‘It is written in the stars’

I was intrigued by how a Thai member of parliament foretold that constitutional change in Thailand. Offhand, my first impression was to ascribe to it the common meaning of the aphorism — ie that it was inevitable.

 Change is inevitable despite attempts of misguided traditionalists bent on keeping the status quo. Still, the meaning of the aphorism was startling. I loved its philosophical implications.

But the Thai member of parliament explained it differently from what I first thought it was. To him it was actually and in fact “written in the stars” and tells us why.

 “Bowornsak Uwanno, the Chulalongkorn academic who now heads the CDC, said the good fortunes of the charter committee and the National Reform Council (NRC) have been secured by the auspicious dates of the two groups’ formations: 21 October and 4 November. “

He said “both dates are extremely auspicious,” Bowornsak said during a talk with fellow NRC members recently.

And he does refer to the stars not as a figure of speech. “They are Days of Great Luck ... on those days, Jupiter, who represents justice, wisdom, and purity, resides in the Cancer zodiac. It portends a great fortune.”

An interim constitution was drafted by the military junta after it seized power on 22 May 2014. A new permanent constitution will be worked out by the CDC and the NRC. This is what Bowornsak refers too will happen because “it is written in the stars.

Although the final draft will need to be approved by the military junta, Bowornsak said astrological evidence suggests the process will run smoothly.

“The new constitution will be of fairness and wisdom, because Rahu, the astrological entity that represents avarice, will refrain from its violent mood,” Bowornsak explained. “Mars is also moving to reside in the Sagittarius. The signs say that all NRC and CDC members will work hard and have courage. It also means that the military will back this constitution.”

The CDC chairman added that there would be no major resistance to the new charter because “Saturn, the lord of suffering and protests, is in Scorpio, which dulls its power. It will not have any negative impact on the constitution.”

“I believe this new Constitution will be a great success,” he said. The interim government has not yet decided whether the new charter will be subject to a referendum vote. 

Astrology is significantly followed and believed in Thailand. So when a high government official says “it is written in the stars.” It is well known that high-ranking officials in Thailand believe in the role of predictions through stars. The current PM and chairman of the military junta Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha is said to consult  personal astrologers on matters related to politics

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Filipinos are less superstitious about constitutional reform now being pushed by many groups throughout the country. As Christians, they believe that they have done all they can in bringing about much needed reform in the Constitution and all it needs now is God’s will for the Philippines. There has been too much suffering and neglect of the many for too long that change has become inevitable. But unlike the Thai they do not “read it in the stars.” An activist sent me a text which shows a deeply spiritual belief that “God is always on time, never too early, never too late.” And they believe the time has come after successive assemblies held in different parts of the nation.

Moreover, a wide swath of citizens have participated in a crowdsourcing effort in Bayanko an online page in Facebook to draw as many citizens to give their views and opinions on why we need constitutional reform. Unlike the Thai constitutional reform, the Philippine counterpart is designed to seek the imprimatur of the people through crowdsourcing and later through a referendum.

The citizens’ groups, with the guidance and support of civic minded citizens and Catholic bishops and other religious leaders have come together to do what the military junta is doing in Thailand.

In preparation for the drafting of a new constitution to respond to the call of the times, the members of a core group will form a National Transformation Council with revolutionary powers and work out the process through which a new constitution can be drafted. 

The citizens groups have had a well-designed program by phasing how to gather together the citizens in main areas. The first was put together in Lipa, the second in Cebu and more recently in Butuan. The three cover the the three island groups of the Philippines – Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao but more are planned especially in Manila, the capital of the country.

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Here are the opening paragraphs of the Butuan Assembly.

“Recalling the two assemblies convened earlier by the National Transformation in Lipa on Aug. 27, 2014, and Cebu on Oct. 1, 2014 and desiring to seize the momentum and build upon the gains achieved by those assemblies, we who broadly represent various concerned sectors and constituencies of Eastern and Northern Mindanao, together with out allies from other parts of Mindanao, from Basilan, the Sulu archipelago and from Luzon and the Visayas, have come together in Butuan City this 11th day of November 2014 to proclaim our support for and contribute to the immediate realization of the declared aims and objectives of the National Transformation Council.

We commend the initiatives of the two previous assemblies, express full and unequivocal support for the Lipa declaration: An urgent call for National Transformation of August 27, 2014 and the Cebu Declaration—“Defining the first steps toward National Transformation of Oct. 1, 2014 and bid ourselves to undertake the necessary steps to help bring them to fruition.”.

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But the headline of another newspaper highlighted the call of the Butuan conference for President Aquino to resign to spare the country from further harm.

There is a growing consensus in both countries about the need to reform the Constitution. Whether it would be done by the National Reform Council appointed by the military government in Thailand  or by the National Transformation Council by a revolutionary group in the Philippines calling on the sovereign citizens, both are about the inevitability of change. Indeed, “to be written in the stars” in any language means the inevitability of change and authorities had better heed its call.