IT’S ALWAYS good to have some kind of advocacy, to live by and for principles that govern our vision of how the world should be.
Having a cause reminds us that we are part of something bigger than ourselves.
The advocacy could take on any form: Fighting corruption, eliminating illegal drugs, preserving the environment, empowering women, protecting children, providing jobs or shelter to the poor.
There are many such advocates in our midst. Society is all the richer because of them. Great feats have ben achieved because of their passion, hard work and temerity.
Advocates, however, enjoy precarious status in their public and private lives. Because they push relentlessly for that which they believe is right, their entire lives—their history, relationships, economic interests—are placed under scrutiny.
They must then make sure they have no secrets that will cast doubt on their credibility. If even a tiny conflict of interest is discovered, for instance, or if some pronouncements are misunderstood, the cause being fought for is diminished.
In some instances, advocates may not be the best persons to hold official positions in their areas of interest. Advocacy presupposes a definite, unequivocal stand. It is charged with emotion—and rightly so.
A government post, on the other hand, requires openness to other points of view and willingness to look at where other parties are coming from. It entails the implementation of established regulations—a task that needs objective leadership and a stable hand.
Perhaps we run into much dissatisfaction because we confuse the demands of one from that of the other.