“The darkest places in hell are reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in times of moral crisis.” — Italian Poet Dante Alighieri
MAKATI CITY — Among the four basic humanitarian principles — humanity, impartiality, independence, and neutrality — the last one has been and continues to be the hot subject of a lot of debates. Almost always, neutrality is often confused with impartiality.
Neutral is defined as “not taking sides in a conflict such as war; non-aligned.”
Impartial, on the other hand, is defined “as treating all parties, rivals, or disputants equally.”
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Switzerland joined the move of the European Union to impose sanctions against Russia, in what many called a departure from the country’s neutrality stance. The Swiss government has defended the move by stating that the country is “not neutral when it comes to violations of international law.”
On our side of the pond, neutrality is being called into question yet again by the coming elections.
There are many who cannot publicly declare their political preferences because their work or positions legally inhibit them from doing so, such as civil servants, public school teachers, and public officials.
But they have declared their choices privately, and have taken a stand based on what they believe are valid reasons for them.
I must confess I will forever be haunted by and branded with a scarlet letter because of my choice for President in the last elections (along with 16 million other voters).
It didn’t take a year for me to realize the icy horror of that error in judgement so my penance carries with it the heavy responsibility of now convincing people that we must spark a movement for structural change in government, and challenge the status quo of this very sick country (in its literal and figurative sense) by using our votes to challenge the candidates who favor the continuity of the present dispensation. No more of the same please!
I grew up with framed pictures signed by the former Strongman addressed to my Dad and Lolo. At the beginning of his first term, the man who later signed Proclamation 1081 was a golden boy by the standards of those days. Lucky for him, the spin doctors back then could weave tapestries of heroic deeds of the Maharlika legends that would put carpet baggers and Camelot fans to shame.
And because there was no Internet back then, and snail mail was the popular and practical means to check the veracity (again) of grandiose claims such as fake diplomas, many tall tales were taken as gospel truth.
Today with the proliferation of social media and the Internet, it is so easy to verify all the fish stories being cast out there.
On the flip aside, the dark specter of troll farms and fake news loom over us like the grim reaper’s siblings. It is so easy to convince people that the sins of the father are of no consequence to the progenies who live a cushy life and reap the largesse of ill-gotten wealth, and that the 20 years of authoritarian rule never happened.
Seems so easy to rewrite history these days. It just takes boatloads of money, and a well-oiled machinery to come up with a sweeter more palatable prequel.
So for the die-hard fans of this kleptocracy, basta will always be the first and last word.
Hospitals have color codes that respond to different emergencies. In temperate countries, it is now spring, and we see spectacular floral landscapes depending on the areas where the blooms spring forth.
For this election, we see fields of pink, punctuated by rows of red and green, and a smattering of other colors that signify political alliances, biases, and preferences.
The United Colors of Pinas mimics an erstwhile campaign for a clothing line, but this time, clear lines define the pinks from the red/greens who occupy opposite ends of the spectrum, and the groups who bear the standard and colors of other candidates who just muddy up the screen.
Seriously, people! Only in Pinas do we have enough candidates to weave a proverbial mat. A friend describes it as: Haba ng listahan! Pang textbook! Pang Guinness talaga!
There are those who will not vote because of justified limitations such as physical restrictions. But there is a segment who just don’t vote for a variety of reasons:
“We don’t care who wins the election” because no elected politicians have helped during “these hard, dark times”.
“I don’t feel represented by the candidates that the parties in power keep offering us.”
“Until and unless there is a candidate who I feel I could vote for in good conscience, I’m not voting.”
“The system is rigged!”
“Politics isn’t my thing.”
“I refuse to stand in line and wait for my turn to vote. Ang init kaya!”
“I believe that government officials are all out for themselves, and cannot be trusted to behave in a moral fashion, so voting is useless!”
Ohhhh Kayyy! We hear these people but don’t understand why they put such little value on their votes. This, I believe, is neutrality at its worst. And I weep at the thought that their votes could actually swing the vote for a positive and significant outcome.
More than 70 percent of the voters turned out for the last 2019 elections. We are praying for more people to vote on May 9.
My Aunty Diana Bugeya deplores people whom she calls “lemmings.” Urban Dictionary defines it as: “a person who seemingly does not possess any form of individual thought, and instead, mindlessly follows the behaviors and actions of the masses.”
Lastly, I am sharing some biblical guidelines from our Senior Pastor Doc Larry Pabiona of GCF Ortigas who advises us what to look for in a candidate:
A history of care. Does the aspirant have a history of selfless service? Did he/she stand out in comparison to others in the earlier days? Does he/she stand out in comparison to the other aspirants in that area now?
A heart with character. Primary concern: Does aspirant show integrity with money, time, public statements, and moral standards?
A hand of competence. Primary concern: A track record of performance. Is the aspirant qualified? How well did he/she perform in public office and in similar functions?
If you give up your right to vote, then as the officiating pastor or priest exhorts, “Forever hold your peace!” and endure the next term in silence and quiet regret.
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Author’s email: [email protected]