Thursday, February 07, 2008 Editorial: New House leadership
MUCH has been said about Jose de Venecia’s ouster as House speaker but the question that now concerns people most is the one about change.
Critics of the Arroyo administration and sectors fed up with the antics of politicians are of course pessimistic that substantial change will occur in the House.
The pessimism is understandable because the reasons for the shakeup are not necessarily altruistic and those behind it may not be capable of effecting change.
Many believe that de Venecia was replaced only because he did not control his son, who testified in the Senate on the scuttled NBN deal and hit the First Gentleman.
Without the conflict, no shakeup would have happened.
Cleansing process
But there are also sectors who believe that having Prospero Nograles as speaker is already change enough considering the 12 years that de Venecia had held on to the post.
Which means that anything Nograles will do will be an improvement.
But whether that change is substantial or not is something else.
What should be interesting for those who believe in the noise made by the so-called reform block about change is these reformists ability to clean the House.
That should start with an accounting of the spending of the said legislative body under de Venecia, a point raised by presidential son Dato Arroyo.
Any program by the new House leadership that would downplay this need will therefore make people question their determination to effect substantial change.
Hope, hopelessness
The next several days will therefore be critical for Nograles and his group.
The highly entertaining tug-of-war in the House was a box office blockbuster, what with people watching or reading the media coverage of the political drama.
There is thus a heightened awareness nowadays of the goings-on on the House.
Failure by the new House leadership to effect substantial change will therefore be a letdown for those who are still clinging to hope.
It will also strengthen the belief of others that our politics is irredeemable.
