FVR raps poster campaign

"Crazy."

This was former President Fidel Ramos’ tart reply to allegations that he caused the distribution of posters with his picture in Metro Manila which was viewed as a signal of his impending return to the political arena.

Ramos dismissed the circulation of such posters as a "hatchet job by a desperate Estrada administration" against the opposition Lakas-NUCD party.

Meanwhile, Ramos warned against attempts to restore dictatorships in Asia, saying the continent had irrevocably embraced democracy in the late 20th century.

Former National Security Adviser Jose Almonte also denied having a hand in the destabilization plot against the President.

"Crazy. Why would I do that?" Ramos said in a long distance talk from Indonesia with his nephew, Pangasinan Rep. Hernani Braganza.

Braganza said Ramos, who is titular head of the Lakas-NUCD, was particularly offended by accusations that he was behind the move to unseat his successor through a coup.

"I was the one who restored democracy in this country. There’s no way I would violate the Constitution," Ramos stressed.

Braganza urged Malacañang to stop spreading misinformation, saying it would only worsen the prevailing political crisis in the country.

Braganza dared the President to "face the people and stop hiding behind the camera."

Ramos addresses Indonesian forum

Speaking at a global forum in Indonesia, Ramos said the raging jueteng controversy provides the opportunity for Filipinos and other Asians to transform Asia’s "personality-based" politics and economies into "rule-based" societies similar to more mature democracies.

"Transactions based on personal connections, rather than on legally enforceable contracts, breed corruption and inefficiency," Ramos said in a statement.

He said the jueteng fiasco highlighted "how resources from the poor were being channeled through illegal activities that benefit a few privileged individuals, and what choices marginalized people face as they risk hard-earned money for the prospect of tempting, but improbable material gains."

He pointed out, though, that the Philippines again becoming a symbol of corruption is not unique.

"Similar misfortunes could very well be the silent fate of many countries where socio-political traditions have been left behind by market democratization spurred by global forces," the former President said.

He also said the current corruption scandal hitting the Estrada administration "reflects the patronage politics that characterize governance in many developing countries."

It also reflects, he said, how competition can be the best safeguard and antidote to the problem.

"There are market excesses that we must vigilantly guard against, just as competition for political corruption is anathema to good governance," Ramos said.

He said the most important lesson for the present administration to learn is that there is nothing inevitable or pre-ordained about the success of democratic transition and transformation.

He noted, however, the cyclical changes in political conditions, adding that scholars worldwide have agreed that periods of military rule have been shortened while civilian rule lengthened.

While there is no guarantee against attempts to impose dictatorship, Ramos said the best safeguards are honesty, transparency, integrity and efficiency in government.

"The basic lesson is clear," he said. "The best defense against military interventionism anywhere in the developing world is an empowered civil society and good governance."

For his part, Almonte said Mr. Estrada only had himself to blame for all the problems besetting the country.

"I and former President Ramos have always been blamed for all the problems President Estrada is encountering," Almonte rued. "We have been accused of almost everything."

He predicted that Mr. Estrada will "self-destruct."

He also said the jueteng mess has caused another embarrassment for the country before the international community.

He dismissed allegations that the political opposition of which he has been identified has earmarked P100 million to destabilize the Estrada government.

"Saan kami kukuha ng ganoon karaming pera, sa jueteng? (Where would we get that huge amount of money, from jueteng?)" Almonte asked in jest. — Liberty Dones, Rey Arquiza