The Game of Politics; 'Tis the Same All Over the World

It always is relaxing to read a good book during your free time. Aside from gaining additional knowledge, it also sharpens your mind – food for thought, as is said. And as my fiancé likes to say, the brain is a muscle that needs constant exercise, which he accomplishes with his constant reading being the bookworm that he is. I've ran out of books to read but some are coming soon because my fiancé will be sharing some with me which he describes as good-read books.

But when was the last time you’ve read a book that focuses on politics? I must say my ideas on politics are somewhat conservative but nevertheless, I find books about the facets and ideoligies of politics interesting, especially the book Beating the Odds that covers several important issues Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo herself faced as she took over leadership not only in a new century, but a new millennium as well. Authored by Renato S. Velasco and Ricardo L. Saludo, it talks about her leadership abilities and how she faced challenging issues during her term and the actions she took in dealing with those issues. Being a President is not an easy task, especially in governing a country that is in crisis.

The Mindanao Peace Process which can be considered one of the more difficult issues the president had to face is talked about in the book. Terrorism in Mindanao (my home island) which is known all over the world in this age of insurgency has affected the entire country’s credibility, thus it is one among the many challenging issues the President had to face.

And the Philippines, being considered a third world country, has an ongoing economic crisis. And the budget deficit was among the many problems the President had to face during her tenure.

Summing up, a President alone cannot solve all of these issues alone without the support of her people and government colleagues, yet she’s been bombarded with criticisms and doubts, and maybe all should know their leaders better, and how the process works before casting stones of doubt. Read this book and see what she has done for our country and understand the difficulty of being in her shoes, shoes she will be passing on in a few days time to our new President-Elect.