I sort of wanted to go to the rally in Makati this afternoon.

I decided against it, though, after realizing what it was really all about. I know people feel passionately about this, and discussing this issue probably requires treading lightly, but I can’t reiterate this enough.

Booting her out is not the key.

Yes, I know, her lackeys are working overtime to discredit the witnesses in the ZTE scandal. I know that as long as she sits there, the judicial process will forever be within the shadow of doubt. Yes, we all know ZTE is a real can of worms. We all hate this shit that’s stinking up the entire country. My point, though, is that getting her out of office isn’t the be all and end all of this crap we’re currently in.

We’ve tried this twice, people, and each time we pat each other on the back, proud that we got another lousy president out of office. I think what most people forget, however, is that People Power isn’t quite as spontaneous as they want to believe. It’s not instantaneous. When the People of the Philippines finally decided enough was enough and got the Marcoses to flee to Hawaii, it wasn’t just that moment that led to success. It was the culmination of years of fighting the dictatorship, back when no one wanted to speak up in fear of becoming a desaparecido.

You can’t just add water and expect a People Power revolution to occur. Somehow, People Power II wasn’t quite as genuine as the first one. People did genuinely care about the issues and how the president was embroiled in corruption scandals, but the point is, everyone just sat back and gloated after Erap got the boot. Now he’s free again and marching with the activists, so what does that actually say about us?

It’s not that we shouldn’t let our voices be heard. That’s not what I’m saying. I’m glad that people care enough to march in the streets. Still, watching them chant slogans calling for the president’s resignation seems a little like deja vu. Same slogan, different president. I’ve seen this all before, and somehow, I know where it’s headed.

It’s an oversimplification, really. We can’t just keep kicking everyone out whenever they get muddied. We won’t have any politicians left if we do. For once, I think we should let justice run its course. It’s naive, I know, but I think we should give our justice system a chance this time. It’s stuffy and it can be easily manipulated to let the guilty off the hook, but the law that protects scumbags protects us, too. We can’t just ignore it every time we feel like doing so. If she’s guilty, then make sure she gets what she deserves — make sure she doesn’t get off as lightly as Erap did.

But it’s not one person, it’s not one government. It’s us. I think maybe we should change ourselves, too, if we want to see some improvements.

I have to admit, though. I have no plans, no ideas. I don’t know what’s best for the country. I’ve got no alternatives. I just think, maybe, this time we really ought to think deep and hard before we start chanting the same old slogans all over again.

This entry was posted on Friday, February 29th, 2008 at 11:30 pm and is filed under pinas, politics, rant. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.