Political Opportunism vs. Political Conviction
In the midst of the appointment of Portia Simpson Miller and the electoral victory of Dayton Campbell as Prime Minister of Jamaica and President of the Guild of Students respectively there has been a lot of interest in discussing the political climate on the Mona Campus. In the lecture rooms, hang-out points, halls of residence and in there evening and morning commute the students of this campus have been discussing politics. The euphoria of the moment has been enticing many people to get involved in the political process, in both core and peripheral roles. There are those who will simply stand at the sidelines as spectators providing moral support and then there is that set that is ready and willing to get on the field and compete in this game of politics. One of those things that are constant in our political process is the difference between those who are political opportunist and those that hold a strong political conviction.
The political opportunist and the politically convicted are two distinct political personalities that show themselves up in the political process. The political opportunist is the individual that defines politics in its most vulgar form; politics is seen purely as a game, a test of wits and chance. Thus politics is a game that the opportunist tries to win at all cost in an attempt to attain the glitz, glamour and economic benefits of state power. The politically convicted are those individuals with clearly defined political principles and well articulated ideological stances. The individual with a strong political conviction is focused on meaningful social and economic change. Policy implementation and creation are the most important principles for the politically convicted. Electora ...