Is it the looks or the heart that matters?
Down under in Australia, we just had a Federal election last Saturday. The people has decided to vote the 11.5 year-old Liberal-National Coalition Government out and Kevin Rudd and his team in the Australian Labor Party has been elected as the new Government to lead Australia. It has been a controversial election which gave an unprecedented result of the Australian people voting a government out of office in times where the country was growing modestly and unemployment is at multi-decade lows.
During lunch today, I have asked my friend whether she was satisfied with the election results. She told me that she was pleased with the result. She was very impressed with Prime Minister-elect Rudd's incoming speech where he declared victory. Rudd succinctly addressed all aspects that he needed to address. It was spot on.
My view, on the other hand, was much the opposite. Pessimist, you may call me, but I found the speech more or less the same as the Labor Party's campaign: It was too good to be true. It was too perfect to expect it will happen in reality. His speech was scripted so there was no room for error. Outgoing Prime Minister John Howard's exiting speech, on the other hand was not scripted at all. It was very touching. Every sentence of his speech came from the 33 years of political experience, but more importantly, it came from the heart. Many people who I have spoken about this agreed that if he spoke from the heart as he did in his outgoing speech throughout the campaign, there would be a much greater chance of him winning, as it would actually reach out and touch every voter's heart.
My friend then questioned me: isn't it good that the whole thing about having a 'facade' and showing only the good side supposed to be better? She argued that there was no need to show the voter the dirty and messy side. The average voter does not need to know what happens behind the closed doors. They can have their fights any way they want but as long as they have that good image to represent the people of Australia, then its fine.
I then made remarks along the lines of saying voting in politics is somewhat like choosing a boyfriend (or girlfriend for guys reading this). What is more important is not the looks, but really the things that reflect their heart. No point choosing a guy/girl with very impressive looks and not realising that their intentions is to cheat on you (I would like to clarify though, that I have no intentions to say our new Government has intentions to cheat on us). Likewise in politics, you would not like to choose a leader that merely has the perfect 'facade' and have nothing coming out from the brain. You would want the wonderful appearance to be a fruit of the leader's good heart and fundamental experience.
Likewise, God has made it clear how critical He is when it comes to choosing His people at the end of the day. He does not choose people that merely look good, but He chooses those who has a heart for Him . The Pharisees of Jesus' day were respectable religious leaders who would do everthing that looked religiously correct in front of people. Throughout time, rather to do what is religiously correct in reverence of God, they did it to enjoy the social status and recognition (Matthew 23:6-7). They had a wonderful image, but Jesus went right to his most central criticism at Matthew 23:25-28 (ESV):
During lunch today, I have asked my friend whether she was satisfied with the election results. She told me that she was pleased with the result. She was very impressed with Prime Minister-elect Rudd's incoming speech where he declared victory. Rudd succinctly addressed all aspects that he needed to address. It was spot on.
My view, on the other hand, was much the opposite. Pessimist, you may call me, but I found the speech more or less the same as the Labor Party's campaign: It was too good to be true. It was too perfect to expect it will happen in reality. His speech was scripted so there was no room for error. Outgoing Prime Minister John Howard's exiting speech, on the other hand was not scripted at all. It was very touching. Every sentence of his speech came from the 33 years of political experience, but more importantly, it came from the heart. Many people who I have spoken about this agreed that if he spoke from the heart as he did in his outgoing speech throughout the campaign, there would be a much greater chance of him winning, as it would actually reach out and touch every voter's heart.
My friend then questioned me: isn't it good that the whole thing about having a 'facade' and showing only the good side supposed to be better? She argued that there was no need to show the voter the dirty and messy side. The average voter does not need to know what happens behind the closed doors. They can have their fights any way they want but as long as they have that good image to represent the people of Australia, then its fine.
I then made remarks along the lines of saying voting in politics is somewhat like choosing a boyfriend (or girlfriend for guys reading this). What is more important is not the looks, but really the things that reflect their heart. No point choosing a guy/girl with very impressive looks and not realising that their intentions is to cheat on you (I would like to clarify though, that I have no intentions to say our new Government has intentions to cheat on us). Likewise in politics, you would not like to choose a leader that merely has the perfect 'facade' and have nothing coming out from the brain. You would want the wonderful appearance to be a fruit of the leader's good heart and fundamental experience.
Likewise, God has made it clear how critical He is when it comes to choosing His people at the end of the day. He does not choose people that merely look good, but He chooses those who has a heart for Him . The Pharisees of Jesus' day were respectable religious leaders who would do everthing that looked religiously correct in front of people. Throughout time, rather to do what is religiously correct in reverence of God, they did it to enjoy the social status and recognition (Matthew 23:6-7). They had a wonderful image, but Jesus went right to his most central criticism at Matthew 23:25-28 (ESV):
25"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.
27 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness. 28So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
Tim Gartrell, ALP National Secretary and Campaign Director
4th December 2007
Speech to the National Press Club, Canberra
Of course, since November 24 the Liberals and the Nationals have been busy rewriting history; frantically and shamelessly re-inventing themselves and recasting their role in the demise of the Howard Government.
Shedding their skins like summer cicadas; trying desperately to throw off their old dry shells and their old dead ideas. Here we are, just a week after the election loss and they’re all at it.
Falling over one another in their rush to dump policy after policy. Sacred, decade-old tenets and traditions of the Liberal Party unceremoniously trashed as Nelson, Turnbull and Bishop lead the stampede from ground zero. Trampling everything in their way.
WorkChoices – gone. An aberration that mysteriously now has neither author, supporter or enforcer. It was once the Liberals’ only vision of Australia’s future prosperity. For this new Liberal triumvirate – desperately trying to re-invent themselves - it’s as if it never was.
Well either you stood for what you did in Cabinet or you don’t. And if you don’t, then you don’t stand for anything. It’s the same with Malcolm Turnbull – who says one thing to the electorate in his campaign materials and another in the Cabinet room.
And though all this deconstruction and reconstruction, lurking around the edges the man with those unique people skills – Tony Abbott. He’s signalled that it’s game on – he’ll be making future leadership bids so watch out Brendan. And note that’s in the plural – if he doesn’t succeed the first time he won’t be calling it quits.
Complete Speech visit:
http://www.alp.org.au/media/1207/spe040.php
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1:05 pm, December 12, 2007