A son born in Kampong Speu believes studying is the best source of knowledge to approach reality. Just as he turned six years old, he went for the studying. Days and nights have passed, finalizing one grade to another he moved upward. He once decided to become a Buddhist monk and sought the best of time and opportunity to study everything Lord Buddha has taught. At first, no one paid attention to him. His villagers and the public had suspicious mind if he could bring any significant success back home. Years later a little kid, which many did not believe he could not achieve anything, bring such an incredible trophy to his homeland and the entire nation. He was able to speak many languages; He could read, write, and translate Pali and Sangskrit into Khmer, and he could do many more. He was one of the influential monks in his time. He wrote many books, one of the most famous is Khmer Dictionary. Every Khmer must know him since his achievement to the nation is unforgettable, priceless gift. His name is Samdech Prah Maha Somethea Tibadhi Choun Nath សម្តេចព្រះមហាសុមេធាធិបតី ជួន ណាត គណមហានិកាយ (សុវណ្ណនិ ២០១២).
Many people questioned why he could turn from such hopeless and struggle situation into a possible one since he was in a poor family from a very remote rural? The confession to this question simply says that ‘guided principle is the timeless tool to realize any goal’. One unanimous quote once says ‘Committing to principle that has been set could even move the Mount Everest’.
Just in the field of studying principles very much matter to walk the talk and everything, what about in the political sphere? Do they need also principles for political leaders? If leaders do not stick to any principles, what would his society and nation he is leading be like? Presumably, just as the successful life requires principles to overcome one’s own hindrances and to lifetime inspire in order to constantly move upward, one also needs principled-politicians in order to build a great, harmonious nation.
Why politics without principle matter is the topic the paper will have a strong focus on. As everyone has notice that when politicians indulge in power games, they tend act without principles and want to remain in power at all cost. They may bribe, manipulate or monopolize power to make sure that they are standstill in the top position. Such dirty politics happen, particularly in today’s world; everyone has witnessed this.
To get to know what politics with principle is, they must first know what politics without principles is. Just as a person of laziness, dull, sensual desire, ill will and doubt cannot succeed anything but leads him/herself towards unproductive life and upheaval politics without principle is identically the same thing. They play no rules, respect no regulations and abiding no guidance. They work not with the heart and head but only a body of emotion. They may not care of morality when conducting an activity. What this kind of people really focusing on is to increase wealth, authoritative power and alliance and that the mean to achieve all of these objectives is by ‘end determines means’, following an infamous wrote of Niccolo Machiavelli (Machiavelli 1532).
Such misconduct of a person (especially in position of authority) exercising wrongful duties can be called unprincipled worker because he or she fulfilling service without moral ethics, wisdom and social responsibility. In his interpretation that he claims it is one of the Seven Social Deadly Sins, Gandhi implies that the “Evil” of politics comes about because of the lack of ethics.
Who and what make individuals become less principle? Reiko Uchida says in her handbook ‘Path to World Peace’ through life of lecturing and experiencing across Japan and the world that each single individual were reflecting their parent’s state of mind. If they left home with anger, grievances and hatred, they would do the same everywhere latter in life. They hate others; they hit others and they increase hatred, after all. She continues to stress that because badness was taught at home then unprincipled personnel also began at home. However, because education starts in families peaceful and character education which contributes to a community of value, principle people or world peace also begins at home (Uchida 2010).
In fact, there are multiple causes to aggressiveness or unprincipled individuals (politicians). Some claim because of biological heritage, others believe it is because of death and life instinct, and to many they hold in frustration-aggression theory, conditioning, self-fulfilling prophecy, and maybe self-alienation (Barash 2002).
Authoritative personality might appear because of genetic heritage meaning to say from blood line. If their ancestors were violent minded people it is transferred to the generation that follows. It may true for some community regarding this case. The same thing happens to psychologist because of human fears of death and wants life, when surrounding environment is full of violence, conflict and fight they may seek to set prior-attack on others for their safety reason. For those who believe that anger and hatred come because of deprived society, they see that people have expectation from the wellbeing of society and when they do not meet their expectation, they started to feel excluded, out of the group, and were discriminated. What they can do is to form a state of mind of heartedness, aggressiveness and self-isolations.
In the teaching of Lord Buddha says the very source of any violence, aggressiveness, and anger are hatred, greed, aversion and delusion and that the root causes of unprincipled people is not anything else but these certain mental factors. Every activity is backed by one’s own intention. If an action is intended to bring harm to oneself, harm to others or harm to both oneself and others, the output of those intention will definitely bad and harmful. In contrast, if the intention behind the action is good then consequences of those activities are going to be completely good as well. Hence, to get rid of aggressiveness, greed and grievance is by purifying one’s own state of mind to a mental discipline.
In sum, politics without principles is something to do with decision-making or activities that are harmful to others. They could be using violence to gain power, control, wealth and popularity. The form of human rights violation may exist in the society where is there is unprincipled people or leaders.