Recall the blog has discussed foresight [and keep the thought], the attribute behind man’s superiority. Why Du30 v. Rizal? “He who submits to tyranny loves it,” says Rizal. Contemporary 21st century knowledge confirms his genius. What about Du30? “I will be president only if I can declare martial law to speed up the wheels of justice to fight criminality.”
We were forewarned … then elected a Dirty-one-dimensional-Harry to lead a nation of over a hundred million that is the regional laggard. We took Rizal for granted ... and then gave Du30 our overwhelming vote of confidence despite EJKs! Because he promised to lift and empower Juan de la Cruz via federalism?
And isn’t America: (a) the greatest example of federalism and (b) the largest economy? But Warren Buffett won’t put them in the same sentence even when he repeatedly acknowledged that being born in America is his luck. Instead, says Buffett, “In 1776, America set off to unleash human potential by combining market economics, the rule of law and equality of opportunity.” [The genius of America, Time, 15th 2018]
No reference to system of government behind the genius of America. But note market economics and the rule of law. And let’s see how Laurene Powell-Jobs, the widow of Steve Jobs, echoes the equality of opportunity piece – to counter the Trump insularity, aka the closing of America.
“[We] affirm our American motto: e pluribus unum, “out of many, one” … [T]hat America is a big, inclusive country; that immigrants are what have always made our country great; that we stand with them; that we have eyes to see a future built on hope rather than fear; and that we will never stop fighting to keep the doors of opportunity open to dreamers.” [What we choose to see, Time, 15th 2018]
And what about Germany? Recall what the German ambassador said. That federalism is strengthened by the rule of law – a long-held tradition – that was there prior to federalism. In both America and Germany, federalism was meant to unite standalone states; while what we are doing is to fragment, consistent with our instincts of parochialism and insularity?
And there is Switzerland. From a Swiss professor: “We are a well-disciplined people. We know what to expect from each other; we also know what our government can do and cannot do in our behalf. Thus, any system of government will work in Switzerland.” [“Proposed federalization is a fixed deal,” Hermenegildo C. Cruz, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 11th Jan 2018; Cruz was accredited as Philippine ambassador to the United Nations in 1984-86 and to Moscow in 1986-1990]
What is PH leadership doing re the pursuit of federalism? Try barking at the wrong tree. But in Washington-speak, it’s called “bait-and-switch” – a deliberate ploy to move the target away from the disease to the symptom to promote a hidden agenda. Yesterday, Marcos cronies … today, Du30’s?
Because we see imperial Manila as the root of our underdevelopment, we are merrily going along? We forget that parochialism and insularity, among our other instincts aka culture, is the disease or cancer that Rizal saw? And by definition, “imperial Manila” is the symptom.
There are assumptions that rationalize our submission to tyranny but we must test them to override our default-instinct – i.e., deference to hierarchy. For example, aren’t we way past the self-imposed deadline he gave to win the war on drugs? And likewise, to fix Metro Manila traffic?
What about Mindanao? Mindanao’s insurgency (Muslim and otherwise) is a historical challenge that Magellan and the Spaniards and the Americans that followed them had to contend with. And he is not about to end that. [On the other hand, think of Singapore, how can it be such a multi-ethnic enterprise? Try the journey from poverty to prosperity that is the common denominator of the Asian Tigers ... and keep our eye on the ball.]
And the parochialism and insularity, including dole outs to elect candidates of party in power, from the barangay units all the way to the provincial and regional levels … and the Manila government added fuel to the fire. And today Davao consistently grabs the headlines which is unsurprising, again, because of these instincts.
And despite Build, Build, Build, we won’t make Juan de la Cruz the equal of his neighbor-peers. In a generation? Which is a stretch given these neighbors aren’t standing still. And as the blog has shared, the writer from a career standpoint lived through two wasted generations. The upside we are buying won’t wipe away our tears, not in the near- or medium-term.
And worse, Du30 is what the West calls a threat to democracy. Pooh-pooh that ... yet we’re juvenile development-wise that our views don’t carry the wisdom of experience. Sorry.
Consider: We brag that we don’t want to beg for European assistance? That’s Trump-speak, i.e., narcissistic. When Lee, Mahathir and Deng “begged for Western money and technology” it was not literally to beg. It was to acknowledge the interdependence of the community of nations, which is founded on certain principles.
For example, “the European Union’s founding principles include democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights.” [The Battle Line for Western Values Runs Through Poland, Charles A. Kupchan, The New York Times, 10th Jan 2018; Kupchan]
We must learn not only about community and the common good as Filipinos but also as members of the community of nations. We have so much to learn from them given our state of underdevelopment.
