ISABEL ESCODA
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Keeping democracy alive and lively
HONG KONG
A Western friend who knows the Philippines well
recently remarked, “Filipinos are their own worst
enemies.”
I didn’t know whether to feel insulted or to wag my
head sadly and say, “Maybe we are.”
This was during a discussion about our messed-up
political system. I later thought of a rebuttal (I’m slow to
react), which I wanted to e-mail him but decided it
wasn’t worth the effort.
My belated (unsent) retort was: “We may have a messy
political system, an obstreperous electorate, some
murderous politicians and military thugs, as well as
an irresponsible media, but we’re still living in a
democracy, albeit flawed.
“Wasn’t it Winston Churchill who said that democracy
is ‘the worst form of government except for all those
other forms that have been tried from time to time’?”
One might perhaps compare ours to that other flawed
democracy, Taiwan. That island-nation’s politicos
have a colorful reputation for staging regular punch-
ups in their parliament to stop opposition members
from speaking.
There was a chair-throwing episode in 1990, and in
1993 a legislator whacked his opponent on the head
with his large cellphone.
A female legislator was reported to have suffered
“bites on her hand and abrasive wounds in her private
parts”. Another woman member of parliament poured
tea over a male oppositionist who had slapped her.
During a debate last year about transport links with the
mainland, an irate Democratic Progressive Party
member stuffed a written proposal into her mouth.
Oppositionists grabbed her by the hair to make her
spit it out. This year, in January, some 50
parliamentarians engaged in a brawl, hurling shoes at
the speaker.
Recently, I learned that these rambunctious
spectacles are probably staged, with the reason given
that the Taiwanese consider them an effective means
of expressing political frustration.
Is there a lesson here for us Pinoys? Indeed, wouldn’t
it be better for us to engage in freaky fracas like the
Taiwanese do than to engage in black propaganda in
the media and shooting political opponents dead?
Perhaps we really are our own worst enemies and
must hang our heads in shame over our turbulent
election campaigns and sluggish vote-counting,
Namfrel and Comelec notwithstanding. (It seems vote-
counting is speedier in some African countries.)
Political killings have placed us on a ranking with Iraq.
But at least we haven’t become like Burma, whose
military junta arbitrarily renamed the country Myanmar
and has kept the winner of their 1990 election in
detention for 12 years.
Though some fringe elements would be happy if we
shed the Spanish colonial inheritance linking us with
King Felipe and renamed the country Maharlika (which
smacks too much of the late unlamented Ferdinand),
that hasn’t been a top priority, thankfully.
Instead, we’ve been slogging away trying to make a go
of the messy political process which was America’s
legacy.
Witnessing Hongkongers hold their regular rallies for
universal suffrage (while keeping the memory of the
Tiananmen massacre alive each June 4th), can we
smugly boast that ours is a better system which
allows one person one vote?
Perhaps we should ponder the words of that wise
man in Manila, Antonio Abaya, who wrote: “Why are
Malaysia and post-Suharto Indonesia able to hold
open, orderly and free elections, more or less
according to international standards, while we, who
have had a longer tutelage in Anglo-Saxon democracy
(since 1905, under the Americans) are increasingly
less able to do so?”
Elections in those countries are not marked by voter
intimidation, cheating and 117 dead bodies of
candidates, supporters, voters and electoral officials
killed in election-related violence (289 in 2004).
Abaya points to the “endemic chaos and anarchy”,
particularly in Lanao, which makes him think it should
be renamed “Sierra Lanao “or “Lanao de la Somalia.”
Why are Pinoys so unruly and undisciplined at home,
but law-abiding when living abroad?
Experts blame the growth in recent years of political
dynasties whose members know that the Rule of Law
is easily subverted by the palakasan system.
Latest reports from Manila say 53 women have been
elected to the House.
Dare I hold high (chauvinistic) hopes that, like
determined disciplinarian housewives, they’ll be able
to clean up the mess, impose order and ensure good
governance?
HONG KONG
A Western friend who knows the Philippines well
recently remarked, “Filipinos are their own worst
enemies.”
I didn’t know whether to feel insulted or to wag my
head sadly and say, “Maybe we are.”
