The triumph of sovereignty

Whatever happens in 2010 or after 2010, the fact is President GMA is near the finish line of a turbulent period in which every trick in the book was used to oust her. She has stuck to her guns because unlike President Erap she has more sense than to give up.

Historians in the future will put her stubbornness in context. It is not always clear from her public statements but the results are obvious – she has stayed in power and defeated assaults against the country’s sovereignty.

That is also my answer to those who claim that they are not against Charter change, and that they are aware of an imperfect Constitution. What they are against is if President GMA should benefit from it. They do not trust the proponents mainly the members of the House of Representatives who are poised to act in constituent assembly.

Whether or not senators attend the assembly is not the point. If they do not attend they should inform the electorate in an official document like their own Senate Resolution instead of just a photo-op to show that they are one in rejecting the House invitation. With two interpretations of Article 17 the Supreme Court should be called on to decide.

But to go back to my texter who would rather have an ‘imperfect Constitution’ than favor the proponents referring to an extension of terms for President GMA and the congressmen/women who voted for RA1109.

First there is no such thing as a perfect Constitution, only perfectible constitutions. The choice is between reforming the Constitution and making sure the incumbents do not benefit from it. I am told that RA 1109 includes a covenant not to extend their terms.

 Unfortunately, the value on reforming the Constitution carries with it a less talked about implication. That has to do with some sectors of the US government who are against President GMA and they have plotted throughout her entire term to oust her. Because of this I reject the option that would allow subverting our sovereignty. If explained properly to Filipinos, I think they will understand that intervention and lack of respect for our sovereignty is inconsistent with patriotism and for me as well as many others if explained properly to them, is primordial. It is a greater value to me that foreigners respect the elected President and her government. It is crucial in the long term, indeed for generations to come, to stabilize the polity and strengthen our country’s independence.

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I happen to have come close enough to some foreign-instigated operations to know that surveys in the Philippines, no matter if “scientific” are used to create bandwagons for particular candidates in elections. Lately it has played an important role in the attempt to oust the president or at least create a wedge between her government and the people. These surveys are part of the bag of tricks to create adverse public opinion and it is not always for ‘democratic’ reasons.

 Let us examine the SWS question in its survey. It asked “Are you in favor to amend the Constitution if the changes would extend the term of President Arroyo beyond 2010?”

Knowing very little or nothing at all about Charter change but having read a surfeit of negative stories on President GMA in media and the inference that if Charter change takes place she will extend her office, what answer can we expect? It’s no different from the question, “Have you stopped beating your wife?”

Senator Gordon should be commended for being brave enough to take on these surveys being used by candidates with money or other people’s money. These surveys distort facts and degrade our politics by veering voters towards ‘popular’ candidates. It plays the same destructive role in the Charter change debate by taking advantage of an unwary public. The results are then used to manipulate public opinion against Charter change. We need to educate and inform Filipinos not deceive them with biased surveys.

The question is consistent with a grand plan against both Charter change and President GMA. The surveys are no different from the texter carried away by pernicious propaganda that being for Charter change is being for President GMA’s term extension.

All this, I suppose was prompted by House Speaker Prospero Nograles announcement that “Charter change is back on track.”

He was referring to House resolution 737 that would amend the economic provisions of the Constitution. This would allow foreigners to own land and it would be at the top of the House legislative agenda when Congress resumes on July 27.

It was set aside in favor of House Resolution No. 1109, that would convene Congress as a constituent assembly to undertake constitutional changes. Under this resolution, the House and the Senate would vote jointly, not separately, to amend the Constitution.

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The relentless campaign against Charter change and President GMA bears resemblance to the CIA campaign against Mossadegh of Iran in his time. Documents that had once been sealed are now open for anyone to read. It reveals that the CIA and British Secret Intelligence secret agents worked together with a grand plan on how to overthrow the democratic but nationalistic Mossadegh. It was first of a kind so many of the things that were done then became models for future operations for regime change, some of which are now being used in the Philippines.

The key to the plan was how to plot public anger against the once popular and loved Mossadegh so that he would not have any support from his own people. “Under the plan, the Americans would spend $150,000 to bribe journalists, editors, Islamic preachers and other opinion leaders to “create, extend and enhance public hostility and distrust and fear of Mossadegh and his government,” according to one report.

 These were calculated to lead to a coup when thousands of demonstrators (said to have been paid) would surround parliament and demand the dismissal of Mossadegh. The American operation came to be known as Operation Ajax.

Today Mosaddegh is a hero of Third World anti-imperialism, and a victim of imperialist greed for Iran’s oil. More interestingly some scholars and historians also say that it was not just the UK and the US behind Mossadegh’s ouster. He was also overthrown with the help of reactionary clerics who resented secular government.

Another interesting disclosure showed that Mosaddegh became aware of the plots against him and knew there were conspirators within his government. Shades of the Hyatt 10?

It turned out that there were paid informants of the US operation who acted as Pro-Mossadegh informers. They pretended to threaten Muslim leaders with “savage punishment if they opposed Mosaddegh”. They made it look like Mosaddegh was cracking down on dissent. It did succeed in stirring anti-Mosaddegh sentiments within the religious community adding another column to seal the fate of Mossadegh’s ouster.