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Ladies and Gentlemen
Mabuhay!
The 2nd Aksyon Kabataan Leaders Conference is a step
towards political maturity. We hope that the nation will
follow. In the program, we were able to do away with
what we thought would always be part of the Philippine Political
system:
1. Action not Words
The Philippines has always taken center stage in speech,
debate and other oratorical competitions inside
Asia. Yet it is very ironic that we lag behind our
neighbors in terms of standard of living.
In the Philippine school system, more credit is given to
those who can express themselves in words and
letters. Albeit ease in expressing oneself is an advantage, it must be supplemented by action.
Do you ever wonder why we have so many good speakers yet
so few dollar reserves?
The 2nd Aksyon Kabataan Leaders Conference is not for
traditional politicians who talk and talk but produce no concrete
output. Our goal is to have good speakers who can translate their words into
actions. Anything short of that we cannot accept.
2. Meritocracy and Loyalty not just Loyalty
While ALL political parties chose loyalty in selecting
delegates to their conferences, Aksyon would have it
differently. We need those who are loyal and able. Loyalty alone
would not make this country move forward. For so long we are proud of our
having "utang na loob" but where are we now? Often, our sense of "utang na
loob" is distorted leading to blind obedience, and sometimes with hidden
agenda to hold another. Furthermore, reliance in "utang na
loob" is not assurance. Look at Monching and Joe. There is no concrete measure for
this
However, ability can be measured and can truly
contribute to the development of the nation.
For delegates, we prescribe those who have been elected
and have organized activities. By having these criteria, we can somehow be
assured of the quality of the leader we are going to train. This is not
only a step towards political maturity but also towards professionalism
in politics.
3. Accountability
Unlike most conferences, where the members are praised
as if gods, we prefer to make them accountable. After all, ACCOUNTABILITY is
the foundation of a democratic society. If we want to govern by 2004, as early as now we should
show the nation that we can make our leaders accountable to the party and to
the nation
4. Concrete steps
We are tired of words, we want action. The program was
designed to secure the fulfillment of the promises by reducing into
concrete plans the things discussed. A monitoring system has been set up to ensure
that promises would be kept.
5. Training
As part of the program, the delegates will be equipped
with the necessary skills to ensure not just the fulfillment of the
promises, but also make sure that the work is done well to realize the
objectives.
Politics is not meant to be dirty. Let's start cleaning
the system!
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