A lot of people are of the opinion that the new President, Noy Noy Aquino did not inherit his parents charisma (among other things). I’d have to agree.
I was watching a news feature about P-Noy singing 2 songs at a concert in the Quezon City Memorial Center after his inauguration, and the video clip showed this gangly, awkward-looking guy singing out of tune. The idea was cute, but it didn’t turn out to be cute at all. It just felt awkward, and any attempt of the President to turn his bad singing into humor seemed to fall short. But the crowd seemed to enjoy everything anyway.
The seeming lack of charisma doesn’t bother me at all, though. In fact I find the idea of an “uncharismatic” president quite refreshing in politics that have long ran on the lines of patronage and personality. Of course, you could easily attribute P-Noy’s win to personality politics–I need not expound on his pedigree and his surname, or how his parents (and younger sister) are household names.
But the point is, maybe it would do the country some good to have a leader who is unapologetically shy, awkward and… uncharismatic. As an immature democracy, our politics and its processes have long revolved around the culture of patronage. We follow the people we know, vote for the people we like, personally. Mabait siya, gwapo siya, action star siya, anak siya ng mga bayani.
There is no discounting the fact that P-Noy’s win is a result of personality politics. But the President’s apparent lack of charisma negates this kind of culture. We watched him on TV yesterday, listening to an inauguration speech that left the nation in a hopeful buzz. Because the general message was: I’ll do things the right way, no matter how difficult it is. A lot of what he wanted to straighten out in this country are culturally ingrained and embedded in the system, and no doubt he’ll step on a lot of toes and hurt a lot of feelings to push his reforms.
And this is where his lack of charisma becomes priceless. For the longest time, Filipinos have been following leaders because they are charismatic, because they are likeable, because they’re popular. I like that idea that for the next six years, we will have to follow a President not because we like him, but because what he’s doing is right. We won’t give him our support because he’s easy on the eyes or that he’s a likeable fellow–but because the principle dictates it. I know it’s a long way off from scrapping out patronage politics, but it’s a start.
I just hope the new guy will stick to his promises. Big words, and big dreams–medyo exciting.
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And yes, medyo exciting na pala. At least from what I picked up in the inauguration speech, there’s at least one guy who is out to change the way things are run in this country. I have been, for the most part, filled with with a lot of fear and apprehensions with my decision to pursue a government post, because of the corruption, the mediocrity, and the despair that seems to surround it.
That speech gave me the hope I needed. Maybe our government can be changed after all. And I want to be in it, helping out, in the sick of things, when change happens.
