How can GMA lead us now? /column in Visayan Daily Star
How can she lead us now?
If we examine it closely, GMA’s admission statement was not meant for the general public. It was addressed to her allies, her cabinet members, big business and probably even former President Cory Aquino, who supported her in during the election. She had to come out and own up because these allies of hers were pressuring her to do the right thing, or at the least, speak up. Apparently, her allies are divided between those who want her to tell the truth, and those who want to stone-wall and the “let them protest anyway they cannot win” group. The former are the good and “truth” hearted, and I can only guess they must be Dinky Soliman of DSWD, Emmy Boncodin of Budget, Pat Sto. Tomas of Labor, NAPCI’s Mely Nicolas, Finance Secretary Purissima, and Butch Abad of the Department of Education. The hardliners, I can guess, are the military types.
GMA’s solution is too easy - forgive her and let’s move on. Move on with what? Why should the people just forgive and move on? She has been in office for 4 years and she has not shown proof that she and her government can lead the people out of their misery. At least one third of our people cannot eat three times a day! Women have to seek menial jobs and risk being trafficked into prostitution and sexual and physical abuse so they could feed their families! How can a president who is now suspected of stealing the people’s votes lead our fight against officials and those in the military who steal the people’s money?
How can we move on when we know that many of our judges, police and military are corrupt, and we have government officials who are enjoying our hard-earned taxes. Even the family of GMA, especially Mike Arroyo, is being suspected of involvement in corrupt activities or placing his own people in profitable or powerful government positions. Corruption in our country is systemic and endemic. It has to be cut at the roots and struck each time it (to borrow from the words of Justice Flerida Ruth Romero in a Supreme Court decision) rears its ugly head. Even a constitutional convention and a change to parliamentary system of government cannot spare us from pretentious thieves.
GMA asks to be forgiven so that she can move on and double her efforts. When I saw her on television I didn’t know if I should laugh or cry. Here is our president, who is the cause of the problems of our nation, and she is saying that she is the solution to these problems, so we should just forgive her and move on. That is not easy to do.
Forgiveness of fools, a prominent activist and analyst calls it, and he is right. (I like the alliteration). He is right, we are fools if we think that GMA will reform her family, and that she can reform the government. Her allies are giving her six months to deliver these reforms that she could have done but which she did not do in four years. And for a start, Mike Arroyo is going abroad, and we are supposed to take that as punishment enough.
GMA would not have done it on her own, which is why her apology is not even in good faith. She is not telling us the entire truth. Anyone who has a modicum of intelligence can read the transcript and conclude that the context of that conversation between GMA and Garcillano was to cheat the opposition, to ensure her lead by one million votes, and to cheat the people. Read the analysis of Sheila Coronel in pcij.org/blog. You can also find the transcript of the taped conversation there. It is not only GMA who has to answer for this. Comelec Chairman Abalos, Garcillano and other Comelec officials plus military officers who were involved in this big time heist should also be investigated for their crime against the people.
GMA has to do what her allies required so they wouldn’t abandon her. If they abandon her now she has no other recourse but to resign. If she and her support group are serious about this, GMA’s taped statement would have included steps she would take in order to reform herself and the government.
Are all appointees in government corporations who are family members of GMA and friends of Mike Arroyo going to be fired? Are the cabinet members who are corrupt going to resign? Are the corrupt officials in government going to be prosecuted? Can she deliver jobs? Can she really turn the economy around? I cannot see a bright future for our children in the next five years. There are no jobs. Education is not a priority. We don’t even have enough classrooms. Health care for the people is not a priority. Reproductive health is a bad word.
Her allies give her six months to reform. But to reform the government, she has to reform herself. How can she face the international community and the people everyday, knowing that she did what she did, and that the people believe that she cheated in the elections? How can she lead?*
