Have you ever wondered why politicians cling so shamelessly to public office? Why those who seem better suited for retirement homes than the rough and tumble world of politics just can’t seem to let go? Why a once fine party is reduced to directing amorous looks at its historical enemy, hoping for a little reciprocity? Well, today’s your lucky day. Here’s the answer to these questions that keep you awake in the dead of night, sweat dripping from every pore. This, from the New York Times Magazine: “The political system is imperiled mostly because too many of our politicians just can’t seem to imagine any worse fate in life than losing an election”.

There it is. In one brief sentence the journalist has succeeded in distilling the essence of political life. You can sleep peacefully now, safe in the knowledge of what makes the political class tick. The gist of the article in which this sentence appeared was that lobbyists shouldn’t take all the blame for the pernicious influence they exert over the decision-making process. Rather, it’s the politicians that have allowed them to thrive who should take the flak. After all, lobbyists are only answerable to their employers, whereas elected officials are accountable to all of us, even if they seem to have conveniently misplaced this fact. Unfortunately, this also means that getting rid of the rot that has seeped into the system is a very tall order indeed. “Thinking that you can fix everything that’s disappointing about politics by eliminating lobbyists’ money is as misguided as thinking you can win the war on drugs by burning down all the coca fields or that you end crime by outlawing all guns,” the article concludes.

Similarly, our tendency to blame socio-cultural associations for stoking the fires of communalism is more than a little ill-advised. Sure, these outfits, especially the more fanatical ones, provide wonderful scapegoats on to whom we can pour barrels of righteous indignation. In a perverse way, they’re actually providing a public service by affording us a much-needed outlet for our scorn. Yet, without the logistical and financial support of the political class, these associations would quickly fade into insignificance.

So why then do our political leaders aid and abet organizations that do their utmost to sow the seeds of division? The answer is obvious: to shore up the support of the communities they claim to represent (incidentally, it would be interesting to ascertain just how many people each of these so-called socio-cultural organizations do actually speak for). And no expense is spared to secure their endorsement. Every year, tens of millions of rupees are taken from the State’s coffers in order to keep their leaders sweet. The National Human Rights Commission has denounced this practice, as have a few outspoken citizens.

Yet, the root cause of the problem is that politicians are horrified by the thought of not being (re) elected. As a result, their ethics are extremely malleable and they act like the end really does justify the means. Public office, it seems, is a bit like drugs. Once you’ve tasted the stuff, you can’t enough of it. That’s why some of them would do well to go cold turkey for a while. By doing so they might just realize that politics isn’t solely about power. It’s about helping to improve people’s lives.