A study in contrasts

In a previous column I said Noynoy Aquino was a genius. I still hold that to be true. But that column was about how Noynoy skillfully subverted legal processes to become a dictator even without declaring martial law, as Ferdinand Marcos had done.

Let me qualify that again. To me Noynoy is a genius only in getting what he wants by any and all means, fair and foul, but mostly foul. He gets away with foul means like bribing senators in the Corona impeachment trial because he saw resentment for Corona will blind people to the rape of due process -- hence the genius.

In all other respects, however, Noynoy keeps missing the point. Right from the beginning of his term he misses the point of being president. As far as the presidency is concerned, he misunderstood the "wang-wang" to be an excessive and abusive act of power.

Noynoy just did not get it that as president, it was necessary for him to get from one place to another as quickly and as safely as possible. He missed the point that as president, he didn't have to stop for traffic lights at every corner to show solidarity with the people.

He does not understand that his public display of affection for the people only puts them under the unnecessary risk of losing their leader. He cannot fathom the need for him to be secured at all times, by "wang-wang" and other means.

Noynoy doesn't see that the sudden loss of a leader will prove far more harmful to the people than if they were made to suffer the slight inconvenience of having to wait for him to pass safely and quickly by, all "wang-wangs" wailing.

But that was at the beginning of his term. To this day, as he inexorably nears the end, Noynoy still doesn't get it. Over in Bohol, shortly after that province was devastated by a 7.1-magnitude earthquake, our president felt it was presidential for him to sleep in a tent with the victims.

Noynoy misses the point that he can still be presidential even if he doesn't rub elbows with the public in a disaster zone. In fact, he could have been more presidential if he had acted quickly to solve the many kinks that hampered the quick delivery and distribution of relief goods to those who needed them.

But no, Noynoy felt it was more leader-like to stay overnight at the disaster zone, where aftershocks were being registered by the hundreds daily. He simply missed the point that the effects of a strong aftershock were beyond the means of those around him, including the presidential security men, to control or contain.

What if a particularly strong aftershock had knocked down a barrel of fuel and it fell on the big toes of Noynoy, or had sprung a leak and ignited when Noynoy lit up a cigarette? There were so many imponderables that could have happened just because the president had been careless in his aimlessness.

It is not for the president to personally hand the victims their plastic bags of aid. In fact, the presence of Noynoy does not in any way speed up the distribution of relief. On the contrary, his personal involvement only serves to slow everything down.

I am not saying that Noynoy should not show his face at all. On the contrary, he ought to be there as early as is possible to safely do so without compromising his security. His presence can help reassure people and keep their hopes alive.

But he doesn't have to do anything more than necessary. The pain and hunger of the people are not assuaged by his sleeping over with them inside a tent. In fact, those who have managed to gather their wits after the quake would probably have seen through the gimmick and the fakery of the stay over.

To me this is all so confusing. I cannot understand how Noynoy can be such a genius in successfully pulling off the dismantling of our democratic institutions, and yet be such a wimp in trying to show oneness with the people. Doctors ought to study how the mind of Noynoy works.