Here are some of the empty motherhood words or statements of politicians which you now hear everywhere. Sustainable development or environment, people oriented or people centered, empowerment of the disadvantaged like senior citizens or PWDs, wisdom, integrity, service, experience, leadership, dependable, etc. These all mean nothing unless the politician has shown political will to really show or implement these or to display such values. The problem is that most if not all politicians are cunning or scheming, interested only in getting your votes and then go their merry way of enriching themselves. “Pakitang tao lang,” is a popular phrase to describe them.
Political will is what is usually lacking in almost all candidates. If they have it, it is usually for amassing wealth through corruption, resulting in substandard government projects. PDu30, with all his faults, which might be major in nature, was elected due to his political will, real or imagined. Is he using it for the common good? Have your own conclusions, but we would say, in some ways.
It was heartbreaking to see the politicians appointed to major positions right after the EDSA 1 revolution displaying their “trapo” characteristics when they had all the political goodwill to ram through humanitarian, socioeconomic and political reforms or programs that could have gotten entrenched already by now. But they did very little or almost nothing such that we are now back to the old ways that kept us in the third world category, up to now.
So when you hear those motherhood words, the question we must ask the politician concerned is, “Can you really do something for our own good? What did you achieve or did that required political will for our own good?”
If the candidate can only cite projects where he just made money from, then he is the same as the others. What landmark projects did he accomplish despite opposition or whatever obstacle? What laws did he cause to be passed that greatly benefitted us? If he can only cite ordinary legislations, then he is not good enough to lead us to great change. His administration would just be willy nilly or politics as usual.
To cite just two, our main problem is the gap between those-who-have and those-who-have-not. To equalize the situation there should be more cooperatives owned by employees and that employers should help finance these until they get on their feet as going concerns or as viable “businesses.” Employers should provide free business spaces or offices for such coops. This will result in higher morale or productivity which can translate to bigger profits to employers.
Another is legislation in the national or local setting for big employers or companies to share with their employees a percentage of their profits. Without meaningful mandatory but reasonable profit-sharing schemes where workers can share from the profits of their labor, most employees will just be “kain tulog lang”, or working just to survive. While the rich would continue to get richer.
Social justice being promised by a politician? Show us by coming up with legislation and enforcing it to achieve something for the masses like the two examples above mentioned. **