The Paul Ryan Example

The Paul Ryan Example
By Felix Samari
Paul Ryan is one interesting American Republican Congressman that has continued to attract a lot of attention in the United States’ Politics. Mr. Ryan was elected into the House Representative in 1998; he was 28 years when he was elected “as the U.S. representative of Wisconsin's Congressional District 1.” Since then Paul Ryan was in the house representing his people. He became the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee in January 2015. He was the chairman of the House Budget Committee from 2011 to 2015. In the 2012 presidential election, Ryan was the vice-presidential running mate of Republican nominee Mitt Romney, who eventually lost the election to Democratic President Barack Obama. Ryan latter got reelection in the house 2014 and in the following year he was elected speaker of the House on October 29 2015. Recently Paul Ryan got re-election into the Senate.
Ryan is a Catholic Christian conservative politician who lost his father when he was just 16 years old. He is a graduate of economics and political science from Miami University. He expresses his deep convictions in stance he takes in matters of morality and divinity. For instance he was earlier motivated by the writings of Ayn Rand but later in life Ryan rejected “Rand's philosophy because he believes it's based on atheism.” According to an August 2012 article in The New Yorker, Ryan said of Rand, "I reject her philosophy. It's an atheist philosophy. It reduces human interactions down to mere contracts and it is antithetical to my worldview. If somebody is going to try to paste a person's view on epistemology to me, then give me Thomas Aquinas."
Ryan was not interested in vying for the Speaker when there was vacancy as result of John Boehner’s resigning his position as speaker of the House on September 25, 2015. Paramount among his reasons was that there was faction in his party that might undermine successful leadership. “He said he would run if certain conditions were met, including the need for different factions of the Republican Party to unite and show their support for him.” In a press conference, Ryan said: “We have become the problem. If my colleagues entrust me to be the speaker, I want us to become the solution.”
About his private family life Ryan would not let his political career deny him a real family life. Even when he agreed to go for the Speakership, he clearly stated his commitment to his family when he said "I cannot and I will not give up my family time. I may not be on the road as often as previous speakers, but I pledge to try and make up for it with more time communicating our vision, our message."
When the US president-elect Donald Trump was nominated to be the candidate of his party in the presidential race, Ryan was not quick to indorse Trump. In fact some commentators suggested that Ryan was hesitant of the candidacy of Trump because he openly disagreed with some of the campaign policies of Trump. “Many people called for him to step down from his post as he showed lukewarm support for his party’s presidential candidate.” For instance on the issue of Muslims in America Ryan openly expressed his view that it was unfair to generalize that living with Muslims was unsaved for America. He said, (countering Trump’s proposal to ban Muslims from entering the United States following the terrorist attack on an Orlando nightclub on June 12, 2016.) "This is a war with radical Islam, It's not a war with Islam. Muslims are our partners. The vast, vast majority of Muslims around this country and around the world are moderate. They're peaceful, they're tolerant.”
On morality stance, Ryan was disturbed by the spate moral questions on Trump, when another scandal came out early October, 2016, where “The Washington Post released a 2005 recording in which he lewdly described kissing and groping women.” Ryan requested Trump not to attend a campaign event the next day, in a statement he said: "I am sickened by what I heard today. Women are to be championed and revered, not objectified. I hope Mr. Trump treats this situation with the seriousness it deserves and works to demonstrate to the country that he has greater respect for women than this clip suggests.”
Ryan disagreed with Trump on serious issues and he never hid his opinion about them, but he did not also recant his support for his party candidate. Even Trump at some point felt that Ryan was “weak” and maybe compromising when he referred to him in a statement as, ““Our very weak and ineffective leader, Paul Ryan…” No doubt the two have different personalities but in politics and in national interest they cannot be too different. When Trump’s victory was announced Paul Ryan in a press conference said, “Let me just say, this is the most incredible political feat I have seen in my lifetime, . . .Donald Trump heard a voice out in this country that no one else heard . . . he connected in ways with people no one else did. He turned politics on its head. And now, Donald Trump will lead a unified Republican government. And we will work hand-in-hand on a positive agenda to tackle this country’s big challenges.”
In Politics one must not lose his individuality and each must understand the power of collectiveness. A nation grows because some persons have realized the way to blend their individual differences in support of their collective interest. Nigeria is a country with many Paul Ryans, young dynamic leaders who have ideas and leadership capabilities but obviously often lack the courage to disagree with either their colleagues or superiors’ lifestyle base on lack of principle or notorious philosophy even when it comes to matters of personal views.
We haves seen that even in advance democracies there are party factions or internal disagreements in political parties, but there are Paul Ryans that would only accept exalted offices if it can bring healing in the party and the nation. When people disagree it does not mean that they should break the pot upon which they are disagreeing. Instead they should find ways to preserve their common interest for the benefit of all.
Political parties in Nigeria have not been very good example in recent times. Trivialities and maters of no national interest which boarders on some personal interest of either who becomes a governorship candidate or who leads where in the party is breaking their common interest to pieces. Every day we wake to a new squabble in this or that party. Time is ticking, less is getting achieved. Nigerians should know that it is time to pick silent lessons from others around the world. We cannot afford to west more time and resources doing nothing but fighting one another and exposing the nation to more disgrace and suffering.
If APC for instance promised Nigerians change, then someone should prove that this change mantra is real. What the president needs now is a team of serious politicians and bureaucrats who know their onus and are ready to stand and defend the ideals of good governance to bring true dividends of democracy to the common man and in order to alleviate the national pains. Nigeria needs leaders with purpose, conscience and wisdom to guide right!