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Military revolutionaries speak on futility of elections

By Alejandro Lichauco

ANALYSIS

10/27/2008

In last week’s piece, this writer alluded to the Manifesto of the military revolutionaries — who describe themselves as the Bagong Katipunan — in which they addressed the plight of the impoverished Filipino and called for an end to globalization as an indispensable first step to the resolution of hunger.

But globalization wasn’t only the subject of the Manifesto’s ( titled The Last Revolution: Towards a New Philippine Order) attack. The Manifesto tackled the problem of elections and described the present electoral process as being itself a problem. Accordingly, the Manifesto called for the suspension of the elections until such time as the entire system shall have been overhauled so as to ensure that the result of the process reflects truly informed and educated popular opinion.

What the Manifesto said about the elections is worth quoting extensively and that is what follows. Among others, the Manifesto declared:

“What do we do now? Elections? Unfortunately, the problems are systematic and to a certain degree they are structural. Electing a new administration will not solve the crisis: It will only further institutionalize them. For the election process itself is a problem.

“First is the ignorance of the electorate. What good is the will of the people if that “will” was made by an uninformed people? This is analogous to the people of biblical history choosing Barabas over Jesus. The people must first be taught or made to become politically mature enough to know how to choose their own public servants before they are allowed to choose at all. Money must never be a criterion in choosing a candidate.

“Next are the candidates. Do we see any potential candidate who, should he win, would be morally courageous enough to turn his back against the oligarchs who funded his campaign in the first place. Or has the political will to fire treacherously corrupt and incompetent generals in order to reform the AFP/PNP? Is there anybody among them who actually has the heart and determination to uplift the life of the masses?

“If there was then the corrupted electoral process itself will guarantee that such a candidate will never win. He will have been corrupted or his principles and ideals compromised by the time he even sets foot in Malacañang.

“Consider this. A decent presidential campaign is estimated to cost at least P3 billion. In order to raise the huge amount, the candidate will solicit from the business sector. In exchange, certain concessions are made whether they are promises of future projects or presidential appointments, delay or dismissal of pending tax cases, environmental clearances, privatization, etc.

“After soliciting money through the business sector, the candidate will now solicit support from the institutional churches and civil, society groups. Again concessions are made.”

We could stop there for the moment and say that if the Manifesto is unusual and even extraordinary, it is because it comes from a defined membership in the Armed Forces and, to the knowledge of this writer, represents the first ever of its kind, in many respects, the Manifesto dared say what even prominent political and administration critics in the civilian sector haven’t dared say.

This writer knows of only one civilian group that dared openly call for suspension of elections and the installation of a “revolutionary military government led by the Bagong Katipunan and committed to the goals of their declared program.” The Manifesto was issued months ago and sent to certain members of media which simply ignored it.

In time, however, this writer is certain that other civilian groups will emerge calling for essentially the same things as that called for by the Bagong Katipunan and the civilian group alluded to by this piece.

This piece will even dare say that as the contagion and repercussion of the global meltdown spread there will be a demand the world over for the systemic overhaul of entire political systems that brought globalization about. And in the Philippines that will translate into exactly the kind of demands stated In the declaration of the Bagong Katipunan and the citizens group mentioned by this writer.

In this country particularly the popular revulsion against traditional political and economic leadership is fast spreading. In point of fact, the global meltdown amounts to nothing less than the collapse of the political systems the world over and the Philippines can’t possibly be spared.

A vacuum exists which can only be filled by revolutionary elements in the military working jointly with their civilian counterparts and all united by one common cry: An end to globalization and the overhaul of political and electoral systems that brought about globalization.

In brief, this writer expects that the call for the suspension of elections issued by the military revolutionaries some years ago, and the corresponding overhaul of the nation’s political and economic system, will eventually be picked up by the civilian sector and it will be a poor political gambler who would bet that elections 2010 will push through.