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They are us

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FOR ALL the xenophobes, homophobes, Islamophobics, nativists, racists, misogynists, white supremacists/nationalists, anti-Semitics, ethnic purists, bullies, segregationists, and build-the-wall or tokhang supporters polluting the global atmosphere, the voice that is Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand’s prime minster, is a breathe of fresh air. Perhaps, not only Ms. Ardern, but the whole of New Zealand.

The world witnessed this noble, humane and sturdy spirit, vision and/or character of Ms. Ardern after a recent shooting spree incident that killed 50 people in two separate Islamic mosques in Christchurch City in New Zealand. The high moral quality, inspired, and impassioned speech of Ms. Ardern before the lawmakers of NZ is ultimately matched with New Zealanders’ fervent outpouring of sympathies, empathies, cries, flowers, hugs and support and even that famous haka war dance (which many claimed were enacted for peace) performed by various groups for the families of the victims.

The Christchurch city massacre is not new to the global community, to all of us. Our daily news doses of these horrendous and evil killings almost make them a new normal. However, there is something there that wasn’t there before, so to speak, in what transpired in New Zealand.

There is Ms. Ardern’s, in fact, the whole of New Zealanders’ framework of understanding of the “Us” versus “Them”, or the “Others”. PM Jacinda Ardern, addressing the victims, underscores this inspiring paradigm: “We cannot know your grief. But, we can walk with you at every stage. We can and we will surround you with Aruha (love) and Manaakitinga (loosely translated as generosity, hospitality and mutual respect) and all that makes us, us. Our hearts are heavy, but our hearts are strong”.

Most if not all of the victims were either migrants or refugees that made New Zealand their new homes. These migrants and/or refugees are not “them”, they are “us” as far as Ms. Ardern, and in fact, the whole of New Zealand, are concerned. This is the major New Zealand-brand of difference. Across the globe, and most starkly in the US, given Trump’s racist brand of presidency, this Ardern paradigm or narrative of inclusivity towards migrants and refugees is a shinning beacon of light.

In a globalized community where there is so much economic and political disaster and instability across nation states, be it in Myanmar amongst the Rohingyas, in Greece, in Syria, and most recently in Venezuela, the on-going, increasing and unstoppable in flocks of migrants and refugees become an inevitable phenomena. No country in the world is going to be immune and will not be affected by migration. How countries handle this social issue harks back to how each one us frames this real concern.

The narrative of inclusivity displayed by Ardern and the whole of New Zealand is only one of the many possible frameworks. But, it is the most humane, most human-rights based, most non-violent, and perhaps truest to our common humanity. That at the end of the day, and reducing ourselves to our most basics, the socially constructed trappings of religions, gender, nationality, identity, economic status, and ideologies, do not matter, given that we are all humans.

Back to our shores, the intense and enlarged conversations on the narrative of inclusivity take immediacy and indeed, life-saving proportions. We can start revisiting our “Us”. Do Christian and Muslim Filipinos consider each other in the “Us” framework, seriously? Isn’t the crisis in Marawi a vicious symptom of the failure of our framework? How about the women? the mostly materially poor drug addicts? the tokhang victims, the minorities, and the children in conflict with the law?

We do not have to scamper outside of the country to find this inclusivity concept. Yes Syler, like New Zealand’s Manaakitinga, we have our version of the narrative of inclusivity. It is called Kapwa.

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