This was during a discussion about our messed-up
political system. I later thought of a rebuttal (I’m slow to
react), which I wanted to e-mail him but decided it
wasn’t worth the effort.
My belated (unsent) retort was: “We may have a messy
political system, an obstreperous electorate, some
murderous politicians and military thugs, as well as
an irresponsible media, but we’re still living in a
democracy, albeit flawed.
“Wasn’t it Winston Churchill who said that democracy
is ‘the worst form of government except for all those
other forms that have been tried from time to time’?”
One might perhaps compare ours to that other flawed
democracy, Taiwan. That island-nation’s politicos
have a colorful reputation for staging regular punch-
ups in their parliament to stop opposition members
from speaking.
There was a chair-throwing episode in 1990, and in
1993 a legislator whacked his opponent on the head
with his large cellphone.
A female legislator was reported to have suffered
“bites on her hand and abrasive wounds in her private
parts”. Another woman member of parliament poured
tea over a male oppositionist who had slapped her.
During a debate last year about transport links with the
mainland, an irate Democratic Progressive Party
member stuffed a written proposal into her mouth.
Oppositionists grabbed her by the hair to make her
spit it out. This year, in January, some 50
parliamentarians engaged in a brawl, hurling shoes at
the speaker.
Recently, I learned that these rambunctious
spectacles are probably staged, with the reason given
that the Taiwanese consider them an effective means
of expressing political frustration.
Is there a lesson here for us Pinoys? Indeed, wouldn’t
it be better for us to engage in freaky fracas like the
Taiwanese do than to engage in black propaganda in
the media and shooting political opponents dead?
Perhaps we really are our own worst enemies and
must hang our heads in shame over our turbulent
election campaigns and sluggish vote-counting,
Namfrel and Comelec notwithstanding. (It seems vote-
counting is speedier in some African countries.)
Political killings have placed us on a ranking with Iraq.
But at least we haven’t become like Burma, whose
military junta arbitrarily renamed the country Myanmar
and has kept the winner of their 1990 election in
detention for 12 years.
Though some fringe elements would be happy if we
shed the Spanish colonial inheritance linking us with
King Felipe and renamed the country Maharlika (which
smacks too much of the late unlamented Ferdinand),
that hasn’t been a top priority, thankfully.
Instead, we’ve been slogging away trying to make a go
of the messy political process which was America’s
legacy.
Witnessing Hongkongers hold their regular rallies for
universal suffrage (while keeping the memory of the
Tiananmen massacre alive each June 4th), can we
smugly boast that ours is a better system which
allows one person one vote?
Perhaps we should ponder the words of that wise
man in Manila, Antonio Abaya, who wrote: “Why are
Malaysia and post-Suharto Indonesia able to hold
open, orderly and free elections, more or less
according to international standards, while we, who
have had a longer tutelage in Anglo-Saxon democracy
(since 1905, under the Americans) are increasingly
less able to do so?”
Elections in those countries are not marked by voter
intimidation, cheating and 117 dead bodies of
candidates, supporters, voters and electoral officials
killed in election-related violence (289 in 2004).
Abaya points to the “endemic chaos and anarchy”,
particularly in Lanao, which makes him think it should
be renamed “Sierra Lanao “or “Lanao de la Somalia.”
Why are Pinoys so unruly and undisciplined at home,
but law-abiding when living abroad?
Experts blame the growth in recent years of political
dynasties whose members know that the Rule of Law
is easily subverted by the palakasan system.
Latest reports from Manila say 53 women have been
elected to the House.
Dare I hold high (chauvinistic) hopes that, like
determined disciplinarian housewives, they’ll be able
to clean up the mess, impose order and ensure good
governance?
Indeed,
wouldn’t it be
better for us
to engage in
freaky fracas
like the
Taiwanese do
than to
engage in
black
propaganda
in the media
and shooting
political
opponents
dead?
wouldn’t it be
better for us
to engage in
freaky fracas
like the
Taiwanese do
than to
engage in
black
propaganda
in the media
and shooting
political
opponents
dead?
It's messy and deadly but we live in it
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