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leaders by example

February 4, 2010

I asked a taxi driver last month who he would vote for president, he started a whole litany on why it is not good to have an intelligent president (i think he meant cunning). He said that what happens in the Big League (i.e., Malacanang) also happens in the Little League (barangay levels). He said that when a fund is coming, the barangay captains already know what to do and how to misappropriate the funds, which cannot be imputed to them. In short, they already know how to steal the money, spend it for themselves alone, and still stay in power — and get re-elected.

Look at Arroyo, he said. They said she’s intelligent, an economist, etc. Look at where we are now. (All the time, I was just asking questions to let him know I want him to continue.) He went on to describe poverty in his eyes. Then, I asked him, “Who would you vote for president?” Well, the one I voted last time. The one who really is for the masa.

What the driver said about what’s happening in the national is also happening in the local levels, I believe, is true. As the Obama administration was speaking of grassroots democracy, manong was talking about grassroots corruption. Leaders are effective only if they lead by example.

The next election, I hope we would have better leaders (or none at all). Not a senator whose always on ski vacations in North America, always part of the entourage. Or not a representative who’s always absent. Or a representative whose only bill is to change the name of a street. Or a senator who repeatedly refuses to attend investigations in the House. Or a president who just says “sorry”.

Posted by mordsith at 2:27 pm | permalink

Previous Comments

tama! we need a leader who knows what he should do at any given time. someone who knows what he wants for himself, for his fellowmen, for the country. someone who knows he want to be a president and not just forced to join the race. indecisiveness is not a measure of incorruptibility. do we want a president who would file a leave of absence to go to the himalayas to ask the gods for guidance on how to solve the rising oil and sugar prices?

we need a leader who has skills and talent to accomplish what needs to be done. someone who has proven already that he can accomplish things (and not just make empty promises like “hindi ako magnanakaw”). anyone can promise they would be good in the future but not all can say “i have done these things in the past.” we do not need a president who has proven nothing at all. (definitely not someone who can only boast of this accomplishment: “I was at all the impeachment proceedings. I have made a point of scrutinizing the budget carefully.” yan na yun?!?!?!)

what we need is a leader who has integrity. someone who does not even think of aligining with people of proven incompetence for the sake of politicking and amassing votes. (see http://www.gmanews.tv/story/173331/noynoy-erap-talk-about-unified-opposition)

we need a leader who can stand on his own feet and not stand on the shadow and accomplishment of someone else. as one great philosopher put it: a parent has all the right to boast for their child’s accomplishment, but not vice versa.

we don’t need an arrogant (and atat-na-atat na) president. how can we elect a president who is not even close to what his vice president has accomplished?

and finally, we need a president who knows what he is saying and not just using buzz words or any words that sound appealing or bold. you can be a fiscalizer only when you are not the head of the state! http://papiforpresident.wordpress.com/2009/11/08/why-i-will-not-vote-for-noynoy-part-2/

Posted by eks at February 4, 2010, 7:59 pm

you start your comment with indecisiveness, whereas others saw it us a sign of humility and whatever the opposite of craving for power is. hehe.

it’s quite obvious your comments point to noynoy. i believe though, that some of them also apply to the other candidates, perhaps even to yours (sino ba sayo? haha)

anyway, let us not dwell on particular candidates. in fact, we both believe the problem lies in the electoral system and in the electorate. it’s like a chicken-and-egg problem. we do not get to have good and winnable candidates, so we only vote what appeals to our heart (not our mind). We vote incompetent/ineffective/corrupt people, so we only get candidates that are winnable and equallty, if not more, incompetent/ineffective/corrupt.

Perhaps it’s better to have the two-party system of the US or the runoff system in France. But this is what we have now. We have to make do of it. I couldn’t present any solution to the problem. I couldn’t figure out if I should fight within the system (i.e., vote for the candidate who can win over the candidate that I don’t like) or against the system (conscience vote). I can only do so much on my part in this whole hullabaloo. But I am not yet losing faith in this one. Perhaps I’d just have to make a priority list of the characters I want in a leader. And the title of the post is possibly on top of it.

Posted by mordsith at February 4, 2010, 9:23 pm

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