It’s tough being a public official—that is, if one takes one’s task to heart and one’s mandate to serve seriously.
Public office, after all, is practically a thankless job that pays a lot less than the private sector and exposes a person to negative publicity and lawsuits, whether allegations or true or not.
The hours are punishing, and one cannot say no to a task or a meeting just because it comes too early or too late in the day.
Most importantly, genuine public service demands honesty.
There are many ways to assert one’s love of country and its people. For example, you can swear to protect the environment and score those who exploit it for their trade. You just have to make sure that you are doing nothing of the sort behind people’s backs.
You can claim to be objective in deciding on which road projects get approved, but your decision will always be colored, or at least made suspect, by the interests of your business.
An official can claim to have profound disdain for corruption, and castigate colleagues who enrich themselves through taxpayers’ money. That official just has to make sure that he or she has committed no questionable acts in the past, distant or immediate. Moreover, any friend or family member who engages in anomalous transactions should not be spared the treatment otherwise accorded to others who commit the same offense.
Yet another public servant can profess compassion for the poor and downtrodden, and yet neglect to ensure that his or her very employees are provided ample and timely compensation as well as benefits they can use in times of need.
Such hypocrisy magnifies the actions or omissions that betray their conflicting interests and real intentions.
Unfortunately, this malaise afflicts public servants of all political colors and on all levels of the government. Some may just be ignorant of the conflicts they face and the choices they must make, but more are very much aware of these conflicts and yet continue to act in their own best interests, not the interests of their people.
Meanwhile, as people are stuck with their leaders, all they can do is complain and vent their anger on social media or some other traditional forums. And then as always, the officials they complain about just wait for controversies to blow over, wait for the people to forget, and then continue with their merry, conflicted, twisted ways.
