As the months pass by, it seems that the 2010 General Elections are loudly creeping into the mindset of the voting populace. Drawn amidst 9 years of President Arroyo’s term, the people are gearing up for what we could call “The Race for Change”.
And yet, ironically, change is anything but the current trend at the time of writing.
Although the voters would like to say that they are voting for change, maybe some voters have to come to terms with the fact that they may be setting the same trigger of events that will lead to either very little change or a change for the worse.
Consider the case of the Presidential election of 1998. The masses voted for Erap because, as he said, he would help alleviate the poor. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but with all the money he was convicted of stealing, you’d like to wonder how much of the poor did he actually help. Aside from this, knowing him as a celebrity/public figure, the people probably thought that he might’ve been too stupid or too good to steal or commit crime in office.
And yet, he was the one who was convicted. Tough break.
Fast forward to the 2004 elections. Considering all the possibilities, and given the slim margin between President Arroyo and FPJ during the official tally, if FPJ did become President, I’d like you to imagine what would have happened to us? Sure, he is “Da King”, but can a man without prior experience in politics know about how to run a government, an economy, and a nation striving for so much more? Probably maybe, but we’ll never know.
So what if he had some affairs and illegitimate children? He’s still a good role model for his films, right?
But kidding aside, I have some respect for a man who offered to donate during a calamity without putting his name all over the box. That is what you call a good heart.
And now, we look at the current situation. We have Noynoy Aquino, son of the late Senator Ninoy Aquino and the late President Cory Aquino. The people have been quite generous for him in the polls, giving him the lead and showing their full support for the man who could “be the change we need”.
Sorry to burst your bubble, but maybe he isn’t the best candidate to actually support.
I’m not saying he’s a bad guy. Given the way he was raised, I’d like to assume that he does have the moral values and integrity showered upon him in articles and speeches alike. But for a man who has done very little, if any work to choose to run for the highest office in the land, you’d think that maybe he’s a bit over his head.
Just to give you an idea why he might be over his head, let’s look at what he’s spoken about in his commercials:
- Christmas without his mother
- Carrying torches with celebrities
- …
So, what are we looking at here? Nothing. The man whose “long list” of achievements in the senate and whose track record is undisputedly clean (because of its lack of content) is only a front, and quite sadly, a user of his parent’s popularity to help propel him into superstardom.
We cannot allow the bashing of the current administration to immediately make decisions for us. Just because one isn’t the other, doesn’t mean that we necessarily have to choose what is deemed an opposite. In that case, what about the rest of the Presidentiables? Teodoro, although a member of the administration, declares himself a man free from dictation, and it has certainly shown in the past few months. Gordon has also proven himself a worthy politician, with over 3 decades of experience as well as an accomplished record. Perlas and de los Reyes are both sincere about their intentions to change from traditional politics and try to bring in a new age.
Why can’t we also think about the others?
How can you entrust your vote to a man who cannot even cook himself a meal? Or rely on the endorsement of over a dozen celebrities to achieve stardom?
We are talking about politics, the game of grinding teeth and enforcing what is needed for the good of all, even at the risk of suffering a popularity setback.
We are talking about 92 million people staring at your every move and wondering for 6 years whether or not they made the right choice.
We are talking about reality, not the dreamy optimistic future everyone hopes for. Promises can only go so far, cheap sentences can only take you even less than a mile.
He is not his father, nor his mother. He is his own man, and sadly, that man doesn’t seem capable to lead this country.
We need results, we cannot gamble for the future of people who need jobs, who need help to help themselves, and a nation healing from not only the devastation brought about by natural disasters, but a loss of hope for a nation wherein hundreds of direly needed professionals choose to leave the country because of better prospects.
To those who say that he’ll grow into his position, we need a definite answer, not a sentence vague enough to lure in the naïve.
Choose wisely. For the sake of yourself and your country.
