By The People, For The People

There are certain laws that are essential for the welfare of the country and its citizens. These laws need to be enforced and civil servants should be entrusted with authority and respect to carry out that enforcement.

The relationship between you, me and a government official is similar to the relationship between a customer and businessman; wherein the customer is always right, they are the reason for the business’ existence. It is not as though the government is God and we are only people. It is not that the government is the parent and we are their children. The government is not royalty and we are not their subjects. We the people are the government.  So, it is just right for us to bring out what we know is right.

We expect them to be helpful, friendly, prompt and objective in their enforcement. We also expect them to prioritize their activity, to enforce laws against those whose noncompliance costs us, the citizens, the most money. If they would do that however, they would start price fixing, bribing of government officials for big contracts and monopoly attempts, etc. We expect them to do everything with the general welfare of the country in mind. They should keep in mind the fact that we are the tax-paying citizens who deserve fair and courteous treatment.

Government officials and employees are not little low earning poverty stricken people. These people make more than how much they earn in a year. They make more than 90% of the citizens they govern. We are paying them a good amount and we want our money's worth, yet we are being denied of this right.

We expect the the government to hire only honest, fair, friendly and competent people. But how could we the people believe in this when what we see in the government are a bunch of crocodiles and big mouth sharks, stalking even the poorest hard earning individual.

We expect those who have been mandated by law to perform not for their own self interests, but for the interests of a country that needs a boost from those who govern. Such expectation however is vague, for those who have been elected seem to be the head of a pyramidal structure slowly crumbling unto those who have been responsible for their mandate. We expect enforcement action to be taken reluctantly and only as a resort, when no other measure would correct damage to the public, or if the citizen who violated the law was totally uncooperative and found to be one who violated the law deliberately and with malicious intent. But how could such be, when those who are in charge of enforcement violates what they have been instructed to enforce.

The government should support people who provide the meal ticket for the rest of society and institutions, from schools, hospitals, infrastructure, health care etc. Entrepreneurs are the life of society’s economy. However, support from the government through subsidies and assistance has not been well attended too, resulting to high unemployment and underemployment rates. They should encourage more micro enterprises within the roots and eliminate too much bureaucracy.

Instead of bureaucratic conveniences, the government should start talking about the citizen’s convenience. Life is a constant dilemma between choosing the lesser of two evils. We are currently sacrificing the freedom and economic welfare of the country to gain bureaucratic convenience. They should start making laws for our convenience, not the convenience of the bureaucrats.

The government has a certain percentage of criminals in society. This is a fact so obvious that even the silenced dead would definitely agree upon. From the highest echelons of the government down to the lowest paid bureaucratic employee, criminals abound. Sad too say that only those on the lower ranks tend to be convicted, while those in a higher position, either delay justice or escape conviction.

In dealing with a government agency you are going to run into a corrupt official, or a group of corrupt officials. Not only do we have unfriendly, unhelpful and arrogant government officials and employees but they too are malicious, crabs that tend to pull you down when the stakes are high. It's amazing, people whom you pay to perform services for you, not only refuse to help you, but they actually look for ways to hurt you. Does the government have some kind of secret test or some kind of secret way that makes all people who work for it, all-good, all knowing, totally honest, infallible, and incapable of any criminal action? A reason why there is a minimal conviction regarding corruption in government affairs.

With more agencies being created and gaining in power, there are a large percentage of businesses where you now have to ask an unelected bureaucrat for permission to go into business. On his arbitrary decision alone, he can delay you to the point where it destroys your venture. This is nothing more than enslavement, and that is what most of us are experiencing now. There are of course good breeds among those who are serving the country. Government people who believes in the essence of democracy, that the government is by the people and for the people.

Election is fast approaching. Let us think and be wise in choosing those who will lead us, crossing our fingers that those who will be mandated will lead in redifining these government.