Saturday, August 09, 2008 Carvajal: Power unplugged By Orlando P. Carvajal Break Point
DISDAN is defined by Webster’s Dictionary as “a feeling of contempt or scorn for someone or something regarded as unworthy or inferior.” This is the feeling of unplugged power in this country that is doing things its way and looks down with scorn on ordinary people’s views.
Unplugged power I would define as a consuming power that makes its holder lose all perspective and allows him or her to live in the unreal world of his or her delusion. Reality is what exists in the powerful person’s mind because he or she is so hopelessly unplugged as to be able to touch the muck at ground zero.
Ironically, however, this feeling comes from a deep-seated insecurity which must be constantly fed with senseless shows of power, of scorn and contempt.
Hopefully, the 2010 elections will put a stop to this. In the meantime, however, we have to live with the fact that for our unplugged officials, governance is going to be a dizzying frolic under the surreal glow of mind-boggling and disorienting power.
They said they would monitor prices of fuel now that the world market has softened. Well, I’ll be damned because I thought they were doing this all along.
But then it does not really matter because when they say monitor, anyway, that is just exactly what they mean. They are just going to watch but they do not intend to catch anybody profiteering. They cannot possibly catch themselves.
Investigating is supposed to be stronger than monitoring. It does not matter because for unplugged power it really means just that, a protracted process that results in nobody indicted or punished for anything. And the reason nobody gets indicted is because all officials under investigation are political protégées or supporters of those who wield the power. They cannot possibly investigate themselves.
So, have we caught a rice hoarder or car smuggler lately or ever? Just the other night, we watched senators on TV accuse unnamed customs officials of abetting smuggling but I do not think they can make the accusation stick even if the whole world knows it is true. The police are also suspected of abetting car-smuggling and even drug-pushing. But have we caught one lately? And why are we not surprised?
PGMA lied straight-faced when she bragged about having convinced the networks to lower the cost of texting to fifty centavos. The networks denied it and said they were only doing a promo. Did she apologize to the citizenry that she misled with at least a half-truth?
But perhaps the greatest show of disdain for the people is the way they tried to slip under the door the MOA with the MILF. There’s no explanation for this lack of transparency except unplugged power’s contempt or scorn for people’s views.
