AT HIS inaugural address in Washington, D.C., United States President Donald Trump vowed that he would use his second term to fix a broken society and usher in the golden age of America.
“From this day forward our country will flourish and be respected again all over the world,” Trump said. He threw shade at the preceding administration’s “radical and corrupt establishment” even as several of his predecessors were in attendance.
The indoor ceremony, occasioned by the biting weather, was also an opportunity for Trump to gather what looked to be his crew of tech and corporate advisers, advance his nationalist agenda, and promise peace to Americans.
The term “golden age” is often used to describe an idyllic period of happiness, peace, or prosperity. Many regimes — or at least their supporters — have referred to their own periods as golden ages where they are able to effect changes that result in a marked improvement in the lives of its people.
Unfortunately, so-called golden ages are illusory.
Governance is not a smooth road; it requires navigating complex relationships and managing conflicting interests of different parties. There are competing considerations, for instance, of responding to current energy demands through dirty but cheap means, and ensuring the health of the environment through sustainable but expensive and yet-unavailable technologies, or scales of such. There is the perennial clash between labor and industry. A country can choose to open its doors to foreigners but also deal with the consequences of job displacement and other issues it carries. Make some industries a priority at the expense of other sectors. Enforce law and order but infringe on the basic rights of its citizens.
At best, golden eras are exactly that for some but not for others. Good leaders acknowledge the tough decisions they are expected to make. They are able to stand by these unpopular decisions knowing they are the best and most prudent course of action.
Voters must refuse to be swayed by grand promises, sweeping generalizations, and oversimplifications. These have brought us nowhere in the past. Leadership is not defined by grand promises but by persistence in the face of the daily nitty-gritty, and the ability to base decisions on arguments driven by facts and evidence.
The campaign season is starting soon for Filipinos. May we be wary of sweet-talking candidates who offer golden promises and hyperbole with absolutely no intention of making good on their commitments.