IT BOILS DOWN TO...

Photo by John Daniel J. Hirro via varsitarian.net

According to Malaysia’s former Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir Bin Mohamad, “Medical doctors are methodical.” This makes doctors find a place in Philippine politics. And, we have to take it from Dr. Mohamad himself who propelled Malaysia into one of the tiger economies in Southeast Asia and the world.

The Philippines was (is and will be) once tagged as one of the most corrupt countries in the world. And, this “corrupt” moniker is the denominator to how our government leaders run the Philippines. The country was under the dictatorial Marcos regime for two decades which ended to EDSA People Power Revolution and ousted Marcos from the presidency in 1986. The country’s 13^th President Joseph “Erap” Estrada ended up behind bars—and now free because of the executive clemency (as provided in the Philippine Constitution) granted to him by then his successor former President and now Congresswoman Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo—after the historic impeachment trial in 2001. And just last May of this year, the country’s chief magistrate Renato C. Corona was ousted from office after the senator-judges voted 20-3 in favor to his being guilty on the Article II of such impeachment after his failure to declare all his assets in his Statement of Assets and Liabilities (SALN) being a public servant.

Such political dramas and turning points in Philippine government history resulted to media circus which boiled down to the country’s reputation stained. And most of the faces and personalities focused on the square eyes of the camera and seen on T.V. and newspapers were lawyers. As what Dr. Mohamad added, “Lawyers argue too much.”

Our country is a knowledge-based economy. And, we have all witnessed how our country is being run mostly by lawyers and economists. This is now the idea of Dr. Mohamad comes in. Physicians are solution-oriented in such a way that they determine the causes of an illness and prescribe the remedy. I don’t say either that lawyers are not solution-oriented, among others. In the context of politics, physicians identify the problems and suggest for solutions minus the “chit-chats.” And if there are doctors who have opted for public service over medical practice or both, they are considerably outnumbered by lawyers.

Well, the view of former PM Mohamad may be true and viable, but at the end of the day, the argument boils down to the person’s proven competence coupled with unquestionable integrity. Whether he is a physician, lawyer, PhD from the academe, celebrity, sports icon, heir of political dynasty, or nothing at all, what makes him a good public servant is his vision, and his competence and integrity to actualize such vision for the common good.