Cancer: Choice of words and sensitivity to other people

The politicians are out to malign their opponents in whatever way, regardless of how it would impact on other people in similar situation in respect of what is  attributed to their opponents or the opponents’ perceived supporters.The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) came out last week and said that the presidential candidate of the All Progressives […]

The politicians are out to malign their opponents in whatever way, regardless of how it would impact on other people in similar situation in respect of what is  attributed to their opponents or the opponents’ perceived supporters.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) came out last week and said that the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) , General Muhammadu Buhari is suffering from prostate cancer.
 This is all in order to portray him as suffering from terminal illness and therefore would soon die.
However, have they thought of the people suffering from cancer? Because they would definitely feel bad and lose hope. They would say, ok, so they have this disease it  is terminal and everybody dreads it.
“In fact it is so scary and dreadful that the PDP is saying Buhari has it,” some may say.
People suffering from diseases are encouraged with kind and loving words to continue to have hope of getting well, or if the ailment has no cure, at least to be able to manage it.
But you can’t go screaming that, “Oh my God, you have this disease, it has no cure, you are going to die!”
 For example, there have been efforts to stop stigmatizing  people  living with  HIV/AIDS. Besides, unlike before now people suffering from the ailment live normal life if they take their medication.
Does it mean if a person is HIV positive, he cannot vie for positions in elections?
We should stop at that before somebody wakes up and brings out a ‘lab’ report that his opponent is HIV positive, therefore he cannot not contest, because he may die soon.
But nobody knows when he will die, therefore saying your opponents have certain diseases which may make them die soon is arrogating the power of God to yourself that nobody has. Or else how come some suffer from illness for years without dying, while a healthy person dies suddenly?
In any event, the mudslinging continues  in spite of the   non-violent pact signed by political parties recently, whereby  presidential candidates signed the agreement  at the  2015 General Elections Sensitization Workshop on Non -Violence   in Abuja.
  President Goodluck Jonathan, the flag bearer of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)  and General  Muhammadu Buhari , of the All Progressives Congress (APC) along with 12 other presidential candidates  signed the  peace accord.
The  workshop   was organised by the office of the National Security Adviser to the President. Among those that attended the workshop were  Kofi Anan, the former Secretary- General of the United Nations , his former special adviser, Ibrahim Gambari and former military adviser to the United Nations Peacekeeping unit, Isaac Obiakor.
Yet before the ink   has dried up so to say, it has reverted to pettiness and outright malice that is capable of hurting other people.
However before signing the peace pact,  President Goodluck Jonathan made a reference that would hurt people in that line of business.
When a delegation of Northern Elders Council led by Alhaji Tanko Yakasai visited him , the president condemned some politicians, who according to him are  parading themselves as statesmen and senior citizens whereas, they are by their utterances, “ordinary politicians and motor park touts.”
Just for instance a person earns his living in a motor park, as a tout, would he have felt happy by  the reference to him?
He would say: Okay, so I am bad for nothing, a rascal, something to be disdained. I am the dregs of the society.
And the motor park unions such as the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) that are powerful and have many members would surely be hurt, as even the officials might have started as touts.
A politician vying for office is supposed to canvass  for everybody’s vote, or does the president  not want their votes?
Let’s all be sensitive to other people, particularly when talking in public, we may not know the damage we do to a lot of people.