In this book, the reader is introduced to the concepts of politics,
government, political theory and political culture with reference
to Cameroon. Defined as human activity concerned with controversies
over public questions and the resolution of those controversies,
politics is concerned with the affairs of government and because
government action deeply affects us, we take a lively interest in
what governments do. We form associations and organize campaigns to
articulate our demands. We negotiate with others and try to shape
the goals that governments pursue. When we disagree with the
policies of the government, we protest and organize demonstration
to persuade our governments to change the existing laws. We
passionately debate the actions of our representatives. In this way
we look for the rationale underlying the prevalent chaos and decay,
and aspire to create a better world. To sum up, politics arises
from the fact that we have different visions of what is just and
desirable for us and our society. Politics exist because we possess
reason and the ability to reflect on government actions and
communicate our innermost thoughts and desires with each other.
Political theory has its roots in these twin aspects of the human
being. Defined as a network of concepts and generalizations about
political life involving ideas, assumptions and statements about
the nature, purpose and key features of government Political theory
systematically thinks about the values that inform political life -
values such as freedom, equality, justice, nationalism, secularism,
development etc. It explains the meanings and significance of these
and other related concepts by focusing on some major political
thinkers, theologians, kings, economists, sociologists, popes etc
of the past and present. It also examines the extent to which
freedom or equality are actually present in the institutions that
we participate in everyday such as schools, shops, buses or trains
or government offices and it looks at whether existing definitions
and institutions are adequate or must be modified to become more
democratic. The objective of political theory is to train citizens
to think rationally about political questions and assess correctly
the political events of our time. In applying political theory,
some countries are more successful than others due to the
variations in political culture. A country's degree of success in
operating a governmental system that is democratic in character
depends, to a very large extent, upon the nature and content of the
political culture of that country. For democracy to work, the
country's political culture must be compatible with and support the
very concepts of constitutionalism, the rule of law, and
representative democracy--as well as be consistent with and sustain
the country's established, agreed-upon Constitution, including the
constitutionally prescribed procedures for managing and resolving
controversy over public questions, making and carrying out
authoritative decisions on public policy, protecting the rights and
liberties of citizens, and peacefully transferring governing
authority from one group of political leaders to another. In all
discussions examples are drawn from Cameroon and elsewhere in the
world.
General
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