WITH the ever-growing challenges confronting this country and in anticipation of next year’s election, Filipinos are now talking, debating, analyzing and, sometimes, fighting about who should be our next president. From corporate board rooms, coffee shops, bars and even the commonplace tambayan by the sari-sari store, more and more banter on the fate of the presidency is now occurring. Still four months to go but democracy in action is at its finest right here and right now.
Adding color to this episode is the decision of Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte to run for president. His passionate persona, no qualms language, non-apologetic use of cuss words and livid attack on some sections of government, the church, national institutions and some personalities generated mixed reactions of outright excitement and support, shock and awe, and for some, utter disappointment. But one extremely positive effect of his joining the presidential fray is the polemics of how far can a leader display his authenticity and get accepted by the electorate through the ballot.
Traits of our top leader
While competence and capability are both given for the highest position in the land, authenticity in the leadership space is characterized by one who is true to himself. A person who openly accepts his weaknesses, oddities and strengths and does not hesitate to show these attributes to the people he governs or leads. His private and public spheres are one and the same and they do not consider the outward display of their emotions and feelings as a frailty.
In addition, authentic leaders do not feign ethical limitations. The acid test is to look at the consistency between a leader’s personal value systems and the actions that he takes. Open, self aware, resilient and ethical leaders are better motivators and are good at inspiring people to achieve goals in a purposive and effective manner.
Our current choices
Much has been said about Secretary Manuel A. Roxas’s elite beginnings and topnotch background; Sen. Grace Poe’s being a foundling and how her love for family made her decide to stay for a while in the US, and Vice President Jejomar C. Binay’s meteoric rise from a poor, outcast farm boy in Batangas to a hometown hero in Makati. Each of these presidential aspirants have their respective family or personal histories, layers of nuances in their private and professional lives and whether they are conscious of the vulnerabilities resulting therefrom and are doing something about it is another issue altogether. These candidates have tried and are still trying to etch in every voter’s mind who they really are, and what they are made of. It is really up to us to evaluate the honesty in the way they project their qualities in the outside world and how these qualities can serve as drivers to deliver the promises that they offered us once they get elected.
Real measurement
Thus, authenticity or even honesty are not measured by the way a leader can freely or continuously speak out his mind in the most articulate or frank manner without batting an eyelash or without fear of consequences. Nor is it measured by candidates going on a self-deprecation drive where those courting our votes deliberately belittle themselves, use their impoverished past or personal family misfortune or political persecution as a leverage to create a public image that would appear to be sincere and true. We must be conscious about candidates who would exploit the desperation of some sectors by justifying violence, strong arm tactics or promoting a moral take on things that should be a purely personal decision and not one which should be regarded as a sign of bravery or a cute source of entertainment for a country that is still beset with a multitude of problems.
Novelty, popularity, sympathy, idolatry or plain hero-worship become dangerous when they are wrongly used in the enterprise of choosing our leaders.
The Office of the President is what we make it. Let us not miss that chance.
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1 comment
What are the traits of great benevolent leaders like Franklin Roosevelt, Bill Clinton, Thomas Jefferson, Winston Churchill, Lee Kusn Yew. Profuse use of reason and intelligence plus the inspiring influence of soaring rhetoric and delivery of promises. Sincerity and honesty are basic parts of the package. Do we see anyone among the present presidential contenders with persona close to these attributes?