Of politics and politicians

by Ernesto F. Herrera
from The Manila Times

THE average citizen’s distaste for politics and politicians is nothing new. But still a recent encounter with college students in a public forum left me a bit flabbergasted. A lot of the students who participated in the forum did not so much as admit their distaste for anything political but revel in it, and used such as an excuse for their ignorance of the important issues of the day. This is essentially what I told them:

First of all, I believe one should feel no shame in running for public office if his or her intentions are good, and if the candidate has the capacity and the dedication to fulfill those intentions.

We cannot hide the fact that there are many politicians out there who have the unpleasant and deadly combination of opportunism and incompetence. Politics can be vicious, and that is why even with the best of intentions, the good men and women who join it are generically suspect. Good or bad are lumped together. Indeed, I don’t know of any father or mother who would tell a child, “You should be a politician when you grow up.” At least this would not be said in front of others.

But politics, per se, is neither good nor bad. It is just an instrument of governance, an instrument that in the hands of the user, can serve the people’s interest or something a lot less noble.

The truth is, we have no shortage of people in this country, in politics or outside it, who are quick to criticize but have offered nothing that would provide responsible and viable solutions to the problems they rant about. They complain but they also steer clear of the chance to do something about bad governance, which they claim to be the root of our nation’s ills.

I tell you, these vocal but uninvolved members of our populace are just as responsible for the riff-raffs in government if the nation falls behind.

If we want to change the face of Philippine politics, we have to get involved. If we want democracy to work for us, we must participate.

As citizens, we can choose to do something about the kind of people who populate our politics. If we get involved, if we participate, we should be able to influence positively the quality of men and women who get elected and appointed in government. It won’t be easy, but nothing worth doing ever is. And certainly, consigning ourselves into irrelevance is not the answer.