Opinion
MY VOTE, MY FREEDOM, MY OBEDIENCE – LEADERSHIP, POLITICS AND OUR FIRST CARDINAL RULE by Lewis Yu '86
MY VOTE, MY FREEDOM, MY OBEDIENCE – LEADERSHIP, POLITICS AND OUR FIRST CARDINAL RULE
by Lewis Yu '86
In the realm of politics and leadership, the scenario of a fellow running for an important position presents a compelling dilemma. The Upsilon Sigma Phi, a fraternity with a storied tradition and a commitment to brotherhood, often finds itself at a crossroads when its members run for office. This situation challenges the principles of fraternal loyalty against the backdrop of personal values, ties, and the broader responsibilities of leadership. The question arises: should Upsilonians automatically support their fellow brothers in elections, or should they prioritize their individual judgment and the greater good of the organization or community they are part of?
This debate touches on the core values of democracy, individual rights, and the essence of what it means to be a fellow of the Upsilon Sigma Phi. It delves into the complexities and the intricate balance between unity and diversity within the fraternity.
These were concerns and questions I really wanted to ask but somehow the timing of it did not seem right. I will always cherish the two years that I spent serving in the USPAA. I learned a lot and grew in love for the Upsilon. Now that I have two Upsilonian sons, Tristan ’21 and Nathan ’23, that period seems to be an even more fulfilling and worthwhile period. The work done, the ideas exchanged, some arguments and disagreements too.
Allow me to share some of these musings and reflections.
What if an Upsilonian is running for president of your student organization, are you, as an Upsilonian, obligated to vote for him?
As Upsilonians, we have a natural affinity for one another and there is a great likelihood that we will vote for said brod candidate. But what about the rare occasions where an Upsilonian chooses to vote otherwise, based on valid reasons or not, is it not his right to not vote for his brod?
What if your fraternity brother is running for student council chairman and at the same time your biological brother is also running for the same position under a different party? Who should an Upsilonian vote for in this situation?
Assume that you are the UP president. As an Upsilonian and a member of Board of Regents, are you obligated to vote for your fraternity brother who is a candidate to replace you? Would choosing another candidate, absent any other extraneous circumstance, be considered a betrayal to the fraternity?
In the situations described above, wouldn’t it be helpful to consider in what capacity one casts his vote? Does not one do so as a student, a Filipino, or a UP regent and not necessarily as an Upsilonian? Does our hierarchy of values not point us to the obvious answer?
Do Upsilonians vote as a bloc? Should the Most Illustrious Fellow ask the resident brothers to vote in a particular way? Should the USPAA ask the residents/Upsilonians to vote for particular candidates?
Our fraternity’s diversity and the personal nature of each of our votes dictate that we never, had in the past or never will in the future, vote as a bloc. The Illustrious fellow or the USPAA cannot tell each one of us how to vote. That would be like telling each one of us what our favorite color should be or what religion each of us should belong to. The first cardinal rule is a means to resolve differing views much the same way democracy allows the majority view to prevail. In our system we entrust the resolution of differing views to the wisdom of the most illustrious fellow. But this should not be confused with trampling over individual rights and freedoms. The first cardinal rule can co-exist with individual freedoms similar to democratic systems.
If we don’t vote as a bloc, how can we then endorse specific candidates using the name and the seal of our fraternity?
In the last elections, well-meaning and intentioned brods endorsed specific candidates. Despite earnest efforts to clarify that they don’t represent the entire fraternity, the endorsement of “concerned" Upsilonians was eventually misused to create the impression that the entire fraternity and its membership endorsed those specific candidates. Our fraternity seal was displayed without qualifications and no longer seemed to be limited to the signatories. Did anyone bother to explain the limitations of that endorsement? Paano naman yung mga brods who do not share the same political views, choices and convictions? Sorry nalang sila? What if they instead came up with a contrary endorsement? Then you’ll have Upsilonians for candidate A and Upsilonians for candidate B, C, D, E? This has to stop.
The fraternity’s name and seal belong to all of us collectively. Out of respect for our innate diversity and differing views, none of us, not a small or large or even an overwhelming majority should be able to arrogate for themselves the fraternity’s name and seal in support of specific candidates.
Does the fraternity endorse its member candidates? How? What if not all the fellows believe in these candidates? What if an Upsilonian is running against a fellow Upsilonian for the same position, say vice president of the Republic? How do we choose who to endorse? One endorsement for A and another for B? Or more ridiculously, we endorse both and show that our sole consideration is fraternal ties?
There is absolutely nothing wrong with brods supporting brod candidates. It is the most natural and ideal situation where fraternity brothers help their brod candidate in realizing his goals. It is farthest from our intention to advocate that brods be apolitical. However, it is important to establish our intentions from the beginning. Are we endorsing and supporting our brod candidate in order to help him win? Or are we simply going through the motions and doing things to show that we are helping when in fact we are not?
