Tuesday, February 13, 2007 Editorials: Seeking alternatives
THE shape of the May 2007 senatorial elections can already be glimpsed and, except for a few independents, there is no visible middle force there.
Voters who do not like both the administration of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and the political opposition led by former president Joseph Estrada have therefore no alternative grouping to root for.
The loss of the middle force can be attributed to all of the important candidates succumbing to the lure of the political machinery and resources of the Arroyo administration and the Erap-led opposition.
Or of the refusal of the groups initially positioned outside the administration’s Team Unity and the United Opposition to break free from the “only a united opposition, principles be damned” paradigm.
That does not mean, though, that the senatorial election is a hopeless case considering that the voters will still be the ones who will decide who should land in the Magic 12 and there are still good choices among the candidates of the two groups.
Some of these candidates may yet chart an independent course once in the Senate.
While the Arroyo administration has nationwide machinery and bigger resources, its slate is by no means perfect quality-wise, in much the same way that while the big politicians are in the opposition, there’s no assurance people will vote for all of them.
Popularity
Straight voting, in the current electoral setup, is only for the unenlightened and those forced to do so for one reason or another.
The problem, though, is that popularity often takes precedence over other considerations in the choice of even the enlightened voters, as can be gleaned from the quality of the senators elected in the past few elections.
The key for those seeking alternatives in the elections, then, is to choose the better qualified and less partisan among the candidates, be they in the Team Unity or the United Opposition slate, and hope that others will follow their lead.
Middle way
That may be asking too much but it can make a difference considering the growing number of people disillusioned with the actuation of the Arroyo administration and the Erap-led opposition.
In short, a middle force can still be had if the voters favoring it will push for it.
