Props to the President for not attending the Mandela funeral
I don’t think it was necessary for President Aquino to attend the funeral of the great African leader, Nelson Mandela, in order to honor him. Had he flown to Johannesburg, South Africa, despite all the gargantuan problems preoccupying him at home (foremost of which is the rehabilitation of vast areas and population centers ravaged by Supertyphoon “Yolanda”) his perennial critics most likely would have turned the tables on him and assailed him for being “cold-hearted” and “manifestly irresponsible.”
Some of the most important countries in the world, such as Russia, India, China and Indonesia, did not send their top leader to Mandela’s funeral.
Even the Dalai Lama of Tibet, a world-renowned libertarian, did not grace the event. But their absence did not imply disrespect for Mandela and his historic legacy, just as the physical presence of those who attended did not confer on them a halo of integrity and commitment reserved for kindred souls. In fact, well-known scoundrels from rogue states were also there at full strength.
Ok, so P-Noy missed out on the numerous photo ops and the “selfie” shots that have gone viral. State funerals can be trivialized by such nonessentials. Mandela would probably be turning in his grave because of the antics of some of his well-meaning admirers.
Let’s give P-Noy some credit for staying home this time.
—RAYMOND CRUZ,
