Nothing’s changed but the gender

By Al S. Mendoza

 

A politician is actually one of the most respected men in every community—if not the most.

But that was before.

Today, a politician isn’t that much looked up to anymore.

He is either derided or desirable.

He is either a scoundrel or a saint.

And, he is either pro-people or pro-profit.

In short, there is now the old politician and the new politician.

Those of the old stock are decent but, alas, you could count them now only with your fingers.

The new breed are crawling all over but, alas, they aren’t mostly of the respectable kind.  Not anymore.

They are derided, bathed with spittle and favor profit more than the interest of the common tao that they are sworn to serve.

What profits a man who has wealth but loses his soul to the devil?

The new wave—most, if not all, of them—do not, never, care about that, anymore.

Listen to this:  “It takes many nails to build a crib, but just one screw to fill it.”

That’s the politician spoiling the party?

Said Hubert Humphrey:  “To err is human.  To blame someone else is politics.”

Did Inday change the speaker with a mini Bose?

How do we make of the 12 who abstained from voting?

Either they like Alvarez or hate GMA?

Or, either they disapproved of the way Alvarez was being ousted or were simply trying to be cute?

What about the 184 who installed GMA as the new Speaker?

If the 12 abstainers are called Alvarez’s Lovable Dozen as opposed to GMA’s Dirty Dozen, how then do we label the 184 pro-GMAs?

Politicians.  Plain and simple.

They are of an era when the past matters not.

GMA was President but after her nine-year so-so stint at the Palace, she slid to being a representative in Pampanga.

Have we seen another President of another country doing what GMA did?

Onli in da Pilipins.

Before becoming Speaker, she kept saying she was not interested in the post.

When she became Speaker, was she shouting at the gallery, “Madlang pipol, I did not ask for this!”

Looks more like she was hollering, “I’m back!”

Onli in da Pilipins.

When you come down to it, did GMA really have nothing to do with the ouster of Alvarez?

Nobody won here.  Not even GMA.

Alvarez, GMA or even anybody else, doesn’t, wouldn’t, mean a thing.

Nothing’s changed but the gender.

Whoever sits there beside the mace, the common tao maintains his peace: A mere spectator.  The fool on the hill?

The politician is also an acrobat, a flying trapeze.

A comedian, too, if you will.

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