Filipinos must learn from the US elections

Today should be the day of reckoning in the United States; after all, Nov.4 is Election Day. However, because of the International Dateline, it is still Nov.3 in the USA. And as we know from all International News sources, Senator Barack Obama is leading his rival Senator John McCain by at least 6 percentage points. If you think about Sen. Obama’s popularity, his charisma and the humongous money that was poured into his campaign kitty, this 6 percent lead doesn’t tantamount to a clear or runaway victory.

What’s even more intriguing is that, during the Republican Primaries, Sen. John McCain didn’t even make it in the first primary in Iowa. Everyone thought he was a goner. But he really made a reputation as a comeback kid when he won the primary in New Hampshire. Since then, he literally blew away all the Republican contenders. Despite the pollsters saying that Obama is on the lead, US political history has proven time and time again that Presidential bets that are ahead could still lose an election. Way back in the US Presidential elections of 1994, one US newspaper already headlined the winner “Dewey Wins!” yet the winner in that race was Pres. Harry Truman. Will we see an upset tomorrow? Only God knows.

The US Embassy has announced that it will be holding an “Election Watch” tomorrow Wednesday Nov.5 simultaneous with Manila where US Ambassador Kristie A. Kenney will be hosting the event. In Cebu, US Deputy Chief of Missions Paul Jones will play as our host. Invited to the Election Watch are various sectors of the Cebuano community, from public officials to business and civic leaders and of course the media. 

The US Embassy communiqué says, “Election Watch” will feature continuous updates of election results from live cable tv feeds, trivia contests, and information sources from the Internet. Voting machines that use ballots similar to those actually used in the US will be available for those who would like to participate in the mock elections.”

Of course Deputy Chief of Missions Paul Jones will be on hand to answer any questions you might pose about the US elections or their electoral process. For instance, you may want to know why Democratic Presidential candidate Al Gore lost to incumbent Pres. George W. Bush four years ago when he was supposed to have won the popular vote? If that election was done in the Philippines, Al Gore would have been the US President today. But as it is, the US electoral system has their Electoral College, something of an enigma to most Filipinos. We can expect Paul Jones to brief us on this.

The US elections is important; after all, America is the acknowledged leader in the democratic world. When America sneezes, we all catch cold.

What makes this election especially interesting is the historic angle it carries. The whole world would like to know whether America is ready for a Black President or a woman Vice-President. There are so many issues surrounding this Presidential campaign, ranging from race, the economy, the war in Iraq, religious freedom, even abortion rights, which is abhorred by the Catholic Church. This is where Sen. John McCain has the edge as he supposedly supports the religious right with his Vice-Presidential candidate Sarah Palin. 

What we Pinoys ought to hopefully learn from the US elections are: One, their two-party system brings out the best politician that would lead their country into the future. If it were only up to money, perhaps we would see Bill Gates or Warren Buffet running as President of the United States. But because they have a two-party system, those people oozing with political ambitions have to choose either to be a Republican or a Democrat then they can work their way up to the Presidential race.

The other very important thing to learn from the Americans is the speed by which the winners are known just after you cast your ballot. We’re talking here about a few hours after the polling precincts have closed then the computers do the job to count the ballots cast. No chance for “dag-dag-bawas” here. Perhaps we should borrow their election paraphernalia for the coming 2010 Presidential polls because I reckon that the Comelec won’t be ready to give us a computerized poll this coming elections.

But then, do Filipino politicians want a clean and honest elections in this country? I don’t think so. If they really wanted to, they would have already prepared for this a long time ago. What we want from our leaders is the political maturity that we never learned from the US.