Unnecessary conflict

By Alex P. Vidal

“People like to say that the conflict is between good and evil. The real conflict is between truth and lies.”—Don Miguel Ruiz

SO many definitions have been submitted for the real meaning of “partners in nation building” but, every now and then, we hear some media, police, and political personalities reciting this familiar line when they want to inspire and involve one another in a common goal and cooperation.

In the absence of—or to resolve—any conflict, it must be emphasized that “partners in nation building” must unite, work and resolve any crisis, and gather their talents and resources together.

They invoke this popular sentence to hack out a win-win approach and eliminate any antipathy and strife.

Sometimes it refers to tacit obligation of every citizen to abide by the law and order of the nation, as well as perform their duties as a responsible citizen to maintain harmonious co-existence and take the nation forward.

In our own simple and practical definition, public officials—including those in the police and military uniforms—and members of the press are “partners in nation building”, thus they aren’t supposed to treat each other as rivals or enemies.

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Simply put, when media practitioners scrutinize or criticize our public officials and the men and women in military and police uniforms, it is not a direct act of enmity on the part of the press; rather it’s job-related and tantamount to constructive appraisal of the recipients’ performance.

The aim is improvement, transparency, accountability and enhancement of quality of service, not destruction or outright malice to commit slander or any derogatory design.

Severe conflict or embittered quarrel aren’t necessary. In fact, it’s a waste of time and downright counterproductive.

Public office is a public trust. Anyone who occupies a public office must be ready and open to light and even severe criticism from the press. Because they are “partners in nation building”, they can never wish for the downfall and destruction of one another.

For good ideas and true innovation, Margaret Heffernan says we need human interaction, conflict, argument, debate.

We don’t need a protracted war or a fencing match in public.

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DESPITE the closure of Black History Month, New York Governor Kathy Hochul assured New Yorkers, including this writer, in an email of protection from hate and discrimination.

Alex, this Black History Month, we took time to celebrate the great Black New Yorkers who shaped our culture, our communities, and our entire country. 

While Black History Month comes to a close today, our fight for equality and justice continues every day of the year.

Growing up the daughter of social justice activists, my parents taught me to stand up for what you believe in, to support your neighbors, and, above all, to do what’s right. That’s why I’m working to right the wrongs of the past and make sure that every New Yorker has a fair chance to get ahead.  

That means protecting New Yorkers from hate and discrimination — from taking action after a white supremacist with hate in his heart targeted our neighbors at Tops Supermarket in Buffalo, to strengthening our hate crimes laws, to making investments to hold perpetrators of hate crimes accountable for their actions.  

That means righting the wrongs of the past — from establishing a community commission to explore what reparations could look like in New York State to making historic investments in infrastructure projects that reconnect communities.

That means leveling the playing field — from eliminating the MWBE backlog and making historic investments in the success of MWBEs, to giving millions a second chance under our Clean Slate Act, to helping families build intergenerational wealth and stay in their communities by fighting deed theft through legislation and this year’s Executive Budget. 

And that means making sure all New Yorkers, regardless of their zip code, can lead safe and healthy lives — from taking nation-leading action to reduce pollution and improve air quality in underserved communities to tackling the maternal and infant mortality crisis. 

In New York, we know that when we take action to lift up our communities, it changes our entire state for the better.

As Black History Month comes to a close, we are not just honoring the legacy of Black New Yorkers who came before us. We are working to build a brighter future for the New Yorkers of today and of tomorrow.

Ever Upward, Gov. Kathy Hochul

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two daily newspapers in Iloilo.—Ed)