Wanted: A return to the two-party system
Last Jan.20, 2001 was the seventh anniversary of the so-called EDSA II when then Pres. Joseph “Erap” Estrada fell from power and from grace and left Malacañang via the back door along the Pasig River to an uncertain future. While he was not the first sitting president to be ousted by a People’s Power Revolt, he was the first one in the post Marcos Era, something we never thought would happen ever again in this country.
But as the old saying goes, “politics brings forth strange bedfellows.” Because of the recent thaw in the relations between the convicted-then-pardoned ex-President Erap and Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (GMA) her government has decided not to celebrate EDSA II in the hope that time would heal old political wounds. Unfortunately this is what politicians do in order to forget our history. But these politicos ought to be reminded of that old saying, “Those who forget their history is doomed to repeat them.” This is why we keep repeating the same mistakes over and over again!
Let our politicians forget that once upon a time seven years ago, Pres. Erap left Malacañang in a huff in order to save his neck, otherwise an angry mob would have clambered the high fences of Malacañang to boot him out of that historic edifice. But whether they like it or not, historians will always remember that fateful day when the Filipino people took matters into their own hands and rid themselves of a corrupt Presidency.
Today, the presidency of Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has been perceived as more corrupt than the presidency she helped boot out of office. However, despite efforts of the hungry opposition who can’t wait to take over Malacañang and those opportunists like the allied front organizations supporting the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) they still could not gather the numbers that could become the critical mass that would have started what would have been called EDSA III. The reason for this apathy is simply, the Filipino people have become sick and tired of extra-constitutional changes in our government because it hasn’t brought the needed change that this country direly needs.
We only brought the same old selfish and greedy politicians who care only for themselves using the name of the Filipino people in vain. If there is anything that we need so badly today is for a new kind of politics that should emerge. Today we only have personality politics where famous political personalities present themselves before the media as a presidentiable and then wait for the 2010 elections and may the best man or woman win the presidential race. This clearly means that the next President of this country will once again be a minority President, something we should avoid at all cost; otherwise, he or she would be facing criticism from a greater majority of people who didn’t vote for that President.
The solution really is something we are seeing everyday at the Republican and Democratic caucus and primaries, where the names of interested politicians are being scrutinized by the American people in all the 52 Federal States of
Of course I’m making this suggestion only because of the absence of efforts to conduct a real change in this country through a Constitutional Convention (concon) something that the American Presidential candidates are already discussing in their effort to promote real change. What is evident in this country is that 22 years after the EDSA Revolt and seven years after EDSA II nothing much has changed. We know in our hearts that only a genuine change in our political system can truly usher in economic development to launch this country to be at par with ASEAN.
* * *
Announcement: The Philippine Heart Center Medical Alumni Society (PHCMAS) Cebu Chapter in cooperation with the Philippine Heart Association (PHA) Cebu Chapter will be holding the “Run For Your Heart 2008” 5k and 10k run on
- Latest
- Trending
