Sunday, February 24, 2008
Of Means and ends
“The question is not whether the ends justifies the means, but rather, does this particular end justifies this particular means.” – Alinsky, Rules for Radicals
Jun Lozada is not an end, he is merely a means to an end. And he is serving his purpose well. These days, he is everywhere: radio, TV, newspapers, internet. Then there’s his personal appearances at campus rallies, noise barrages and what-not. As Mang Ben, our nosy neighbor puts it, “Lamay nalang ata ang di nito pinupuntahan.” (Who knows, Mang Ben, Lozada may have already done so). This is not surprising, what with his handlers making no secret of their desire to use him as a beacon for an uprising. But do they really want an uprising? Is the downfall of the Arroyo government their ultimate aim?
Wary of the chaos brought about by Jun Lozada and watching growing efforts to overthrow the government had me wishing for a Filipino Lee Kwan Yew. And this got me thinking, maybe this is what they really wanted: ordinary people like you and me yearning for a “stronger, more decisive hand” to steer our nation towards genuine social progress. Are we not being lead to think in a particular way, to benefit certain political interests?
In this light, I’d rather have Lozada than a military junta, though the two are dangerously becoming synonymous!
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2 comments:
re: "go around schools convincing kids (as young as pre-schoolers) to support an uprising against the government" - i was at the mass at ateneo, and i did not see anything of the sort happening. i hardly saw any pre-schoolers. most of those present were alumni and college students, all of whom are capable of forming their own opinions on the matter.
siguro mga bulag kayo...at walang pakirandam. o di kaya manhid na kayo dahil sa mga suhol na ibinibigay sa inyo ng mga alipures ni gloria magnanakaw at sinungaling.
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