Tuesday, July 29, 2008 Editorial: Equally tarnished
WE'VE listened to the President and the opposition from all sides. Now it's back to work
By now, we should know that we can continue to snipe at each other as much as we want to, but that will not solve our problems. Yes, it's very convenient to blame a very unpopular president for all our problems.
But for as long as we just keep on griping and whining and complaining, while refusing to acknowledge our contribution to the problem, then we will remain in the doldrums of stagnation.
Much as we too are not so happy with the presidency, there's still a lot to learn from her State of the Nation Address (Sona), especially as she had to acknowledge that what we are facing now is more complex than any other crisis the country has encountered, post-war.
"How do we solve these complex challenges?
The answer is special care and attention in this great hour of need.
We have to have targeted strategies to target price increases, less energy dependence, self-sustainability, self-independence, and self-reliance," the President said in her Sona.
The world has acknowledged that the food crisis can be resolved, but that the high prices will stay.
Global businesses has driven everything up, there is no way it can ever spiral down.
But we do not have a clear alternative as we shout our protests.
Her reference to kotong on the road is a swipe at small-time corruption, which is nothing compared to the multi-billion kickbacks we accuse her (or more appropriately the first gentleman) of having appropriated for herself (himself).
But small or big, it's still corruption. We should have not lost the fervor when it was very high at the height of the ZTE deal expos‚, or even earlier on during the Jose Pidal and the "Hello Garci."
But we allowed ourselves to be led away from our focus, we forgot too soon, and we didn't do anything as well: whether to change our ways or to change the government.
It was apparent in the huge rallies that followed the ZTE expos‚ as we welcomed equally tarnished politicians to grab the limelight, just as we did during the Jose Pidal and "Hello Garci" protests.
In doing so, we sent a message to our people that corruption is all right, for as long as you are not the one in power; and so the undecided has decided not to join the fray and just grumble about everyone instead just as everyone is doing, individually, in front of their televisions.
Thus Monday, we listened again to yet another Sona, and scoffed, when we should be scoffing at ourselves.
