whose decisions are just predetermined announcements. A nation-state without justice eventually becomes a lawless nation. The law of the jungle will then prevail.

6. Do elected leaders (managers) consistently use their entrusted governing powers to mute the media of a nation? When this happens, news is no more news. What the citizen will hear and see every day is propaganda. And what is propaganda? It is basically the news or messages that the manipulators want you to hear and see. And one can be assured it will be on-sided only. A nation that lives on propaganda effectively become blind, deaf and dumb politically.

What is the final message of political stewardship?

To evaluate elected leaders (managers) by the principles of political stewardship is to exercise the basic right of a citizen in a democratic environment. It s possible for managers to become owners in commercial companies, but when this happens in a nation-state – democracy is dead and authoritarian oligarchy, tyrants or dictatorships is in reign. There is no grey area in this matter. This is the reason why the advocacy of political stewardship is of utmost importance for persons who cherish democracy and the rule of the law. It decides whether one would live as a citizen or just as a pawn in a nation-state. What is the use when one gains untold riches but is still a rich slave politically whose fate is determined by others.

POLITICAL STEWARDSHIP IS A BENCHMARK FOR EVALUATING DEMOCRATIC POLITICAL GOVERNANCE