The pitfalls of power tripping

Recently, a friend of mine called me.  She was at the airport and asking for my legal advice. I asked her what the problem was and she said that she was on her way to Singapore, but the lady at Immigration (i.e., our Immigration here at NAIA) was giving her a hard time. Basically, the Immigrations lady was not giving her clearance to go. 

I said to my friend, “Why? What reason is she giving you?”

My friend said that the she was being questioned as to why her trip to Singapore was for 17 days.  

I told my friend that Singapore allows 30-day visits. 

She replied, “I know! That’s what I said to her but she still questioned it. She said I needed a letter of invitation from my friend who was hosting me.”

I said, “Ha? They never required that before.” 

She said, “I figured she probably thought I was going to illegally look for work there, so I offered to show her the money I was bringing, and told her I had P30,000. And then she questioned why I was bringing P30,000. She said that I should be bringing dollars, not pesos, and that Singapore only allows P10,000, and they have money-detecting machines in the airport.”

I replied, “Hello? It’s not my first time in Singapore. They don’t have those money detectors. Also, haven’t you heard of moneychangers in Singapore? Also, how can you survive with just P10,000 in Singapore for 17 days?”  

I found it really bizarre because in the customs form of Singapore, they don’t even ask you how much you’re bringing in. They welcome all kinds of money. They want you to spend there. So I said to her, “Tell the Immigrations lady, ‘Miss, ano ba problema? May criminal case ba ako? May hold departure order ba sa akin? Ba’t di niyo ko pinapaalis? Kailangan ko pa ba kausapin abogado ko?’” 

I told my friend that Immigrations couldn’t stop her from leaving; that it was her constitutional right to travel, and that Immigrations should only really concern themselves with people coming in, and not so much people going out. I told my friend that in the US, you don’t even have to go through Immigrations when you leave. You just go through the airline ticket counter and that’s it.

After a number of minutes, and a few minutes before the plane was scheduled to leave, my friend asked the Immigration lady, “Miss, ano na mangyayari sa akin?” The Immigration lady snapped, “Ewan ko sa iyo!” When my friend asked if she should call her lawyer, she retorted: “Nanananakot ka pa! And bawal cell phone dito!” As my young nephew would say, “The nerves!”

Here’s the clincher: after all was said and done, in the end, the Immigrations lady allowed her in.   So my friend was left asking, “What was that all about?”

The Trappings of power-tripping

To me, that whole scenario can be summed up in two words: power tripping. 

I wouldn’t say this is a Pinoy thing. It’s not. A lot of people around the world love to power trip the moment they are given a semblance — or tinge of — power or authority.   It’s common to people who, in their younger days, either lacked, or were devoid of, power or authority.   You notice how this attitude is common among security guards (especially those in the security posts of posh villages), police officers, government officers, and court officers. In a way, you can’t blame them, really. In their younger days, they were probably not in a position of power.   In all likelihood, they weren’t that well off. They probably didn’t have the benefit of a good education. Thus, when they were given a post, and the post provided them with some kind of authority, their tendency is to really “feel it.” There’s a tendency to overdo it — mainly because they’re not used to it.

It’s obvious that the lady in Immigrations was power tripping. At the end of the day, unless she had a hold-departure order, she wasn’t really empowered to prevent my friend from leaving.   I am guessing that she probably was a bit jealous. After all, not everyone can experience a 17-day holiday in a foreign country. But whether she was jealous or not — or whether she was simply having a bad day — her attitude was inexcusable, especially for someone who is considered a public servant.

Speaking of public servants, I’d now like to segue to elected officials and high-ranking government officers. Whenever one says the words “power tripping,” what immediately comes to mind are these guys.   Sure, power tripping happens in the private sector. All the time. There are a lot of power trippers in private companies. But usually we don’t call them power trippers. We just call them a-holes. Power tripper is normally associated with government officials because it’s abused a lot, even by those who are just related to the one holding the power. You hear it all the time, especially in movies. You hear lines like, “Pare, ayusin na natin ito.   Tito ko si Mayor.” Or “Ako’ng bahala dyan, brother-in-law ko ang fiscal.” Typical contrabida lines in a Ronnie Ricketts action film.  

President Aquino has made a first bold step in reducing power-tripping among government officials by prohibiting the “wang-wangs.” Fine. But now we have the “hawi boys.” These are cops on motorcycles that make you hawi — and force you to give way when a congressman is passing. Oh, brother.

We should really try to avoid power tripping in any of its forms for the following reasons:

• Power is a privilege, not a right. Just because you have power doesn’t mean you can abuse it. It’s not a right. It’s a privilege.   And even if it was a right, all rights have limits. Your right ends where another’s begins. Power is given to people for them to do good and never to do evil.   Just ask Master Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi.

• The simple law of karma. If you abuse power and hurt people, it will come back at you. And it can bite you really bad.

• Potential embarrassment. Some people try to act siga whenever they are given some power, like bouncers, for example. But by doing that, you set yourself up for embarrassment. If you power trip on someone and that someone happens to be close to your boss, you could end up in a very embarrassing situation. The key is that even if you have some power, you have to always treat people with respect.

• You will be disliked. This is self-explanatory. Power trippers are the most reviled people in the world. Google Hitler and Napoleon.

• Your influence actually diminishes. Sometimes the more you act like the boss, the less people will consider you one.

In conclusion, I’d like to end with two of my favorite quotes on power and leadership: “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power,” by President Abraham Lincoln, and “Leadership should be more participative than directive, more enabling than performing,” by author and healthcare philanthropist Mary D. Poole.

So you want power?   Learn how to respect it. Only then will you truly deserve it.

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Thanks for your letters. You may e-mail me at rodhnepo@yahoo.com.