2 weeks Ago By Orlando P. Carvajal
On Oct. 11 of 2023, I ended my column thus: “We are a nation betrayed by our leaders. But we don’t seem to mind.
Our ship is floundering, yet we are content to fight among ourselves in the hot and congested lower decks for the chance to join our leaders who are having a grand time in the spacious, airy and richly-provisioned upper decks.” Today, the eve of Judas’ treacherous kiss of Jesus, I write about betrayal again. This time I am impelled by a recent news report that Vietnam is the new economic tiger of Southeast Asia.
According to Global Economy.Com, Vietnam has been since 2022 the fifth most developed country in Southeast Asia after #1 Singapore, #2 Brunei, #3 Malaysia and #4 Thailand. The Philippines is seventh, behind sixth Indonesia.
From the bottom we are the fifth least developed country after first, Myanmar; second, Timor Leste; third, Laos; and fourth, Cambodia. But Filipino friends who recently got back from a tour of Cambodia tell me the latter looks poised to overtake us next if it has not done so already. I said least developed and not just poorest in economic terms because the indicators of human development Global Economy.
Com used for the ranking were long and healthy life, knowledge and decent standard of living. On these three, Vietnam must have scored higher than Indonesia and the Philippines. Why so, when we have been developing for much longer than Vietnam? Why, when we are just as rich as, if not richer than, Vietnam in natural resources? Why when Filipino talent can be found in the agricultural, manufacturing and service sectors of developed countries in the world? Why is Filipino talent appreciated and properly compensated outside of the Philippines? I don’t know about you but I can think of two answers.
First, our leaders have betrayed us by attending only to their continued steerage of politics and the economy towards growing their wealth and power. Second, we also betray ourselves by not minding the unjust, corrupt and incompetent way our leaders govern us. In our culture of submissiveness we almost always say yes to everything parents, priests, teachers, government officials tell us.
Our culture considers No as impolite, disrespectful, offensive and even sinful. This is born of a colonial mentality that considers those above us at home, in government, business, religion and education as representatives and spokespersons of the Almighty that we must bow to. There’s not much we can do anytime soon to replace our self-aggrandizing leaders.
As long as our election system is unchanged, the wealthy elite will continue to control government, business, religion and education. But we can change ourselves. We can stop fighting among ourselves from under the tents of rival oligarchs and instead shout No as one marginalized sector to the absurdities the latter have been ramming down our parched throats.
We had better start minding how we are governed. On May 12, we must say No with our votes to identified self-aggrandizing leaders and wannabes..
