Do Not Let The Point With Blood Reign Over
Pen vs. Sword: Which is mightier in 2020, especially with COVID-19 on the loose?
“The pen is mightier than the sword.”
Younger me would think that the ink brought by pen reigns over the sword all the time, defeating the evildoers with every word it writes. But with 2020 being the worst opening of a new decade, my old perspective crumbles, building up a sadder new one.
Fear leaks all over the ink of the mighty pen. Afraid of being caught opposing the government as it implements its draconian measures amidst the CoViD-19 pandemic, most have thrown out instead these small devices. Threatened with the sword, they worry with not only their own lives but also the ones near them. The only choice left seems to back away.
Those who are infamous for coercing their countries to follow their orders have once again shown their true colors, proving to me that this time, the sword is mightier than the pen. Somehow, even the ones who are using the pen, let themselves succumb to the greed of power inside them. In just one flick, the pandemic changed a lot of things — even political aspects.
While their treatment has not always been the best, being taken as a colony by the British brought democracy for Hong Kong. For its people, living with democracy feels like heaven. However, when the United Kingdom (UK) ceded Hong Kong back to China, living in the city became hell.
The folded pages that once symbolize freedom of expression are now being pulled out as China enacts a new security law effectively allowing them control over Hong Kong’s affairs. Librarians are saying that this action is only meant to review books written by well-known pro-democracy personalities to check if it ‘violated’ the new law. But in reality, it symbolizes the beginning of China’s tightening grip over Hong Kong, taking away their freedom that once comforted them in trying times.
For instance, signs of supporting the ongoing protests in business stalls are now being removed by its owners as the law passes, scared of being reported for conspiring a rebellion. Much worse is that those they thought will protect and fight for their rights, had also fled the nation.
However, it is not only Hong Kong who is facing one of their greatest challenges– Brazil also have its fair share of issues.
Brazil under President Jair Bolsonaro is still living with the same nightmare as they did since 1985 when their dictatorship fell. Bolsonaro oppressed the media, saying that ‘honest’ journalists are the ones that are manipulating the system. In 2019, the most populous Latin American nation scored 9th place on the deadliest countries for journalists, gathering 25 deaths in the last decade. Despite having a crisis, nothing good came out of this aspect as the oppressor continued oppressing his way into power.
To continuously control the information about the current status of the pandemic, the Brazilian Big Brother is killing the pen with also a pen, which is used to put a mark of gag in our mouths. For the third month of the year, he signed the Provisional Measure 928 that suspended deadlines for government officials to answer requests of information from the media. Moreover, his hired trolls harassed those reapers of the truth, as 14 incidents of it have already reported just by March. With more of his people in the office tolerating these kinds of misinformation and harassment, especially with COVID-19 ravaging the country, both ‘hopeless’ diseases are roaming around, dooming Brazil for the foreseeable future.
Last is with my homeland, the Pearl of the Orient. The country that was once a symbol of democracy in Asia is having its authorities suck up the remaining small amount of light into darkness. As of April, the Philippines lowered two more places from its 134th rank in 2019 out of 180 countries in the annual Reporters Without Borders World Press Freedom Index. It is due to the sudden shutdown of media giant ABS-CBN and a guilty verdict against Rappler CEO and journalist Maria Ressa. The current President, Rodrigo Duterte, seems to repeat what late dictator Ferdinand Marcos did when he also shut down media.
And to complete it, just like China and Brazil, he signed the Anti-Terror Bill, a law which critics have pointed out will be used against his opponents. With the bill now in law, swords will not be sheathed as his critics grew louder and louder. The point of the blade points at the critics, who are being red-tagged. As dissent grew with more ink coming out of the pen, more blood flows from the body, shutting down their discontent.
With all these actions by the sword, we should refill our pens once again, we will not succumb to the sword; and that we can stab them with our small pen, not literally, but with words of truth that will wake up the minds of everybody. As we continue to write, we will prove that the proverb remains true. The point with the blood will not reign over anymore, and the ink shall slowly cover up the past nightmare the sword had brought.
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