Though how Progressive a Country is, there will always be Poverty because of Corruption
Posted on Saturday, 12 December 2015
Though
how Progressive a Country is, there will always be
Poverty
because of Corruption
By Apolinario Villalobos
Perfection should be ruled out in the
reckoning of a progressive country, because there will always be poverty due to
corruption somewhere in the system of governance. In other words, the glitter
of progress cannot hide poverty. For ultra-progressive countries, the signs may
be insignificant as they try to blend with the glamour of urbanity. But in
other countries, especially, the third-world, the signs are very prevalent, so
that there is always a massive effort to cover them up occasionally, literally,
as it is done every time there are special occasions such as visits of foreign
dignitaries. This practice is successful in the Philippines.
Practically, poverty is the shadow of
progress, and literally, too, as where there are looming high-rise buildings
that are pockmarks of progress, as not far from them are slums or homeless
citizens who huddle together under bridges and nooks. These are misguided
citizens who flock to the cities after selling their homestead, that have been
farmed for several generations, to deceitful land developers, at a measly
price. These are the urban squatters willing to be relocated but found out that
the promised “paradise” do not even have a deep well so they go back to their
sidewalk “homes”. These are contractual workers who have no job securities as
they earn only for five to six months, after which they leave their fate to
luck while looking for another job.
How does corruption ever be involved in the
sad fate of the exploited? Simply, by the government’s negligence in providing decent relocation sites with job
opportunities and basic facilities to those uprooted from their city abodes for
more than so many years; by its cuddling of the spurious contractualization
perpetrated by greedy employers; by its failure to guide and protect the rights
of farmers who sell their rice fields to subdivision developers at measly
prices that are not even enough to sustain them for six months; by its failure
to provide the citizens with the basic necessities as funds are allowed to be
pocketed by corrupt officials; and practically by looking the other way despite
the availability of laws against vote buying.
Third- world country leaders should stop
using the word “progressive”, but instead they should use “surviving” to
describe their respective economy. If a country’s economy cannot sustain, much
less, provide a “comfortable life” to majority of its citizens, then it is
still “ailing”…hence, expect poverty to be trailing behind, just a few steps
away from the pretentious allegations!
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