We now have five serious contenders for the presidency of the country, one of whom was mortally wounded at the starting gate. The remaining four contenders are campaigning with gusto, each one distinctly different from the other at first blush. Personally, I am wondering why anyone would want to be president of this country, or any other country, during these most perilous of times. True, our country seems to be benefiting from a period of positive development, one that has seen us in the unusual position of being a prime investment spot. This, despite the constant braying of the naysayers—who never find any good in anything—and the usual investors who want a more “hospitable” environment.
Our outgoing President set the tone when he advocated the straight and narrow path. Despite the occasional gaffe, like the advocacy of a more rapid spending regime that made the fatal mistake of providing funds outside of the Executive area, the country and the economy have managed to rise up much more than most of Asia and even the world. At the very least, we have a leader who is not world-class thief. This provides a strong moral foundation for many decisions down the line, such as the need to level the playing field. Leveling the playing field attracts the most number of investors, knowing that they will get at least a fair shake at winning a project.
Unfortunately, the message of the straight and narrow path has not filtered down to many sections and levels in the bureaucracy. This is especially true of our revenue generating agencies, where many crooks reside and make hay, despite their boss’ predilection to clean governance. That is why it is imperative that most of a new president’s nominees for directors of government corporations and even in the mainstream government agencies must, as much as possible, be drawn from sectors that have the desired expertise in their respective areas. The practice of parking losing candidates of a majority party in government positions of corporate directorships is akin to letting the fox into the chicken coop. Aside from the fact that, in my and many friends’ experience in government, most of these losers provide nothing but disruptive behavior and look to their positions as sinecures.
I could go on and on about the perils of governing a country, but the job becomes even more unpleasant when we factor in other issues that often clash the running of a country.
First, the problem of the Bangsamoro must be resolved in a manner that will, hopefully, integrate our Islamic brothers into the mainstream without alienating any other sector, especially the lumads who were in this country much before anyone else.
Second, we have to deal with an increasingly militant and resource-hungry China that arrogantly expands its borders without a care for legal or proper prescriptions.
Third, the oftentimes not so petty graft that occurs down to the lowest levels of the economy must, somehow, be eradicated. For example, a friend who runs the Visayas and Mindanao operations of his company says that, from the time his good arrive in the pier to the time they arrive in the plant(s), he would have had to pay off dozens of people with hands outstretched for payoffs, including barangays and both military and police checkpoints, who think that they are entitled to a bit of “happiness” since they are just low-paid items on the economic totem pole.
Fourth, our next president will have to contend with a world economy that is on the verge of collapse—especially since I believe in calling a spade a spade. As my old economics professors would drum into our heads incessantly, one cannot have growth on the basis of “magic mushrooms” but on firm fundamentals. These past decades have seen a confusing road to growth based on throwaway economies and culture that has fueled the misuse of dwindling natural resources. The economies building on printed money, not backed up by solid assets, run the risk of their currencies imploding sooner than later. And I did not even mention the words dollar and euro, mind you.
Weakened economies and weakened currencies are the reality facing the world today. How then does one govern if one’s trading partners and friends in the shrinking global pond are all starting to slow in terms of economic activity and growth? Of course, with our robust population pool, despite the doomsayers’ worst fears, we have the potential for a very strong market and labor base that most economies with dwindling populations and increasing silver citizens don’t have.
So why does anyone want to become president anyway, given the host of problems he or she will have to face? The few examples we posed are just the tip of the iceberg, because the many many problems existing in the country today are just too many to enumerate.
We wish the winner of this year’s presidential election a lot of luck and a ton of prayers so that the country will be able to move further forward.