| Subject: Taking Action, Right Here, Right Now! |
Author:
Sandra Alzona
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Date Posted: 19:17:02 02/09/04 Mon
The reason I joined this Pinoy egroup called Talsik is something I discover whenever I check it and, of course, this post of the moderator struck a cord as it echoes the affirmations of last year's HVF workshop at Art's place! I made sure to tell him that I used "Right Here, Right Now" as a tag line in our affirmations.
There's a very progressive energy in that egroup. You feel that many things are being put into action. It comes just at the right time in my life because I've put up my company and I really don't know what to do with taxes. It's so easy to cheat on it. All of a sudden, I have a support group sort of egroup that doesn't want any corruption taking place in this country.
Below is the Talsik moderator's post.
Namaste,
Sands
Subject: Taking Action, Right Here, Right Now!
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Top 10 CONCRETE Things Talsik Members Can Do to Fight Corruption
1. Start with self. Live with dignity! Do not condone corruption in personal life: no handing of ten-dollar bills to baggage checkers at the airport; just say no to extorting "kurakots" despite promises of expedited delivery of service (it's their job!); no "lagays" to government bureaucrats. No buts, no ifs! Corruption being "normal" is not an excuse—as a SOCIAL DISEASE, it is not normal and never should be.
2. Oppose and condemn instances of corruption! Openly or
anonymously report cases to the media (write newspapers, call talk shows, text media people), to trusted officials (there are still those who will do the right thing), or through other avenues (including Web-based discussion groups). If you can, file a case with the office of the ombudsman.
3. Help strengthen the anti-corruption movement (corruption is strong because we are weak!): start an anti-corruption group (e.g., a local Talsik chapter) in your community, and inform the bigger Talsik network of your activities (so we can learn from your experiences or find ways to help). If you can, incorporate an anti- corruption agenda among your already existing groups. Bring more people and organizations into Talsik's anti-corruption network. A
weak wave will die before it even hits the shore. Talsik will need to patiently build a giant wave that will slam the bastion of corruption with tsunamic intensity.
4. The anti-corruption campaign is essentially like a game of piñata, with hundreds of billions of pesos of the people's money hung up the ceiling by the corrupt, while blindfolded men and women of noble intentions try to break it with sticks. When millions of our people are trapped in poverty because of corruption, we need to remove the blindfolds and use better tools to break the piñata
open. We need to deal with the problem with open eyes—with the informed focus and perspective of a diligent scholar and with the passion of an outraged citizenry.
5. Watch out for our ACTION ALERTS. It is said that the pen is mightier than the sword, especially if it's more than a thousand pens (we now have about 1,400 members!). Nobel-prize winner Amnesty International has made a huge difference simply by mobilizing its members to write, e-mail, call, or fax perpetrators of human rights violations. We, too, have proven our ability to directly influence
the course of Philippine politics through concerted action in cyberspace (anti-Charter Change, eLagda campaign, the absentee voting bill lobby, etc.). More recently, John Silva, the guy who wrote GMA about the president's illegal posters and whose e-mail Cathy Ledesma posted in Talsik, wrote to thank those of us who responded to his call for support. As a result of the campaign, Malacañang ordered the taking down of the posters. We need to embrace technology, and redefine our concept of "taking action" with
all the new tools available.
6. Read up on issues and share insights with the group, with finding solutions (moving past the condemning and the blaming) as our focus.
7. Let's not get tired of discussing and acting on issues. Martin Luther King once said, "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." Acquiescence and, worse, despair are corruption's strongest allies. Fight cynicism with faith in positive action.
8. Learn to look beyond partisan politics. Talsik members come from every color of the political spectrum—from the extreme left all the way to the far right, but we are bound by a common desire to eradicate corruption. Our differences should not interfere with what we can achieve together.
9. The group is only as strong as its members. Do not ask what Talsik can do for you, but what you can do to support Talsik and its anti-corruption agenda.
10. Join our call for an anti-corruption summit (add your name below and send an e-mail back to this list or to mbionat@c...). To launch a war against the forces of corruption, we need to take stock of our own army. The summit is essential to see who our allies are, to inventory what's in our arsenal, and to discuss and pursue the
most realistic strategies. IT WILL NOT BE USED FOR SOMEONE'S
POLITICAL AGENDA.
Marvin
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Talsik/
www.talsik.com
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