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Wednesday, August 31, 2005
Carvajal: Reconciliation: a sellout
By Orlando P. Carvajal
If indeed President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is seriously pursuing a course of reconciliation with her political enemies, she's political dead meat. She has survived so far because, contrary to the claims of her enemies, most Filipinos think she's a lesser evil. To reconcile without justice is to prove us wrong and that, after all, she is just as evil as her tormentors.
The great freedom fighter of Rome, Spar-tacus, was heard to say that to become like your enemy is to lose to him. To reconcile for the sake of political survival is for PGMA to become like her enemies--pure, unadulterated political animals, extremely pragmatic, hence, amoral.
How could she possibly think they will desist from plotting her fall if she offered a hand in reconciliation? They will simply go through the motions with her so they could pounce on her with finality.
All hell will then break loose since the opposition on the right is united only in their desire to oust her but are worlds apart when it comes to the question of who or what to replace her with. The left, of course, would be grinning from ear to ear, their revolutionary situation having been handed to them in a silver platter.
Because reconciliation would be a betrayal of the people, then maybe finally the crowds will materialize at the gates of Malacanang and hasten her downfall.
As for me, since I have done enough street marches in my youth, I will simply renounce my country, albeit reluctantly and sadly, if PGMA, for instance and for the sake of reconciliation, allowed the dead dictator to be buried in the Libingan ng mga Bayani or release Erap from detention.
The day the dictator who plundered this country is declared a hero and the day an ousted President under trial for plunder is given "special" legal (or is it illegal?) treatment is the day this country would have lost its soul to political exigency.
Reconciliation has no place in the world of politics where there are only unholy and temporary alliances for the sake of furthering one's political agenda. In the world of the spirit where it belongs, reconciliation is always accompanied with repentance and atonement. The unrepentant Marcoses and Estradas are precisely doing what they are doing to PGMA in a desperate effort to avoid atonement or punishment for their wrongdoings.
The backlog of issues the Filipinos have against the Marcoses and the Estradas must be given priority of closure so that the guilty can show repentance and atone (pay) for their sins. Then and only then can reconciliation take place. Any reconciliation now is pure horse-trading, a sell out for us, the final unkindest cut for her.
(August 31, 2005 issue)
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