Wednesday, August 15, 2007 Carvajal: No need for Erap to worry By Orlando P. Carvajal Break Point
I JUST do not see it coming, former president Joseph Estrada’s conviction. My social theory on Philippine society tells me it is not going to happen. Erap belongs to the ruling class that historically has always acted in the best interests of that class, consistently protecting their position of privilege against any threat. And it is to the best interest of all factions of the ruling class that Erap be not convicted. Take a look at these.
If convicted, Erap would be the biggest fish to be caught in the so-called anti-corruption drive of the Arroyo government. Yet nobody two, three or even four ranks lower than Erap has ever been convicted of corruption. How can we reasonably expect this government to start convicting the biggest of them all?
Convicting Erap would send shivers to people in high places who know corruption originates from the top or is at least abetted by the top. Convicting Erap would mean an earth-shaking shift in political fault lines and we know that the ruling class is always for the status quo, this being that the contending factions just take turns wielding power and controlling the resources of this country.
President Arroyo herself as head of one faction of the ruling class cannot favor Erap’s conviction. She can only go through the motions of a prosecution but will stop short of conviction because she does not want Erap’s case to set a precedent and open up the system to her eventual prosecution and conviction should she occasion the need for it to arise.
Furthermore, anybody from the upper class wanting to convict Erap would be considered a traitor to their class and would be heavily penalized by being relegated to the periphery of the upper class world. I do not think it is in anybody up there to take that risk, knowing how comfortable, how profitable, and how glamorous life is at the top.
We have an independent judiciary, you would perhaps counter. But just how independent can the judiciary be when they not only are appointed by society’s rulers but also belong now to the ruling class if not by wealth but by political affinity or both?
There have been mutinies by soldiers complaining about the corruption of their generals but has any general been convicted of corruption yet? Surveys show and people know that the Department of Public Works and Highways, the Bureau of Internal Revenue and the Bureau of Customs are the most corrupt departments but has any department head been even made accountable for the corruption in his or her department? So, how can we reasonably expect that Erap would be convicted?
It would not be surprising if behind the scenes there is already a lot of horse-trading going between Erap and PGMA. In any case, and I hope I am wrong, I cannot read a conviction in my sociological tea leaves. Erap need not worry at all. We do.
