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Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Pooled editorial: New impeachment and staying alive
A Malacañang attack on the new complaint for impeachment against President Arroyo is that the charges are recycled.
They retrieved the first complaint from the bin, spruced it up, and filed it as second complaint. Or so the Palace says.
Not entirely correct.
Stealing elections and corruption are old stuff. But new charges leap, such as as murders of journalists and activists and oppression on individual freedoms.
A 150-page document includes three major charges with three or more impeachable offenses under each category.
Kitchen
Almost everything tawdry is out. If they were throwing mess from the kitchen, not only dirty sink but entire kitchen is flying.
That can impress us as multiple sins. If anyone asks for what Mrs. Arroyo can be dumped, a likely answer is “For anything and everything. Pick any sin or all sins.”
Omnibus charges raise problems though. If they get enough votes to take the case to a Senate trial, how long will it drag? How much can the public take?
But maybe that is what it’s all about. They just want a compelling forum for exposing muck to infuriate the mob and the soldiers who can kick out the President.
The first impeachment didn’t work. Neither did rallies, demonstrations, and protests. Not even a “citizens trial” moved the public.
A second impeachment with riveting media coverage will be fresh blitz after all the serial failures.
Realities
There are realities to face though:
l Impeachment has not worked, may never work in its full run. Administration impedes the process. Opposition uses it to whip up public frenzy.
l Being a political remedy, evidence matters less than the support of most legislators whose vote can be won or kept with government perks.
l There is no alternative from an opposition bent to destroy but has little idea what and how to rebuild from the ruins.
To be sure, that doesn’t make the President smell like roses. She’s still hounded by Garci tapes and other scandals whose ghosts aren’t about to leave.
Best hope
She has faced a skeptical, even hostile constituency. Governance has been tough and costly when decisions are swayed more by need of survival than dictate of public interest.
With political turbulence, economic prosperity seems even more elusive. A great pity, for that might be her administration’s best hope to stay alive and prevail. [Sun.Star Cebu].
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (June 28, 2006 issue)
Write letter to the editor.Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board.Click here. |
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