I am greatly saddened by the news that the Rizal Park hostage drama, which involved innocent foreigners as victims, had ended violently and at the cost of precious lives.
Yet it wasn’t long that we’ve written that government can’t prevent man-made disasters. It’s sad to say this view has again been validated- government can’t stop a self-inflicted mayhem.
As usual, it’s only the visible things that are always seen by the mainstream. For instance, there has been a big misplaced focus on the botched attempt to conduct a bloodless rescue.
And as we always say, governments are merely human beings and subject to the same follies (mostly emotional) like anyone else. [Haven’t noticed how the “large number” of police had been seemingly afraid to enter the bus to take upon a lone ‘wolf’ assailant?]
So the gruesome event essentials reveal how inefficient governments are.
The moral is—the emperor had been caught apparently NAKED!
Again, this primarily had NOT been because of the lack of funding or preparation, but because the problem always is FUNDAMENTALLY PREDICATED ON KNOWLEDGE.
Yet, this isn’t the first time where a bus-hijack occurred (the last bus hijack occurred in 2007).
The problem is, in contrast to past, is that this time the assailant had been part of the government- a former police captain!
So fundamentally the ambit of possible government operations is one that is familiar to the felon, such that he probably knew how to make countervailing moves.
In other words, the government fought against part of her own shadow, which has probably prompted the conspicuous hesitance by the police to undertake forceful operations (aside from the fear of collateral damage which has always been the excuse).
Of course, the other factor is that the aggressor was also a fellow man in uniform.
So again, one shouldn’t always dismiss the human factor among the participants in the unfolding of political events.
But there is more.
News reveals that the antagonist justified his provocations because of perceived injustice committed by the government on him.
This from the Inquirer,
The Office of the Ombudsman said that Mendoza was among five officers charged with robbery, extortion and grave threats and dismissed after a Manila hotel chef filed a complaint alleging the policemen falsely accused him of using drugs to extort money...
Gregorio earlier told a local TV station that his brother was upset by his treatment and dismissal from the force.
“His problem was he was unjustly removed from service. There was no due process, no hearing, no complaint,” he said.
Two important factors here:
One, government actions are ALWAYS POLITICAL. Whether his dismissal was valid or not (which we aren’t qualified to make any judgments), the adverse relationship developed with perhaps some of the citizenry which probably resulted to alleged lack of “due process” reveals that government actions are almost always arbitrary.
Two entrenched sense of political entitlement. The assailant felt that he deserved a permanent place as part of the bureaucracy, regardless of what the institution or what political leaders thought of him.
While it is true that the aggressor could signify as one of the extremes (fat tail), the point is that political power is always addictive. The addiction comes in different degrees. And in the case of the hostage taker, he felt the need to be a part of it. (Lord of the Rings, anyone?)
Bottom line: Almost every facet of this sordid episode represents the innate pathology of government actions.
