THE POLITICS OF VIOLENCE
By Sunny Rasheed Lucman Pacasum
The recent elections gave us an indigent insight into the complex character of our People. The events have become another, among many other motivating reasons for Filipinos to live anywhere else but on this country. Their main argument is that the bleakness of the political landscape will eventually kill whatever chances we have for improving ourselves as a people. But can anyone blame us? Look at our situation. Investors are starting to move away. Leaving our economy hopelessly indebted.
Our politics has lost its dignity and turned into a circus. We are the only country where Mexican soap opera stars are received like royalty in the presidential palace. There are lesser and lesser job opportunities for Filipinos and one of the few more lucrative occupations involves talking to foreigners on a phone with a false accent. How miserable Filipinos must be...
A cousin of mine bluntly retorted that I should be making only constructive and positive suggestions instead of destructive and negative ones. But there is nothing positive about affirming what is nakedly wrong and incorrect. And there is nothing destructive about remembering the sins of the past. There is nothing negative about criticizing the diseases of the present. What this country needs is something I am skeptical any of our leaders have the balls to offer. The truth. If only Filipinos were more objective and politically mature things would be different. Our mind set is focused on ourselves to utter disregard of others and the truth. It has never changed.
In the elections, whoever loses claims to have been cheated. I can't blame them because if they won, they would have been the cheaters we love to indulge in gossiping instead of devoting time reading good literature such as success stories. It gets even worse, crab mentality in the Philippines is so blatant that every election, everyone tries to put one down.
Even most of the media people who have a hand in molding the peoples opinion cannot even do what they are supposed to do and report there events without pre-judgment. They could say, whatever they desired against Muslims and only a few people would challenge them because there is no organized way to challenge stereotypes & bias in media. What is also obvious is the widespread bias of Filipinos, which are their love for Americans and their hatred for Muslims.
The media has to understand that we Muslims are mutually sympathetic to one another. When I hear the news that a Muslim brother in any part of this country is in pain. I am instinctively sympathetic to my Muslim brother. I may know little about the problem he is facing but I cannot and should not suppress my natural sympathy. This love is born of the bond of brotherhood, which the Islamic religion is keeping to establish between its followers. Everyone in our generation dreams of being rich successful and happy. But the dreams require us to hop on a plane and become domestic helpers.
In short we think that being a Filipino is a liability because this nation does nothing to help the youth. It's depressing that our leaders think that only people who are 18 and above should be served well because their political careers depend on their votes.
What our leaders should understand is that the opinion of everyone matters even if those opinions wont necessarily be expressed through the ballot on election day as a citizen of this country. I'm sick and tired of hearing statements that seek to convince that the Philippines is a good country. The truth is its not.
It's far from good. That's why staying in the Philippines has simply become intolerable. A clear example to justify my stand are leaders who claim that the Philippines is one of Asia's growing economies.
As far as I know we have been a growing economy ever since Martial law. I never heard anywhere or at any point that the Philippines had already grown to a strong economy. How can the government make me believe that our economy is getting better when I constantly see Sampaguita girls carrying babies and risking their lives just to beg for coins in the streets. Is that how they picture a growing economy? This country is poor. Very poor our minimum wage earners can hardly get enough food and shelter our national debt has reached trillions of pesos and god knows when we will be able to pay for it.
I have come to a conclusion that the Philippines is a country of beggars. Begging is no longer taboo. Decency is no longer a practice. Our Peoples change of character is the direct result of the educational system. Education in the Philippines is mediocre.
In my province I have seen students cross a river in a Banca, walk in muddy roads and flooded streams to reach their classes. School buildings with broken roofs, classrooms with no blackboards and tables with no chairs. One can hardly study let alone learn in such an economically challenged atmosphere. The department of education should look into this outrageous problem that mocks the constitutional obligation of the state to provide free quality education to all children including Muslims.
Our leaders say that we should be proud because we are run by a democracy. Clearly the voting public and the candidates feed on each other to create an incestuous relation of the rule of the corrupt and the corruptible.
In the past few elections only the elite have successfully influenced the outcome of our election. Worse even drug lords and loan sharks have also found a way to use their dirty money to win polls. This brand of politics is destroying the image of the Bangsamoro. Making us dirty and corrupt. Something is wrong with a people who instead of putting a drunkard into therapy we send him to Malacaٌnang.
Something is very wrong with a people who instead of throwing a coup leader behind bars we send him to senate. Something is obviously wrong with a people who instead of holding grafters, tax evaders and rapist to account for their sins against society we send a number of them to congress. This country is run by corruption not democracy. And yes were even proud of it.
The military is tasked with the burden of protecting its citizens. But for such a strong organization it is very alarming and upsetting to see that it is the most vulnerable entity to political pressure. This vulnerability can be traced to the military's utter ignorance of the constitution, it's role in defending it, and its ignorance that the dishonest and greedy generals capitalize upon.
The Bangsamoro people continue to suffer the agony of war waged by the government troops against our mujahideens. Thousands of my Muslim brothers have left their homes and livelihood due to these hostilities. The truth should come out that the military is the one provoking us to fight in order to justify and raise government funding for its war against terror.
Have you noticed the standard of living in Mindanao is low compared with that of Visayas and Luzon? Government records attest that Mindanao only gets 10% of the national budget. Considering it's the second largest island and provides most of the country's resources. If there are any investments coming in, the Bangsamoro people aren't enjoying them. But those in places like Cagayan de Oro, Iligan City and other non-Muslim dominated provinces. The truth is the government regularly manipulates population statistics to minimize the Muslim count. Since only Christian birth and death records are recognized as official. There is no accurate census available on the current number of the Bangsamoro population. Thus voter representation in Muslim Mindanao and the need for government infrastructure in our province is denied.
The government is responsible for steering this nation. Without that responsibility the government has no purpose and would have no right to exist. This country needs to be told the plain truth that this country is doomed and should work towards a miraculous cure. This government must take heart and at least have pity on the poor of this nation, especially the Bangsamoro who has no ambition but to be free. Free from this wretched country.WASSALAM
Mr. Sunny Rasheed (23yrs old), is currently working as a marketing executive in Makati. You can e-mail him at Santino_101@hotmail.com
About the Author
ASSALAMUALIKUM its important n showing these crises 2 people in dis country,occupied bangsamoro state(muslim mindanao)& d international community by getting a reaction we r bringing des crises 2 d attention of d world & inshallah ultimately provoking an international reaction..millions of people r struggling through crises in places that rarely,if ever,get mentioned in d news,& in my experience, silence is the best ally of injustice.know
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