MANILA, Philippines - Former President Fidel Ramos may have distinguished himself as a military general but he seems to have forgotten the lessons of the “art of war” by failing to anticipate the moves of President Arroyo, former senator Francisco Tatad said yesterday.
“FVR (Ramos) has to review the ‘art of war’ – you do not ask your enemy to reveal his or her plan. We read her intention and prepare for the political war,” Tatad said.
He said Ramos should have anticipated Mrs. Arroyo’s intentions without asking her to reveal her plans beyond 2010.
Tatad said the former president should have read “Art of War,” written by Sun Tzu, a Chinese general who emphasized the importance of adopting a strategy in response to changing conditions.
Tatad said Ramos has apparently misread the political game plan of Mrs. Arroyo and her allies in Congress.
Ramos should have prepared an action plan to deal with any political development that may arise in the future, he added.
Tatad said the political landscape in the country has reached a critical stage where Mrs. Arroyo and her administration allies are now playing “hard ball” to pursue their political agenda.
“It’s normal (that) President Arroyo has to fight back because of the inflammatory overtures of her critics. She is now playing hard ball,” he said.
He said the political noise over the President seeking a seat in Congress and the move to convene the House of Representatives as a constituent assembly are clear signs that the political situation in the country has already reached a critical level.
Without a competent “general” from the real opposition, Tatad said the political game plan of the administration would soon become a reality.
A lawmaker, on the other hand, said former presidents should be blamed for meddling in the country’s affairs.
“The problem lies in our former presidents trying to influence events even after their terms have ended… they are the problem,” Nueva Ecija Rep. Edno Joson said.
He said these former public servants refuse to enjoy private life, but would always want to remain influential and in the limelight.
Aside from Ramos, Joson said former Presidents Corazon Aquino and Joseph Estrada have been active in the political scene, with Estrada rallying the opposition to unite under one banner in 2010, warning disunity might force him to seek re-election.
When Charter change through people’s initiative was raised before the term of Ramos ended in 1998, Aquino and Estrada joined hands with the late Manila Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin to oppose moves for term extensions.
The same thing happened when Estrada introduced Charter change in the initial stage of his presidency, before he was ousted in January 2001. Aquino, Ramos and Cardinal Sin voiced the same sentiments.
Joson said Ramos might be losing his influence, citing his complaint over the hasty merger of Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats with the Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (Kampi).
Ramos had pointed out the party leaders did not comply with the process on the merger.
Anakpawis Rep. Joel Maglunsod, for his part, expressed doubts about the intentions of Ramos in criticizing administration congressmen for their efforts to amend the Constitution.
Maglunsod said Ramos might have been trying to reassert his waning influence within the administration “because he is being left out.”
Maglunsod challenged Ramos to join them in the campaign against Charter change, saying that if Ramos does this, the opposition might forget the doubts or misgivings they have about the former president.
“We are waiting for him to join us in the anti-Charter change protest, otherwise his actions will just be perceived as political positioning,” he said. – With Delon Porcalla