Compromise

As we study the two versions of the Bangsamoro Basic Law or BBL (from the Senate and House of Representatives), I remember an adage said by US Congressman Samuel Rayburn: “If you want to get along, you have to go along.” This was the advice he gave to the US members of Congress that allowed him to serve for over 17 years as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives.

The meat of Rayburn’s advice is that you have to learn to give a little to get something in return. Unfortunately, most people see compromise as a bad thing. They see it as a way of giving up one’s principle.

For some people, compromise is a sign of weakness. But in the Bangsamoro peace process, willingness to compromise is a sign of great conviction: that the Bangsamoro people and the Filipino nation come first.

I agree that this is easier said than done. But John Baldwin, an internationally recognized executive coach and leadership educator, gives an important advice on how to compromise when compromising is difficult. He said, “Start by understanding the other person or group’s point of view. Our ego often prevents us from seeing what others see — and, worse, prevents us from seeing the merits of their case.”

This is very true in the essence of what the legislators are proposing for the BBL. The BBL aims to give the following principles to the Bangsamoro people: political autonomy, fiscal autonomy, rights of the indigenous peoples, protection of the environment, transition government, and the democratic way of addressing the conflict through a plebiscite.

All these principles are difficult for our people to understand. Hence, the people on the ground does not care that much of the words of the law. The important thing for them is that they will have food on their table, have proper access to social services, sustainable livelihood, and a decent way of life based on their cultural practices.

In my observation, ideologues in the Bangsamoro peace process are so consumed by the power of their ideas that it prevents them from examining and understanding another person’s point of view. They discard other peoples’ viewpoint before they even understand it, or they deny its validity before they have given it significant thought. As Baldwin said, “When that occurs, any chance of compromise is lost”.

He further suggests that “if you run into roadblocks, make respect your watchword. Both act in a way that lets your counterpart respect you, and remember to always treat your counterpart with respect. This lays the foundation for mutual trust, which makes compromise much easier.”

He added: “Respect also allows good people to disagree — sometimes vigorously — without animosity. You may be heated in your argument, but you are not irritated with the other person. This is liberating. You can both channel your passion for the work into something constructive.

Lastly, we should also remember Prussian statesman Otto von Bismarck’s advice about politics: “It is the art of the possible, the attainable – the art of the next best.” --SunStar Davao