Wednesday, October 15, 2008 Wenceslao: Gloria may again scrape through By Bong O. Wenceslao Candid Thoughts
IS it just me or am I but one of the many who feel this way? I don’t want to take anything from politicians, civil society types and militants who filed the latest and probably second to the last impeachment complaint against President Arroyo (there’s still the third quarter of next year to file the fifth one, then after that the 2010 elections).
But I do feel a certain degree of ambivalence while assessing the impact of this the most recent political twist in this twist-laden country. I agree that after years of Oliver Lozano and Roel Pulido (who filed the first three impeachment complaints), we finally have something “substantial” for a case. There’s something about the timing, however.
That’s why unlike in the past years not much fanfare seems to have welcomed the filing last Monday by Joey de Venecia et al of their version of the legally-oust-Arroyo caper. Reasons: it’s but less than two years before Gloria’s term ends, the opposition don’t have the numbers in the House and there’s a global financial crisis to attend to.
The first reason must concern opposition presidentiables, like Loren Legarda who downplayed the impact of the filing. That explains the lack of unity among Arroyo critics re: the complaint. An impeachment move, if successful, will only put to waste money already spent for early campaigning. And it only benefits Vice President Noli de Castro.
The numbers? Even minority leader Ronaldo Zamora, a wily politician himself, admitted they might not get more pro-impeachment congressmen than what was gathered last year. The truth is, the positioning for the 2010 polls has started and politicians don’t want to limit their options, especially because the administration party has the resources.
If an impeachment complaint is nothing but a waste of saliva, then why not focus instead on preparing for the effects of the financial crisis now sweeping mostly the developed countries? That’s the business sector and other concerned people speaking. The point is that in times of difficulty, making people’s life more difficult is wrong.
An argument can be made on the complaint’s value as propaganda. With media attention on the filing, the corrupt acts and other abuses of the Arroyo administration can again be put to the fore. The problem is that most of the issues included in the complaint have been tackled, overly even, in congressional hearings and made for media stunts.
Besides, Gloria Arroyo is no longer running in 2010. In previous presentations of the issues included in the recent impeachment complaint, the political opposition wasn’t even able to rub the charges off on, say, de Castro, who still rules popularity surveys. I doubt if they can do that now to other possible administration candidates for president.
Having said that, people should also be warned of the other extreme, which is to be deceived by spin doctors of the Arroyo government. A counter-offensive to the filing of the impeachment complaint could be blowing up the effects of the global financial crisis to sow fear among the people and for government to gain public sympathy.
President Arroyo may again scrape through the most recent impeachment complaint, but that does not mean people believe she is innocent of the charges. It’s just that the stars always seemed to be aligned in her favor---and that’s not flattering.
(khanwens@yahoo.com/ my blog: cebuano.wordpress.com)
