P-Noy’s call for servant leaders

PRESIDENT Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III’s inaugural speech may have been short and plain, but the ambition it embodies is huge, extending beyond the borders of the presidency.

What P-Noy laid out was not a promise for grand improvements in the country over the next six years — he merely pledges to straighten the path so that Filipinos can be guaranteed a slow but sure march towards a better life: “…maiibsan din ang marami nating problema. Ang tadhana ng Pilipino ay babalik sa tamang kalagayan, na sa bawat taon pabawas ng pabawas ang problema ng Pinoy na nagsusumikap at may kasiguruhan sila na magiging tuloy-tuloy na ang pagbuti ng kanilang sitwasyon.” But the means to achieving that straight path is the bigger, more difficult goal because it demands a change in mindset among all our public servants.

Now that he is President, the ambition of P-Noy, who like his mother Cory never really had the dream to be President but was propelled into the candidacy by a call from the people, is to turn the Philippines into a country of servant leaders. As a “chosen” one rather than an eager-beaver politician, P-Noy recognizes that power is not his, but the people’s. “Kami ay narito para magsilbi at hindi para maghari.”

Local government officials should follow the lead and example to be set by P.Noy, from enforcing the law on the wang-wang to accountability.

In saying “Kayo and boss ko”, P-Noy is placing the interests and the welfare of the people above personal gain and comfort. It means that officials are not in their position to make their lives more convenient and to indulge in their vanities, but to improve the lives of the public that entrusted them with power. It means that every government action and decision should be reported with utmost transparency to the “boss” so that government officials could be made accountable for irregularities and abuse.

To be a servant leader does not mean to be weak, as P-Noy clearly outlined the tasks to be done and the policies that have to be implemented. Let’s not mistake humility for frailty. To be a servant leader simply means living up to the true meaning of being an elected official and a government employee, and that is above all else to work hard for, make sacrifices, and serve the public.

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