GRAFT and corruption is a most used, abused and overused term in Philippine politics. Much has been said but little has been done about it.
In fact, majority, especially the youth, even idolize self-proclaimed crusaders against corruption not knowing that these grandstanding politicians are sleazy and very corrupt in real life. That’s the sad part. The problem is not taken seriously by people who can change the status quo and stop the practice.
While, people simply accept it as a way of life that we cannot do anything about.
Have you noticed how well meaning and most vocal advocates for transparency and good governance eventually simmer down and get devoured by the system until they turn into the person they detest the most?
Look around you, the news features personalities who were rabid activists and principled rebels before but are now on the other side of the firing line.
What happened? Sometimes, it starts with the simplest gift that we receive that eventually ends up amounting to millions without us even noticing it.
That’s the nature of greed – it turns to avarice in no time.
Before we know it, we’re so caught up in the new lifestyle that we can’t let go – actually, we don’t want to let go anymore. It is like a Faustian bargain that eventually takes hold of our soul and our entire being.
We learn to rationalize. We become so caught up in ourselves that we begin to believe that we deserve this and that the world owes us this as an entitlement. We become defiant and begin to stubbornly attribute ill motives to those who point out the truth about our lost idealism.
Is it any wonder then that people from the outside have learned to accept graft and corruption as the norm in government? They are afraid that exposing instances of graft will just boomerang on them.
Fighting graft and corruption is not a lost cause. We just have to stand our ground and live out our beliefs and values. It may be unfashionable to do so. But how can we improve our lives if we are not willing to pay the price?
Let us not expect the change to start from others. It has to start from us – no matter the cost.
