In mid-January, I sent an e-mail note to a friend, a scholar of Philippine politics, expressing optimism about the upcoming Philippine presidential elections:
What a treat this will be indeed for Filipinos to have the opportunity to listen to intelligent discourse by presidential candidates about how best they can advance the welfare of the country; how to make the country catch up with the rest of Asia; how to harness the country's rich human capital, etc. I hope that by juxtaposing policy issues against personality traits, Filipino politicians can embark on a serious self-examination, take inventory of their talents and capacities, admit whether they are fit or unfit for governance, and, really start showing respect for Filipino voters whom for the longest time have been patronized as children and viewed as incapable of taking part in deliberative democracy.
Here's to an exciting election season!
Some election season indeed!
On the front page of today’s Washington Post is an article, “In Philippines, a campaign cameo by late dictator,” characterizing the Philippine elections as a political circus. Next to the article is a photo of the corpse of the former president, Ferdinand Marcos, being used by his widow, Imelda Marcos, as a political prop in her campaign for a congressional seat. One would think that age would have made her a little wiser, but when asked why so many members of the Marcos family are running for office (a son is running for a seat in the Philippine Senate seat while a daughter is running for provincial governor), she has this to say: “We can reinstate the vision of Ferdinand . . . This country can be great again.” Ferdinand Marcos was the country’s autocratic ruler who ruled the country with an iron fist for over 20 years, engaged in cronyism that led to the plunder of government resources, suspended the Filipino people’s rights and liberties, and plunged the country into serious economic debts.
Philippine national elections should be cause for national shame. Every Filipino should feel embarrassed about the country’s democratic process, old (corrupt) habits, and crippling political vices. The country’s inability to move forward is a self-inflicted wound. With the intellectual elite held hostage to a socialist agenda and the political elite by myopic self-interestedness, the Philippines lacks a strong and effective leadership – the kind that can take the country to where it deserves to be.
Still and all, there are a few enlightened Filipinos out there who, if given the chance, will give true meaning to statesmanship and public service. I just hope that the Filipinos will be intelligent enough to find them in the haystack that is the Philippine politics.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment