When Loyalty Replaces Logic

Politics has always been a game of shifting allegiances and selective outrage. But there is something almost hypnotic about the way political supporters abandon reason the moment their party assumes power. Suddenly, the most vocal critics of government become its fiercest defenders, while those who once justified every misstep now transform into relentless watchdogs. It is a predictable cycle, one that plays out with amusing regularity every election season.

Have you noticed how NPP supporters have suddenly become hyper-aware of every flaw in government, while NDC supporters, who previously lamented the cost of living and governance failures, have gone completely deaf to the suffering of the masses? Even when you express frustration over the hardships affecting everyone, including NDC supporters, they wave it away with dismissive jabs like “you are bleeding,” “you go complain taya,” “keep quiet and enjoy the reset,” or “blame Akufo-Addo,’’ ‘‘the NPP government destroyed the economy,” ‘‘Your government did the same thing.’’ Their loyalty is unwavering, their ability to see beyond party lines nonexistent. They see no evil, hear no evil, and speak no evil when it comes to Mahama’s administration.

But have you ever wondered why this happens? Why does political allegiance override common sense?

There is a peculiar disease that takes hold when one’s political party assumes power. This condition grants its victims an unusual ability, an almost supernatural ability to justify and defend nearly every action and decision made by their government, no matter how flawed. It warps their reasoning, replacing sound judgment with an aggressive and unwavering loyalty. In this state, they develop an intense aversion to common sense, treating it as a mortal enemy. The more irrational their arguments become, the more condescending they grow toward those who dare to challenge them with reason. They defend the indefensible with the confidence of a scholar and the stubbornness of a zealot. It is a condition that renders its victims incapable of honest critique, replacing logic with devotion, and scepticism with sycophancy. It is a sickness that blinds its sufferers to the very absurdity of their own words and actions.

The irony, of course, is that power does not necessarily corrupt, but it certainly magnifies stupidity, and nowhere is this more evident than among those who wield it. Once in office, politicians and their supporters alike develop a curious amplified arrogance, one that dulls their ability to think critically, and fosters an overconfidence that is inversely proportional to competence. Those who once demanded accountability now scoff at the very idea. Those who once preached against corruption now find elegant ways to excuse it. Politicians, especially those in government, have a remarkable talent for making absurd decisions with absolute conviction. They speak in circles, contradict themselves with ease, and dismiss legitimate concerns with an air of undeserved superiority. They become intoxicated by authority, their egos swelling as their logic withers. The higher they rise, the more detached they become from reality.

And yet, there is a cure for this madness, one that every ruling party dreads: losing power. Nothing sobers a politician or their followers like an electoral defeat. Only then, stripped of their status and influence, do they begin to recover. They miraculously regain their senses, finding their voices once more to denounce the very things they once defended. But by then, the damage is already done. It is too late for them to cry; their heads are cut off. Policies have failed, economies have crumbled, and the people, the very ones they claimed to serve, have suffered.

As I always say, never underestimate the stupidity of politicians, especially, those in government.

My 2 Pesewas
James McKeown
Helsinki, Finland
jmckeown1@yahoo.com

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