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Wednesday, November 02, 2005
Carvajal: Politics of death
By Orlando P. Carvajal
Hearing the cacophony of criticisms about how corrupt our elected and appointed government officials are, one could conclude that the good and honest civil servant is a rare breed. Which is probably not very far from the truth considering the sorry state our nation is in as a result of their poor governance.
Of course, we know where reality lies. The truth is that there are corrupt government officials and there are responsible, accountable and moral personalities in both politics and civil service just like every other profession has its proportion of good and bad eggs. The only difference might be that, with government officials there are unmistakable signs pointing to the predominance of the bad. The few good exceptions simply prove the rule.
Until they die. Then all important government personalities become instant angels. Hearing the eulogies of dead politicians and government officials one would think the Philippines is paradise, what with all the “accomplishments,” the “unselfish devotion to duty” of all the elected and appointed government officials who have met their “untimely deaths.”
How many living politicians or government officials have you heard to be doing nothing but enrich themselves in office? Many, enough to ruin this country. And how many have you heard eulogized in death as having accomplished great things and were unselfish in the service of their constituents? All, with no exceptions.
It is now common during funeral services for a representative of the family of a dead person to say a few words. Many use this time to thank those who condoled with the family in their hour of bereavement. A growing number, however, go on to talk about the dead person and extol his or her virtues when alive. Which is a good way to honor the dead if done simply and in a straightforward manner.
This straightforwardness is often lacking when the dead person is a politician or civil servant. I know we should be kind to the dead, politician or otherwise. But to go out of our way to make an angel out of all public officials who die is to use his death to engage in politicking. It is dishonest. It is pure politics, the politics of death.
(November 2, 2005 issue)
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