TRIBUNE: A TEST OF LEADERSHIP
MANILA, OCTOBER 29, 2011 (TRIBUNE) Man at the Market, Jesse E.L. Bacon - If to the Church Christ is its head, in the Philippine body politic the President is its head, thus is expected to give the needed guidance and the right marching orders for at least the majority to follow.
In this country, effective governance yesterday, today and in the future was, is and will always be hinged on the quality of leadership the President is able to dish out. And the mettle of leadership is subjected to test in crisis situations such as last year's hostage taking by a dismissed police official of several Hong Kong tourists, the flooding of several towns in Central Luzon that brought about by two successive typhoons and the recent massacre of 30 government troops and six civilians in Basilan, Zamboanga Sibugay and Lanao del Norte by elements of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
Economic prosperity and political stability are conjoined twins that one can never be had without the other. And the birth of these conjoined twins is in the hands of the President. This is how awesome the importance of the presidency is in our jurisdiction. The life or death of the country is actually the President's call.
Is President Aquino up to the task judging his over a year performance in office? Was he able to give the needed guidance and the right marching orders for the body politic to follow, at least from the moment he assumed office up to this point in his rule?
If there is so much confusion now as to what course of action should be taken with regard the perpetrators of the heinous crimes in Basilan, Zamboanga Sibugay and Lanao del Norte that cost the life of 30 soldiers, six civilians, and still counting, lay it at the doorsteps of the Aquino presidency. Immediately after the news of the incident broke out, Aquino admittedly failed to immediately give the right directive on what to do.
If his administration is now singing the all out justice tune, it is a belated response to the call that immediately snowballed for an all out war. Unfortunately, such call was purposely given a different meaning by the reluctant-to-act President by equating it with an all out war against the Bangsa Moro people.
Of course, no one in his right mind would endorse an all out war against the BangsaMoro people for the heinous crime committed by a handful of their armed rebels. Only those who are agents of America's war industry or the other developed countries' war industry who will stand to materially benefit from any war, small or large-scale, will endorse an all out war.
While it is true that the best route to economic prosperity and political stability is the path to peace, this does not mean apathy and nonchalance in the midst of challenges. The inability of Aquino to immediately process the course of action to take, in regard to the merciless killing of government troops by MILF rebels, the submerging of several towns in Central Luzon wreaking havoc on lives and properties, and the hostage-taking of tourists who happen to be at the wrong place at the wrong time is pitiable and alarming at the same time.
When Aquino perceived aggression on the part of the Chinese over the Spratlys group of islands, he countered this with aggressive posturing. But when the MILF went into a killing rampage of Filipino soldiers in Mindanao this week, he did not adopt the same posturing. Why? Could it be because in the case of the Spratlys dispute, America backed up Aquino's aggressive posturing?
But unfortunately for Aquino, America is pushing another tack which is for the government to enter into a negotiated peace with the MILF, hence, Aquino's extreme handling of the two situations. Undeniably, America is dipping its fingers into the two issues with extreme stances — aggression in Spratlys and cowardice if not submission to the MILF in Mindanao in the name of peace.
The question perhaps is why would Aquino blindly submit to any American posturing on matters he as President should be deciding on? Because Aquino is failing to lead and govern proved by his indecisiveness on matters of great importance, hence, the abundance of wrong signals from him. America admittedly has interest in the projected oil deposit in the Spratlys and in the Zamboanga-Basilan-Sulo seas and the other mineral deposits in the Leguasan marsh in Maguindanao-Cotabato areas hence its contrasting responses to the two situations that Aquino blindly follows. This is his brand of governance that I doubt would result ineconomic prosperity and political stability for our country.
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Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
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