Punchline
JDV’s resignation will start the revolution
By Ermin Garcia Jr.
President Arroyo had apologized for what she said was her inappropriate telephone conversation with a Comelec official in 2004 but not many believed she was contrite, much less believed that she and her husband didn’t cheat FPJ of the presidency.
When the congressmen voted down the impeachment complaint against President Arroyo twice in a row, nobody believed it was a conscience vote.
When the governors and congressmen trooped to Malacanang Palace last month to meet with the President and denied having received a modest “P500,000 cash gift” (never mind that two of their counterparts admitted to having received their share), most everyone who was made aware of the incident chuckled. “Hindi kami gago!” was the prevalent sentiment.
The military insists to this day that it is not behind the series of extra-judicial killings and disappearances of known activists, but why isn’t anyone listening? Why aren’t the families of victims and human rights groups not inclined to even give them the benefit of the doubt? Why did it take the Supreme Court to encourage the latter to invoke the writ of Amparo?
When the police decided from their investigation that the explosion at the Glorietta 2 mall in Makati was caused by industrial accident, the city government and the business sector decided to conduct its own investigation. The PNP’s line simply cannot be believed.
On the recent explosion at the Batasan Pambansa, the police are quick to point to a possible terrorist act committed by the Abu Sayyaf, citing the person and background of Rep. Wahab Akbar as motive. In response, the House of Representatives decided to conduct its own investigation. If this is not a repudiation of the PNP’s integrity, I don’t know what is.
When House Speaker Joe de V spoke of the urgency to stage a “Moral Revolution” to be led by President Arroyo, no one was moved to stand by his side. He was mouthing the right things but nobody seemed impressed.
But why have we come to this? Why have we stopped trusting and believing in our leaders and in the agencies mandated (and sworn?) to protect us? Why are people now resigned to doing things themselves and not allow government to do its part? Worse, why have most people become indifferent to political scandals and corruption in their midst?
Many of us can continue to fold our arms and feel unaffected and detached but the inescapable reality for us today is all’s not well with us as a nation, even as a community notwithstanding the constant upbeat “news” about the economy.
Meanwhile, the Arroyo government will expectedly continue to merely shrug off the serious allegations of misconduct, cheating, corruption, inefficiency and dishonesty and the consistent results of surveys showing increasing distrust of its leadership. It has evidently locked in on sheer survival mode, and this is not helping our situation any.
Like other ordinary citizens, I want to trust our government but why can’t I? How can I?
Why can’t you?
***
RESIGNATION WILL SIGNAL START OF REVOLUTION. House Speaker Joe de V was the wrong person to ask Mrs. Arroyo to launch a “moral revolution”. He spoke too late, addressed the wrong people and articulated his vision at the wrong time, wrong place. As Senator Juan Ponce Enrile correctly assessed his situation, people living in glass houses should not throw stones.
Sure, the Speaker was saying the right things, but his body language betrays his thoughts. He’s obviously still pulling his punches praying that his calculated statements would help him weather his latest and most serious political crisis. By all appearances, the Speaker is simply paying the usual lip service to the cause of morality in governance. This only served to make his credibility suffer further.
But wait. He is the right person to show the way. He, more than any other person, can point out where to start the revolution.
However, the burden of demonstrating sincerity and commitment lies in him alone. For our people to follow his lead, he must demonstrate that he is prepared to go the distance, meaning he is ready to fight without regard to his political standing and position. Simply put, he must do what his son Joey III did.
Just as Joey gave up on any hope of benefiting from any ZTE deal, the father can outdo him by resigning his speakership unconditionally and without reservation. This should signal to everyone that he has stopped being the “Mr. Nice Political Win-win Guy” and is ready to engage in mortal political combat for his “Moral Revolution”. His resignation will immediately remove all major obstacles that could possibly stand in the way of a “Moral Revolution” and he will have the moral ascension to lead. Not even Ping Lacson, Mar Roxas, nor Manny Villar can hope to be in that enviable position.
The Speaker says the nation is desperate. Then he must exemplify what our people’s desperation and suffering are all about. He must be shorn of his honorific titles, perks, benefits and show content and comfort in the arms of those whom he leads. He cannot speak of people’s desperation for as long as he continues to be the patron and prime mover of the pork barrel in the House.
It is not enough for him to say that corruption in all levels of government have caused our people much suffering. He must come clean and point out the projects that have been milked dry by people in government in all levels.
It is also a certainty that his resignation will make him extremely vulnerable and will be the object of mindless vilification. Chances are he would not even survive it physically. But one thing he can also be certain about is the fact that people desperately need a hero today, a live one who’s unafraid to be alone, one leader who knows what revolution requires of himself, not just of others.
With him leading the charge up the hill, this is one moment in history when he can say he led the charge and the people were right behind him.
But until then, the Speaker will just be another politico afraid of Mrs. Arroyo’s fury.
(For past columns, click http://sundaypunch.prepys.com/archives/category/opinion/punchline/
Readers may reach columnist at punch.sunday@gmail.com . For reactions to this column, click “Send MESSAGES, OPINIONS, COMMENTS” on default page.)
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