What the people expect is a statesman (or stateswoman)

Gov. Jenniffer González Colón, center, with her second round of appointments on Jan. 1. (Facebook via Jenniffer González Colón)

By Gregorio Igartúa

Special to The Star

During the four months of the new administration, as in other years when a new government begins, questions have arisen about the appointments made to lead the agencies. The vast majority have been confirmed, and a few have been determined to be unqualified.

This new process has generated controversy, especially noted by the press. It is therefore pertinent to ask: what public image should the governor, legislators, mayors, and assembly members and/or agency heads possess and project? The truth is that the people expect a figure who projects what has been called for years a statesman (and/or stateswoman). Ultimately, all of them lead the state and significantly control their respective branches.

This position arises because of the expectations and support of the people in the electoral process. In some cases, this position is projected because of the provisions that regulate the process of appointing secretaries of agencies, in which, on the one hand, the governor appoints the official, and the Senate approves or rejects him or her with its “advice and consent,” which entails a thorough investigative process of the appointee’s qualifications. This is not a controversial process of the executive branch against the Legislature, but rather a shared one with the purpose of ensuring citizens have the necessary qualifications to deal with the social, legal and economic problems of our Puerto Rico (See PR Const. IV-4 and 5; Art. I-9; Art. II-22. Also see U.S. Const. Art. II-2). (In fact, the positions of commonwealth comptroller and Secretary of State require approval by both the House and Senate.)

There can be no record of criminal and/or ethical violations in their record, and there must be significant qualification, as evidenced by the rigor of the shared nominating process.

The figure of the statesman is not defined by current popularity. Its essence lies in his or her ability to exercise power with virtue, responsibility and historical vision. A statesman (or woman) is not expected to simply manage his or her affairs, he or she is expected to achieve greatness.

He or she is not an ordinary politician who thinks about the immediate effects of his or her decisions based on votes, polls, and/or headlines. The statesman thinks in generational terms.

Even when the political cost is high, he or she is expected to make decisions aimed at the structural and sustainable development of the country, institutional strengthening, and the future well-being of its citizens. His or her actions are not dictated by electoral calculations, but rather by moral conviction.

The statesman (or woman) is distinguished by his or her ability to avoid favors that compromise his or her judgment. He or she is expected to act as a guardian of the public interest, with independent judgment, transparency in his or her intentions, and honesty in his or her methods. In his or her scale of values, equity, social justice and respect for fundamental rights are non-negotiable.

A statesman (or woman) is expected to possess moral authority, sincerity between what he or she says and what he or she does, and a public and private life that withstands scrutiny.

Society needs to trust those who lead it, and that trust is only built with integrity. His power emanates not from his or her position, but from his or her conduct. Temperance, honesty, a rejection of cronyism, and austerity in the use of public resources are an inseparable part of his (or her) profile.

Being a statesman (or woman) entails making unpopular decisions for the collective good. He or she is expected to act not out of convenience, but out of conviction -- not out of fear of losing power, but out of the need to use it responsibly -- to be a factor of unity, not of division. The stateswoman or statesman does not use power to pit one against another, but rather to forge lasting agreements.

He or she is expected to act with a sense of historical significance, to understand that his or her time in power is brief, but his or her decisions can shape the course of generations. The statesman (or woman) is not a messiah, nor a technician, nor an opportunist. He or she is a public servant who has understood that power is an instrument at the service of the community, not an end, and his true reward is not power, but the ethical imprint he or she leaves on the history of his or her nation. He or she must act with humility and always practice it. He or she must not use social media to defend himself or herself with lies against what he or she cannot prove in his or her actions and good governance. In any case, the figure of the spouse of the statesman or stateswoman must also walk with the same veil. He must always bear in mind that society, which is always vigilant in its desire for omnipotence, is always critical.

As we see, the habit doesn’t make the monk, but it does, and the statesman (or stateswoman) responds to the criteria of the people, who expect administrative management of the highest level of public responsibility. Our men and women must adjust their conduct to these requirements. Those of today must evaluate themselves and sew and paint the habit with which they will act, dress and expose themselves to their people, to US.

Aristotle, a student of Plato, understood that politics and ethics are inseparable: The political community exists to achieve good, not just to live in society. For him, the state arises simply as a safeguard of life; it operates and builds moral greatness. That is what we all expect from our public figures in Puerto Rico.