IN less than a year we would again witness a recalibration of power, a sort of changing of the guards if that is to be believed, transitioning from those politicians who are presently wielding it to another set of politicians eager to showcase their supposed servant-leader skills in the dispensation of public service.
But look more closely ladies and gentlemen, even with the COVID-19 pandemic still a grave concern, the talk of the town now is all about politics and those who would want to become our next set of leaders in the country. Even those who are currently in positions of power, and the center of attention seems to be that of the President and his office as well as his political party, have already gone haywire in their attempt to manipulate the minds of the people through the media in order to influence their perception of the true political situation. This is simply political gimmickry, but what is more worrisome is how those in power seem to totally enjoy insulting and degrading their own colleagues if only to gain leverage and any sort of advantage going into the next general elections come May of 2022.
It’s quite disheartening to discover that the squabble now going on inside the dominant political party, the PDP-LABAN led by President Rodrigo Duterte, is actually proof of the saying that “power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely”. For how can the President even offer himself as a candidate for the next vice presidential position, supposedly to “maintain the equilibrium,” if not for the real reason that he simply wants to actually maintain his power and the protection it affords.
But it is not only the President that seeks to hold on to power, even those allied with him and their political opponents are also willing to get their hands dirty, so to speak, if only to ensure that in the next elections they would again be elected into positions of influence and authority. This is the truth of politics in our country and the power it bestows to those lucky enough to be elected by voters into public office. Some would even have the gall to claim proprietary rights over the public office and position that they hold. There is certainly something wrong with how many of our politicians understand what public service is all about. While it is true that there are some elective officials who exhibit honesty and integrity in their job as public servants, they seem to be the exceptions to the rule instead of the other way around.
To be frank about the whole thing it is not the voters and their right to suffrage that puts politicians into public service. It is the dirty politics – the manipulative schemes, the deceptions and lies, the muckraking and character assassinations, etc. – that provides the ammunition that propels these politicians into elective public office.
As it stands at the moment, we can just shake our heads at how power has truly corrupted our leaders, that even as we are in the midst of a grave health crisis, they are more concerned with how they can further cling on to power. Indeed this is a sad state of affairs for our country.