In a recent posting, the blog discussed that Juan de la Cruz must gear up and be educated on big data and analytics and that objective as opposed to defensive (as in defense mechanism) benchmarking is a good starting point. That is, we must accept and learn from the foresight and genius of the Asian Tigers ... and not reinvent the wheel.
Remember “sabog” (translation: wasted; and manifested in “crab mentality”) which explains why community and the common good is alien to us. And heed the latest UN SDGs (sustainable development goals), i.e., rapid infrastructure development, industrialization and innovation and competitiveness, because they will reinforce our efforts to benchmark against our neighbors.
Still, foresight is critical to instinctively prioritize and employ Pareto’s principle – and overcome “crab mentality.” And to learn the ropes of creativity – defined by Steve Jobs as connecting the dots. Recall the blog pointed out that Jobs tapped a Japanese technology to create the iPod. And he is considered a genius in the company of Einstein and Beethoven ... yet we Pinoys sincerely believed we can reinvent the wheel and then some? Another manifestation of “sabog” – and parochial and insular to boot?
Simply put, our level of underdevelopment measured against our neighbors has robbed us of the ability to look outward and forward. The poor get poorer while the rich get richer? But we are quick to posit that we hold our values high ... except that ours is a culture of impunity and why we must not mirror Padre Damaso and his self-righteousness. The hypocrisy we see in the West is a human condition and thus universal. We cannot be holier-than-thou. The good news is we are all created equal, both human and divine.
And so, the demigod we see in Du30 is misplaced, if we still don’t appreciate it. There is no silver bullet. Despite our admiration (aka “kapit sa patalim”) for his ability to cut through the chase – e.g., to make errant businesses pay their taxes, fund our favorite causes and advocacies and even fire abusive cabinet members ... but condole with families of deceased soldiers. It is par for the course! Yet because of successive leadership letdowns – and being the regional laggard – we celebrate “activity” and don’t aspire for the higher cause, as in “outcome.” Think Lee, Mahathir or Deng. Outcome comes from vision and leadership – beyond our instincts of deference to hierarchy while expecting paternalism in return.
If it isn’t obvious yet, the blog consistently concludes with several quotes representing a diversity of perspectives: from Rizal to St. Paul to a respected Filipino to a strategy guru to a priest-physicist and to an organization development practitioner.
The exercise is akin to brainstorming or design thinking and replicates model thinking as opposed to the conventional logical yet linear and incremental thinking – that is at the core of the innovation phenomenon in Silicon Valley.
And which the writer has adopted in his development work (at the instance of a USAID program and recognized by the Bush 43 White House) in Eastern Europe over the last 15 years. That puts him among those opposed to the Trump’s retreat from American exceptionalism.
But like Du30, Trump is not the future [of America] while the likes of Buffett and Powell-Jobs are. As GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham puts it, America is an idea. And in our case, Rizal is the idea … and our future.
“Why independence, if the slaves of today will be the tyrants of tomorrow? And that they will be such is not to be doubted, for he who submits to tyranny loves it.” [We are ruled by Rizal’s ‘tyrants of tomorrow,’ Editorial, The Manila Times, 29th Dec 2015]
“Now I know why Paul dared to speak of ‘the curse of the law’ (Galatians 3:13). Law reigns and discernment is unnecessary, which means there is little growth or change in such people. When you do not grow, you remain an infant.” [Faith and Science, Open to Change, Richard Rohr’s Daily Meditation, 23rd Oct 2017]
“As a major component for the education and reorientation of our people, mainstream media – their reporters, writers, photographers, columnists and editors – have an obligation to this country . . .” [Era of documented irrelevance: Mainstream media, critics and protesters, Homobono A. Adaza, The Manila Times, 25th Nov 2015]
“National prosperity is created, not inherited. It does not grow out of a country’s natural endowments, its labor pool, its interest rates, or its currency’s value, as classical economics insists . . . A nation’s competitiveness depends on the capacity of its industry to innovate and upgrade.” [The Competitive Advantage of Nations, Michael E. Porter, Harvard Business Review, March–April 1990]
“Learning and innovation go hand in hand. The arrogance of success is to think that what you did yesterday will be sufficient for tomorrow.” [William Pollard, 1911-1989, physicist-priest, Manhattan Project]
“Development [is informed by a people’s] worldview, cognitive capacity, values, moral development, self-identity, spirituality, and leadership . . .” [Frederic Laloux, Reinventing organizations, Nelson Parker, 2014]
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