by Alex Roldan
After the “wang-wang” State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Noynoy Aquino, I started to wonder if this administration is bent on using much of its resources and time to persecute those who have wronged this country. His report was freckled with those words with a clear intention of making this a sort of a battle cry against corruption in the government.
It is too early to predict what this administration wants to be known for in the end. However, the SONA seemed to demonstrate the President’s determination to make those who robbed the country face the fury of our justice system. Aside from a few references to what his administration has done for the country during his first year in office, his message’ intent was unmistakable – to obliterate corruption that he said is the reason why they find it hard to resuscitate a country which is already on the brink. Alternatively, waging a major campaign against corruption, frankly speaking, is also an easy way to divert the people’s attention from the administration’s shortcomings.
Of course, this government is far from perfect. The administration is aware that responding to issues such as bad economic performance, agrarian reform and poverty matters most and expected of them. However, they also know that disregarding the people’s thirst for the blood of those who hemorrhage this nation could easily change people’s perception. It is such a difficult balancing act to do, is it not?
What was absent in P’Noy’s SONA is the development direction of this country and how does his administration intend to achieve it? I can empathize with the groups that held rallies for their respective advocacies for they have legitimate concerns.
However, no matter what the administration’s priority, the political survival of this administration will, in the end, depend on its effectiveness in anything that it wants to pursue. I mean, if they believe that corruption is the major cause why this country is in a miserable state, then they should make sure that they do it well.
I do not mind if the administration wants to leave a mark as the “terminator” of corruption in this country as long as it is effectively controlled in the end. I am not a bloodthirsty being, but I believe that abuse of authority from corrupt intentions is mortal sin. It is a betrayal of trust that makes every living thing in this nation suffer. Cutting down this malady should start by sending those who are corrupt to jail regardless of their status in society. This will send a warning sign to those who have ill intentions to think a thousand times before doing it and most importantly makes people vigilant about what their government is doing.
Corruption to me is not simply a “wang-wang” issue of our country. It is the issue, the root cause of this country’s miseries. It makes governments ineffective and wasteful. Corruption prevents government from organizing an effective system and policies. It denies government of the needed revenue to act on the basic concern of the people while politicians are feasting on what is available for themselves and to maintain their powers.
I can understand if the intention of PNoy’s administration is to cleanse the country of corruption, if that is what he means. Nevertheless, I still need to see more than what he is saying. I still need to see corrupt officials convicted and sent to jail. I still need to see investigations of corruptions that produce results than just mere television drama series.
South Korea is a case in point. They realized that the country’s development could not proceed by instituting basic changes in the government alone until those people responsible for their country’s mess are removed from power, prosecuted and jailed. Aside from thousands convicted, three of them were their past presidents.
We pray that the “wang-wang” call is true of its intentions and not the familiar road “wang-wang” where nobody in their path knows where it is going.
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