DO NOT GIVE WHAT YOU DON’T FULLY OWN. If you really want to support Upsilonians, you are definitely free to do so. You can even sell your house and contribute the proceeds to his campaign. I don’t have any study to back this up but I doubt very much how putting our seal and name helps a candidate win. At most, it provides moral support. So why insist on this at the risk of misunderstanding and misrepresentation. There are much better and more effective ways to help if the intention is to help the candidate win. Work with the candidates’ campaign team instead of the fraternity acting as a political party or the communications officer of the candidates. We need to find consistency in our policies and practices. In the way we live fraternity and respect individual freedoms.
I’m glad we are talking about these things outside a political season. Perhaps we will all see this as a fraternal issue and not political. Perhaps it can be dealt with less emotion and in a less partisan manner. The objective is to try to formulate principles, practices, and parameters that can apply to future situations. I think it will be more likely than not that Upsilonians will run against each other. This has happened in the past (1986, 2022) and will likely happen again. These are occasions to celebrate as Upsilonians but also something to prepare for so that it does not split us into pieces.
I wonder when and why we seemed to have equated leadership with winning specific positions in the university and nationally? Adopting a notion that a successful term of an Illustrious fellow or USPAA board is measured by positions we are able to secure for the fraternity. Position and wealth seemed to have become the currency by which we measure our success. Back in the 80’s I even remember a brod telling us that “it is not enough that we (Upsilon Sigma Phi) win, everyone else should lose.” Ideally, our success should be measured by our strength of character as seen in each one of us, in the lives we live rather than by mere association w our more prominent members. Wealth, position, and association with our prominent brods does not quite capture the essence of the doctrines we are taught in the fraternity. We have to live these doctrines by touching other people’s lives, making the lives of the people around us more pleasant, by being selfless. By becoming role models to the youth, having empathy for others, even bearing the inevitable difficulties and failures in life well. There is so much in our doctrines that tell us how to lead good lives. The Upsilonian is capable of so much more.
Winning elections is merely the beginning of leadership. It’s aspiring for a position to enable one to serve and to lead. It is born out of character that shows one is able to bring out the best in the people we wish to serve. Leadership is more about character building than winning positions. Let’s focus on capacity and character building. Positions and prestige will inevitably follow. It should not even matter much even if those positions do not materialize. Character even without election victories or appointments will make us leaders in our families, our circle of friends, our communities etc. Leaders that are attractive, inclusive, and not selfish.
Perhaps we also need to clarify that one of our goals is political maturity and not unity. Maybe we need a longer-term view of things? To not see elections as good vs evil or being at the right or wrong side of history. Each one of us, including the people we choose, are capable of so much good and so much evil. It’s the choices we each make every single day that matter. Let’s hope and pray that more choose to do good for everyone’s sake. Let’s not waste too much time putting our leaders down. Let them do their job and just vote them out at the proper time. Let’s also be patient no matter how frustrating things may seem to be.
Bato bato sa langit. Ang tamaan huwag sanang magalit.
Our intention for this article Is to amplify our individual freedoms as members of the Upsilon Sigma Phi. To avoid schism due to differing political views. It has to be clear that What binds us together Is not a common political view but love for the fraternity and the respect for individual freedom, something the fraternity also teaches us.
Our goal is to empower every member to actively and assertively exercise their individual freedoms, while simultaneously ensuring that this does not encroach upon the rights of our brothers and co-owners of the fraternity. This includes a commitment to preventing the misuse of the fraternity's name and seal and steering clear of self-promotion or being "epal.”
I remember one conversation I had a few years ago. We were talking about projects of the membership committee of the USPAA, specifically the values formation programs. A brod pointed out that projects such as these will only bear fruit long beyond our term and may not be worthwhile to undertake. Fortunately, not everyone shared that view. In fact, another brod said that “If everyone thought that way, nothing meaningful will ever be achieved.” I laud the current USPAA board for quietly continuing and expanding these initiatives. We can only hope to someday contribute as much as the brods who have led us to where we are now. Quoting a brod I served with in the board, “Begin with the end in mind”. We really need to have a longer-term view of things.
Maybe we can all begin new chapter in our history. One in which we see an end that leads us towards an even better and brighter Upsilon Sigma Phi. One where leadership Is intrinsic, inherent, enduring, encompassing, and founded on strength of character. Together, we stand on the cusp of redefining our legacy, cultivating a brotherhood that shines with the light of integrity, unity, and purpose. This is not just a vision; it's a call to action, urging us to build a fraternity that will illuminate the way for generations to come, where our bond is as brilliant as it is unbreakable.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Lewis Yu '86 is a businessman-lawyer. He finished his bachelors in Business Administration before completing his law degree. Beyond his professional achievements, Lewis finds fulfillment in his role as a proud father to two daughters and three sons including Tristan '21 and Nathan '23. He is a golf and basketball enthusiast. Lewis served the USPAA as member of the board of trustees in the years 2021-2023.
