BY: DONALD SEVILLA
A ” MAJOR, MAJOR ” MÀKEOVER
The difference between a mature and a fledgling democracy is in the way its people and leaders react to issues confronting society. While politics is partisan and divisive, when national interest and survival are threatened, a mature electorate and leadership unite for the common good.
But our problem is that our leaders feel entitled to the positions they hold and once were given. They continue to sway power and influence through the people loyal to them, sowing dissent and dissatisfaction.
As our reactions often depend on which side of our bread is buttered, society is rocked with chaos and discord.
Isn’t this what’s happening now? While the previous leadership had their sweet “uninterrupted” time, let the present have theirs, too. We are not enemies; we are all Filipinos under one sovereign nation.
Let us not be misled and carried away by the emotions of the moment. Never forget who our real enemies are . Yet oftentimes, lines are blurred that we become our own worst enemies.
The complexities of our politics entangle us in a web of corruption and deceit. True public service is hard to come by as our chosen leaders prioritize themselves over our general welfare.
Thus before we can uplift our lives, progress comes to them first much to our frustration and dismay. Where before our leaders were ordinary folks like us, now they wallow in luxury and comfort.
In the pretext of serving us truly, they gain our trust and confidence. We rally towards those who tell us what we want to hear. Politicians are good at this that we are smitten by their words. We get carried away by their glib rhetoric that we fall for it over and over again.
But unless we wake ourselves up from this stupor, we cannot break free from its bondage. We keep committing the same mistakes and it seems we never learn our lessons.
As our political intramurals become resonant by the day, let us learn to be discerning and read the writings on the wall. Our future depends on how we live in the present.
We are what we make of ourselves!