Who is Soros and what has he got to do with  RP?

I knew that George Soros was a billionaire, that he became famous after he correctly predicted the fall of the pound and runs foundations in many parts of the world that come under the umbrella of promoting open societies. Recently, people were again talking about him because of the ‘saffron revolution in Myanmar.’ It is said that Soros had supported the opposition led by Aung San Suuk Yi and that he inspired them to rebel against the military government. That was all I knew about him. But the Philippines?

By chance I met with someone at a party who asked me if I had watched the latest episode of Joey de Venecia’s testimony on the ZTE controversy. I had not. She said one of the things he revealed in his testimony was he would have funding for his BOT proposal. He said it would come from “Soros.” I was so struck by the story that when I got home I looked up George Soros again in the Internet.

I found the blog  RedBlueThoughts: A blog about Open Democracy and Security Issues facing the Asia Pacific Region. The article in question in the blog is “The Weakening Philippine State and Soros.” Let me clear the decks before proceeding with this column. Both de Venecias, father and son, are my good friends. The elder de Venecia deserves all praise for his effective handling of the House of Representatives during his unprecedented stewardship of Congress and it would be a mistake if he were to leave his post in this very difficult but crucial phase of our nation’s history.

But it is important that any information that can help Filipinos understand recent events should be as widely available to them. The blog piece I am referring to is one source of information that will not be accessible to many Filipinos. It may not be completely true but it points to certain questions that need to be answered. What the blog piece says needs looking into. Who is Soros and what has he got to do with the Philippines?

Those who know of him will be aware that it is difficult to separate Soros’ politics from his business ventures because one activity feeds the other. Only a few Filipinos know of him and these few who do, would regard him as a businessman, a top class financier. I am confident that this is how Joey might have perceived his interest in the broadband project if it is true that Soros was ready to finance the Amsterdam Holdings BOT proposal. But given his background especially during the Asian financial crisis, there is much more involved in his interest in the Philippines and raises very important political questions in the region.

Here are pertinent portions I have excerpted from the article. The author was surprised that “the surprising revelation escaped everybody’s attention during the ZTE hearings.” I remember one senator (I think it’s Senator Enrile — just review the transcripts) asking Joey de Venecia who’ll back him up financially in the NBN deal. Without batting an eyelash, Joey retorted the magic word: “Soros”.

“We all know who George Soros is. For those who don’t, three words to remember about him — Open Democracy (which I espouse), Asian Financial Crisis and Billionaire. He’s the Richard Branson of the financial world. Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew once blamed him for the Asian financial crisis. Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad once accused him of manipulating world markets for his own ends. I once remembered FVR telling everybody that George Soros’ hand was behind the spate of coups during the Cory Aquino regime. Soros heads the Soros Management Fund, a global operation which essentially promotes open societies. You can check Google or the website http://www.soros.org or www.opendemocracy.net for more details.”

 Various sources describe him as a financial speculator, a political activist and even a philosopher. He was once a student of Karl Popper, the philosopher credited for having created the concept of Open Democracy.

The author then asks and answers why he should finance a revolution in the Philippines? “Obviously, current political reality dictates that changes in the present political structure is in order. The Arroyo administration is slowly becoming despotic. Former US President Bill Clinton’s remark about his former classmate as being “the most feared woman in the Philippines” tells you a lot about how Americans perceive Arroyo’s regime. Favors, will therefore be dispensed to those who pledge allegiance to the clique. The state in this situation contracts, and this contraction will also affect not only the political realm but also in the economic realm. This is quite evident in the ZTE deal. The administration gave the deal to the Chinese because it was supported by a strong financial ally (Razon) and a political wheeler-dealer (Abalos).

There’s a split in the ruling clique brought by the ZTE deal. Concessions were granted to other members of the clique to the consternation of other loyal subjects of the clique. This spawned a division which could lead to ouster of the head of the clique. Far worst, this shows a permanent crack in the relationship, which obviously, was a patron-client one. The lost of a stable political base further led to a weakening, which, in this case, puts the regime in a serious state. Soros knows this. Expect a heightening of tensions between inter-elites which could lead to an implosion. This implosion will fuel destabilization which will lead to disintegration of existing relationships and possible ouster from power possibly in the first quarter of next year. Or even earlier.”

That is a version of an author in a blog of the possible implication of Soros in the attempts to destabilize our government. The question is whether he is doing it in a personal capacity and whether his interest is purely business. Or he is part of a wider scheme. I have not talked to Joey or Speaker JDV recently, but they may be able to shed light on this allegation that Soros might have been involved in the ZTE controversy than the public has been made to know.