Our society is not ready for parliamentary government

Few days ago, newsman Allan Mahait called up to interview me in his radio program. Because I knew him to be a decent media practitioner, it pained me to refuse his request. I told him that I have long since exited from politics, a perceived publicity-bound endeavor and from the time I started penning my thoughts, I have politely referred requests for interviews to more worthy personalities.

Not to give up easily, Allan said that he programmed to take up the issue of amending the 1987 Philippine Constitution and wanted to get my view as a former teacher of constitutional law. Hoping to avoid going on air, I gave my position - the charter change plan was (it continues to be) a diversionary tactic designed by Malacañang (a) to counter the call for the resignation of her Excellency, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and (b) to derail the impeachment process. That strategy, by the way, had, somehow worked.

Allan persisted and when I sensed that probably he had no other guest, I relented.

His first question was on whether the parliamentary form of government would fit the Filipinos. I humbly opined that parliamentary government works in society whose culture attaches premium value to integrity. In parliamentary governments, the standards of responsibility are so high such that when a question is raised on anything that may remotely cast a cloud of doubt on a conduct of a public official, that would result in the latter's immediate banishment from office. Sadly, we have not attained that level of propriety compatible with a parliamentary government.

I then took a long-winding route to drive my point home with the following examples:

1. Years ago, a Japanese jet plane, flying in thick fog, crashed against the side of an icy mountain in Japan. Everyone on board perished. Even before the investigation could be initiated, the Japanese minister of transportation, acknowledging responsibility, accepted his "failure". His sense of propriety (translated, delicadeza) moved him to resign from his government position.

2. In South Korea, an entirely dissimilar incident resulted in the same manner for its high strung government official. A low ranked South Korean soldier suddenly went on a killing binge. The reasons for his murderous act and the number of his victims are now beyond my recall. But, what I do remember was that the Minster of Defense, blaming himself for the fiasco, left his cabinet post. Take two. His sense of propriety (translated, delicadeza) moved him to resign from his government position.

3. Everyone would remember that a British minister, whose romantic relations with a woman other than his wife became public, left his government office posthaste. Take three. His sense of propriety (translated, delicadeza) moved him to resign from his government position.

It is not very difficult to understand that a plane crash may be attributable to many causes none of which may link to a failure of a government official. Japanese culture, unfortunately, is not like ours. So, when a passenger jet plane of Philippine registry crashed in northern Mindanao not long ago, killing more than 100 passengers and crew, no Philippine government official, not our Secretary of Transportation and Communication, acknowledged any form of responsibility and had the decency to resign from his post.

The difference in cultures between South Korea and the Philippines is perceptible. No sense of propriety could have driven our Secretary of Interior and Local Government to resign when a policeman shot to death his co-workers, including his superior in Western Visayas recently as it did his Korean counterpart in my story above.

The lapse of judgment which Pres. Arroyo confessed on television was worse than the infidelity of a British minister because our president did it knowing that the commissioner owed his post to her. But, if she did not feel enough sense of propriety as to heed the example of the Englishman in resigning his high government position, it is because our society has not reached that culture as to feel betrayed by her act.