If not involved, forget good governance

Manny Valdehuesa

 OVER-RELIANCE on elected officials (public servants) is immature political conduct. It is irresponsible citizen behavior, especially in a democracy.

Citizens, individually and collectively, are responsible for some of the tasks and responsibilities of government. They must participate and be involved.

For example, they have a role in planning and implementing government programs and activities, as well as in formulating policies and standards of service.

It is in doing these that a citizen exemplifies the concept of a government of the people, by the people, and for the people.

The problem is, even supposedly educated Filipinos don’t understand this concept of a democracy. They don’t know how empowering it is.

In the barangay—whose government is right next door—citizens can forge their own legislation or ordinances, plan local development, share in the community’s prosperity, and discipline their government if they know how.

If they take the bother to participate or get involved, they can provide the community (and the larger society) a healthy social life, productive opportunities, and development-oriented politics.

But it is a measure of the off-tangent attitude and aptitude of both officialdom and citizenry that nothing is initiated along these lines.

Not even the educational institutions, or the mandated government agencies like the departments of the interior and local government (DILG) or of social welfare and development (DSWD) bother to try reforming such attitudes and aptitudes.

Focus is on money, on collecting taxes and fees and political pogi points, while the wealthy speculators obsess about rent-seeking.

In one’s community, as in one’s home, one can’t rely solely upon the discretion of servants to determine what services are to be performed; these are properly the province of the primary stakeholders (the citizens).

The citizens must be clear about what results they expect from their public servants and what style or standard should be followed. Otherwise the results will be unsatisfactory and unfair to all concerned.

“Trust but verify” is a good guide for monitoring official conduct. Trusting the officials doesn’t mean letting them do whatever pleases them. They must do what pleases the people, their primary clients and their bosses.

Unless they please their bosses, they must be removed and replaced, recalled from their position of public trust.

It’s the lax or lenient way citizens view bad, corrupt performance that encourages its proliferation. Very few, if any, bother to check on them one way or another; so they abuse.

Unscrupulous people commit crimes if they think they can get away with it.

(Manny Valdehuesa is a PPI-UNICEF outstanding columnist awardee, author of books on governance, and national chairman/convenor of the Gising Barangay Movement Inc.  E-mail: valdehuesa@gmail.com)