By Our Editorial Team
The beauty of any society which prides itself in our modern world of being rooted in the tenets of democracy achieved such prestige based on the fact that there are fire-brand political parties besides the party in power at every given time that serves as effective opposition to the ruling party and ensure good governance in such a society.
Equally, these political parties are supposed to be each founded and operated upon certain ideological ideals as a substructure, having different political views on how power can be employed to provide governance, though embarking on such journey from different political routes, the ultimate aim is supposed to be for the overall good of the citizenry.
Political parties not directly controlling political power therefore have the onerous task to provide viable alternative platform to put the ruling party in government on its toes and as a result constantly pricking the conscience of the government to ensure that those who have been entrusted with public offices to serve the people do so without trampling upon the rights of the very citizens they are to protect.
This requires that there must be consistent but constructive criticisms from the opposition political parties to check the often excesses of the ruling class.
Power they say corrupts, and unchecked powers does not only corrupt and reduce the power bearers to monsters of colossal proportion, but very sadly brings untold hardship, suffering of unimaginable dimension to the people.
Again, vibrant opposition is needed from opposition political parties because modern and historical experience has proven that when men at any level are allowed power and authority, whether by appointment or by election, without a mechanism in place to check the natural instinct in man, that propels him to always want to dominate others, then that society will slowly and steadily but surely transform into a huge colony where only the rule of master and slave relationship prevails.
It is based on the unpleasant consequences that always come the way of any society which suffers from poverty of a vibrant opposition or when the opposition political parties become so docile for comfort, that we in CrossRiverWatch warn and remind the parties and the people concerned that the complete silence of the opposition parties in Cross River State is neither in the best interest of the parties, the government in power, nor in the overall interest of the people of Cross River state.
It is unfortunate that immediately after the party primaries, campaigns and the general elections were concluded, the so-called opposition parties in Cross River State went into a deep stupor, snoring unperturbed in their shameful and false rest.
We beg to ask, where is LP, APC, APGA and so many other mushroom parties who made so much noise during the electioneering period?
Were these political parties only interested in obtaining political power which of course, they were ill-prepared to obtain and are not in any way ready to maintain and sustain a vibrant opposition that will constantly dish out issues-based and constructive criticisms for the good of the state? If so, why should they be called political parties?
Worse still, even some members of the ruling party, PDP in Cross River State, from the information reaching CrossRiverWatch, clearly indicates that they are only buying their time waiting for the right opportunity to decamp to the ruling APC at the national level, while some had already decamped.
We want to lucidly state that we are not in any way or by any means advocating blackmails, baseless and irrational and barbaric verbal attacks on the government in power in Cross River State and at the national level but we are concerned that the absence of a viable opposition with constant constructive criticisms will make the government to relax and feel that it is doing so much well that there is complete absence of reaction from the opposition to keep it on its toes.
We in CrossRiverWatch know this to be true, that biting and pinching but well intended criticisms will only serve as a motivation for an already focused government and will help such government to push on even when it feels it was tired or has done enough by its own estimation.
CrossRiverWatch therefore call on all registered political parties in Cross River State to immediately get up from their slumber and self-imposed censorship.
There is no society whose opposition refuses to play its role as required by the society and expect to get the best it deserves from those the people have entrusted power and authority to preside over their affairs.
It is true that the government in the state has so far gained the confidence of the majority of those who are commenting and following developments in the state, but we must emphasize that a vibrant opposition with constructive criticisms will serve as a tonic that will propel it to perform beyond its imagined expectations.
Indeed, a well informed opposition taking the government on matters that are issues-based cannot be exchanged for anything less.
It is important, we need it, and it must be jealously protected and sustained.
This is our position!
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