Saturday, March 17, 2007 Carvajal: Honor among thieves By Orlando P. Carvajal Break Point
THE Arroyo government dismissed the Political and Economic Risk Consultancy (Perc) survey as a perception that has no basis in reality.
While it admits to the existence of a “culture of corruption,” it denies that we have overtaken Indonesia as the most corrupt in Asia. Okay, so we are not the most corrupt but the next most corrupt. What’s the difference?
More importantly, the Arroyo government denies the survey’s perception that the government is not doing enough to root out corruption. But, really now, what has it done to root out corruption? Lifestyle checks and dismissals of underlings? Endless investigations and charges without convictions of henchmen to let the masterminds in high office off the hook?
How can the government, for instance, be in denial when at the time the survey results came out the lamppost scandal in Cebu broke out? I hope they will prove the survey wrong by catching the big fries on this one and catch them fast. But I would not be surprised if the investigation would drag endlessly until forgotten as have happened in the past to so many investigations into alleged corruption in high places.
The reason this administration, and all past and future administrations for that matter, does not have the political will to root out corruption is that as a faction of the ruling elite it is committed to protect the whole group’s monopoly of power, power to amass wealth by any means fair or foul.
For instance, we admit that the Marcos regime looted this country hence the Presidential Commission on Good Government’s efforts to recover the loot. But have any of the principal players of that regime been indicted for corruption? None. Unconsciously, the ruling elite protects itself and its members.
If no big fish from the Marcos regime has ever been brought to justice, what makes us think former president Estrada will have his comeuppance? Erap is charged with plunder but nothing is going to happen to him either. His case of plunder will just drag on until at the proper time a suitable compromise can be arrived at.
No President who is a member of the ruling elite will set the bad precedent of convicting one of their own. This is one way to ensure that he or she herself will not be prosecuted and convicted.
The coming election or any election for that matter is, therefore, not about replacing a corrupt government with an uncorrupt one. If the opposition wins, it will oust PGMA then leave her alone. The opposition would be happy to do a PGMA, corruption and all, while she would be the noisy opposition.
The ruling class is a band of brothers. They fight for their turn to rule and plunder but will never prosecute each other because, as the saying goes, there is honor among thieves.
