Extracting the truth the lasso way

I am watching "Wonder Woman" for the nth time. While I love the original WW, Lynda Carter, I also thoroughly enjoyed Gal Gadot's portrayal of the female superhero.

Besides, the movie delved into Diana's beginnings and how she became Wonder Woman.

Imagine a world such as Themyscira, where women lived and are trained to be warriors! Of course, however good their skills and training, swords, bows, arrows, spears, and shields were still no match for guns.

Anyway, my favorite weapon is the Lasso (Lariat) of Truth. That golden lasso that forces individuals to answer truthfully when it is wrapped around them. The more you resist telling the truth, the hotter it gets and pain forces you to answer honestly whether you want to or not.

It suddenly crossed my mind: what if there was indeed such a weapon and that it can be used against politicians to whip them into shape.

For one, it is disgusting how they can lie through their teeth about their ambitions, playing coy about plans of seeking higher elective positions (or not) in the coming elections, when in truth they've already made up their minds to run!

Second, it would be useful to make them acknowledge whatever promises they made in the past to get elected and admit they failed, then make good their word to at least kick out people who don't deserve to be sitting in positions of authority and service... and keep them out!

Fighting a bureaucracy

I get it. Bureaucracy is one convoluted system, which makes it so easy to manipulate or hide wrongdoing. You don't even need geniuses to get away with corruption and either squander government funds or filch them, you only need someone to be part of it for a very long time.

But put in a genius and voila! In the absence of a clear organization that is transparent in how things are done, crooks find it so much easier to create their own system that will line their pockets and enable them to use their position to gain power and influence.

With the Golden Lasso wrapped around the arms and torso of a corrupt or inept official, you won't need witnesses who disappear when it comes to testify against illegalities, and finding physical evidence will be simpler.

And wouldn't it be so much fun to have multiple persons caught in the lasso, everyone trying to out-sing each other in confessing to escape pain and further torture?

Source

Streamline, simplify

A system. That's what my country needs to solve many of its problems. An order to doing things. Streamlining processes. Simplifying requirements.

Putting the right people in places where they can be most effective. Most of all, putting leaders who know what to do, or at least know people to tap who can help solve the problem and deliver rightful service.

And because they are public servants, these leaders must be held accountable for actions or decisions they make, especially those that didn't produce the desired results or were disadvantageous to the public.

Filipinos are forgiving, sometimes too much so, that they often let shenanigans pass and allow their rights to be trampled on. Yet it is hard to blame them when they feel powerless, so they would rather toe the line, however crappy it is, because they don't expect to be heard or paid attention to.

Small steps

It isn't right to oversimplify the myriad concerns faced by the country. Many of these issues are truly complex. But sometimes, a problem is better addressed with solutions applied in stages, rather than coming up with a big one meant to solve the issue in one go.

Pre-pandemic there were already many issues that needed addressing - traffic, skyrocketing prices of goods, wages of health workers, taxes, drug trafficking, and peace and order, among others.

The pandemic showed who can be relied upon to serve and respond to the citizens' needs and those who knew what to do in times of crisis. But it further exposed flaws and incompetence, especially at the national level, of leaders.

No, the Lasso of Truth wouldn't be of much help, except perhaps to make those in power admit to their shortcomings and perhaps apologize for it.

A true appreciation of the problem, seen from the ground, would go a long way in putting in place the proper solutions. Listening to those who know better and accepting suggestions, instead of criticizing or lambasting those who give their opinion, would be more helpful in resolving the crisis.

Perhaps, the citizenry should also be subjected to the Golden Lasso's power, at least to make them realize that we have had enough of politicians and need the real public servants.

We need to face the truth that we have the ultimate power to change things for the better, and only if we band together can this be achieved.

Lead Image: Unsplash