Who would (dis)grace my spirited morning as I checked my mail? The picture of presidential son Mikey Arroyo and Speaker Nograles during the Con-Ass deliberations last night at the Lower House splattered all over. I can take obscenity, I am no prude, but at 9 goddamn morning? What a jumpstart!
I remember an interview of Fatima Bhutto, writer-poet in http://www.guardian.co.uk/ 2-3 years ago about birthright politics, the core of dynasty-politics plaguing most “new nations.” No matter how tarnished, family names still pack a lot of weight in this country.
It must be agonizingly cumbersome to carry an illustrious lineage and poke out like a sore thumb – to be a Math-moron in a family of number-wizards; to be lowbrow in a clan of culturati; to be an honest wage-earner in a tribe of crooks. To go against the grain because destiny awaits. Can you hear this, Mikey?
Incidentally, FB (not fuck buddy, how many times shall I be repeating myself?) also sheds light on Pakistan, a war I hardly understand as so with other wars because Boy George keeps ringing in my ears “war, war is stupid and people are stupid and love means nothing…” Oh, that word again, love. It keeps hounding me.
Bhutto essays: Since 2001, Pakistan has been a country in decline. We suffer a suicide-bombing rate that surpasses Iraq's. The billions of dollars we have received have not made Pakistan safer, they haven't made our neighbors safer, and they've done nothing in the way of eradicating terror. The Taliban and their ilk, on the other hand, are able to seat themselves in towns and villages across Pakistan without much difficulty largely because they do not come empty-handed. In a country that has a literacy rate of around 30 percent, the Islamists set up madrassas and educate local children for free. In districts where government hospitals are not fit for animals, they set up medical camps—in fact, they’ve been doing medical relief work since the 2005 earthquake hit Northern Pakistan. Where there is no electricity, because the local government officials have placed their friends and relatives in charge of local electrical plants, the Islamists bring generators. In short, they fill a vacuum that the state, through political negligence and gross graft, has created.
Do you hear this, Mikey, if a government ignores the needs of its people, what happens?
Nothing happens, sad to say. This is the Philippines, dearie. Another groundhog day.
4 comments:
"No matter how tarnished, family names still pack a lot of weight in this country."
taas na check. abot jud sa langit!
Mudaug man lang gihapon sa eleksyon, unsaon ta man?
power to the ASSHOLES! Assembly of Honorable Legislators!
Assholes, authors of ConAss.
As Speaker Nograles kept on insisting during the "right of reply" debate, they were voted by the people in their district to represent the latter's interests.
At the end of the day, we deserve the leaders we have, I guess. After all, we keep on electing these "assholes" as you say, in office. Huhuhu...
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