Don’t be politicians’ punching bags

AS the political drums begin to beat louder and the general election timetable threatens to crash into our calendars like an overexcited DJ at a village disco, let us get a few things straight, especially for the youth. You are not a weapon.

You are not a hired insult machine. And you are certainly not a one-man demolition squad for some politician’s wounded ego.

Every election season, it is the same story: Young people promised “something small” (read: A packet of fries and transport money) to go shout down opponents, tear down posters, throw stones, or just act like sugar-deprived toddlers in grown-up chaos. Let us call it what it is and that is being used.

Yes, your energy is real, your presence is powerful, but don’t sell your voice to the highest bidder whose only plan for you is jail time or a hospital bed.

This is politics, not a wrestling ring. If a politician wants to settle personal vendettas, they should take it to a chess board or a game of Scrabble, not campaign rallies.

And to our dear politicians: Stop turning rallies into reality shows of revenge. You are not auditioning for “The Real House-Leaders of Chaos County.” Behave and stop brewing chaos, simply because you don’t like so and so competing with you in your constituency as a Councillor or a Member of Parliament.

You owe the public, especially the youth something better than insults wrapped in flowery speeches. Debate ideas. Not each other’s ancestors.

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Tell us how you will fix roads, not how your opponent’s cousin once borrowed sugar and never returned it. To our youth, listen again. Once the smoke clears and the ballots are counted, those politicians will be safe in their high-walled homes, sipping tea with bodyguards nearby.

Where will you be? Nursing bruises? Dodging court dates? Watching your name trend for all the wrong reasons? Don’t be fooled by a shiny T-shirt or a thousand-shilling handshake. You are not part of the plan; you are just part of the noise.

The real seat at the table is for those who choose peace, maturity and the long game. Be the voter, not the vandal. Be the change, not the chaos.

Now, this part is serious. Law and order are not a suggestion, they are requirements. If you decide to turn a peaceful rally into a riot, don’t be shocked when the police show up looking less like friends and more like trouble. Reasonable force, in police language, might not involve hugs and polite requests.

Think carefully before you start running because once you are cornered, let us just say things might get very uncomfortable.

So, here is the deal: If you love your country, prove it by acting like it. Politicians, respect your rivals. You are not enemies; you are contestants. Youth, be the sharpest voice in the room, not the loudest rock thrower in the street. Campaign with decency. Speak with dignity. Vote with wisdom.

Let us make this year’s election a celebration of democracy, not a circus of insults and stone-throwing acrobatics.