Saturday, February 10, 2007
Editorials: Movie stars as candidates
HARSH words have been hurled at movie stars who have announced their intention to run, either with the administration or the political opposition, in the May polls.
This is not unexpected considering the record of showbiz people that grabbed Senate seats or other elective posts, especially in the past few years.
arroyowatch
The amount of venom spewed, however, is too much because incompetence in the Senate or in other elective posts is not the property solely of movie stars.
If the main beef against movie stars running in the elections is lack of experience in government service, how should people treat the other aspirants, like those whose only credential is their being relatives of incumbent officials?
Obviously, the harshness is targeted on movie star-candidates because they are popular and therefore have better chances of winning than the others.
But in a democracy, everybody can avail of opportunities offered by the system, so why begrudge movie stars alone for using whatever advantage they have in the polls?
Or why zero in on showbiz types when blame can also be pinned on voters and the entire electoral process?
Jinggoy Estrada, Bong Revilla and Lito Lapid won not only because they insisted on running despite their limitations but also because people did vote for them, the moneyed did fund their campaign and political groups did use them.
Conversely, had a better electoral setup been in place and enlightened voters been the rule and not the exception, these movie stars wouldn’t even have thought of running or would have lost even if they ran.
To be fair, then, critics should be as harsh on movie stars running for elective posts as they are against other less qualified candidates, the unenlightened voters and on the flawed electoral setup.
All about funding, machinery
Perhaps it pays to remind those who are complaining about the actuation of senatorial bets the past weeks that party loyalty is the least of the concerns now if winning in the elections is the goal.
Even the more principled and competent have to be pragmatic.
Which means that in choosing whom to write in their ballots in May, voters may have to gloss over party affiliation and concentrate on the qualification of individual candidates---or straight voting may be out.
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (February 10, 2007 issue)
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