Why Personalize Politics?

While penning down few thoughts on this subject matter I am inclined to cite a famous quotation:

People with extraordinary minds, talk about ideas.
People with average minds, talk about events.
People with simple minds, talk about other people.
 
The quote also speaks volume of the types of political personality, from the lowest level of simple mind through average mind to great extraordinary mind. The type of politics of such personality is similarly reflected, from the remote past up to this day. Once more election fever has caught up with almost very politically conscious citizen in Nagaland and the exposition of these characteristics, particularly of each leader has become more glaring. Now we see leader who talks about ideas, who talks about events and who talks about other people.
Some years back L.K. Advani, a senior BJP leader questioned the origin of Sonia Gandhi, apprehending that she might become the Prime Minister of India at one point of time. Soon after, the origin of Advani, who is also a PM aspirant, was traced back to Karachi in Pakistan. The matter ended there and then. Recently, the homecoming of Dr. S.C. Jamir was viewed with suspicion and his declaration to rejoin state politics, stated as a “mission” was greeted first by an NPF leader with ridiculous remark - “overripe fruit”. This is rather absurd because physically, Dr. Jamir may still be healthier and may even live longer than those who see him as “overripe fruit”. Politically, a man of his stature and experience of 60 years in active politics has a lot to share about the past, present and future with his people so, what is shared should not have been taken as ‘self-praise’. Everyone may not agree with his political past or mission but at least there is no denying the fact about his outstanding leadership in Naga politics. What he is and what he is not is indeed best left to the people to judge and certainly not in the manner somebody wishes to liken him a non entity in present politics.
Despite abusive and offensive languages hurled at Dr. Jamir by certain individual and group, at no point of time and place has he degraded himself to the level of personalizing his politics or campaign against any rival individual or group, although there maybe apparent political differences with them. Personalizing only demonstrate sheer frustration or gripping sense of insecurity or both. Else, should there be a need for probing into the personality of individual for certain purpose, who knows much worse can be said about the counterpart. Personalizing at other times is a deliberate attempt to divert the people’s mind from vital public issue. Incidentally, every time pertinent issues are raised by the Congress, the NPF pathetically, responses to the issue raised as one of ‘repetition’, to the opposition Congress as ‘usual habit of attacking’ or personalize the authority or author of the statement given. Starting from issue the matter ends in personalizing. Personalizing politics thwarts healthy debate, dilute public issues and debase the democratic process of check and balance, which the opposition Congress is actually playing the role.    
Personality greatly matters in politics for reason that the right leader leads the people to the right destination. He knows what his calling duty is and he is driven, not by other force but by the force of his own conviction and commitment. He leads and is not led. On the contrary, if a leader cannot determine the course of his politics on his own and his politics is predetermined by force outside his own, he will no less resemble a ship drifting on the still water without destination. Quietly sailing but never reaching anywhere.
Rather than personalizing politics, why not talk of hard politics because politics is end based and not simply bragging or dragging. If we are to talk of the political part why not talk of the political personality because it defines a person’s capability and integrity in politics. If personalizing is unavoidable let us identify the individual who is indulging in unprincipled politics, corruption, immorality etc. That way we can regenerate clean politics and decent society. Otherwise the apparent obsession of some people on personalizes politics, just for temporary benefit simply represents a politics of the cheapest type. And we all have no time and space for cheap politics.

Vaprűmu Demo, Kohima