Are we a democracy?

It is better to frame the issue in a question. Too many presume that we are because of a rambunctious (but not necessarily) free press and periodic elections. At present, the media debate is on election automation. It implies that without automation, we will just have Garcis and therefore dishonest elections. The supreme good is to have honest elections. Sounds good but not helpful in a country where the system lends itself to the election of dolts or puppets of big business and outsiders for geopolitical reasons.

Without charter change, the presidential elections in 2010 will not strengthen ‘democracy’.

On the contrary it will strengthen elitism and make it even more difficult for ordinary but talented and public service oriented men and women to get into politics and win in elections. It isn’t open to anyone who has less than P5 billion to burn or a sponsor who would have the P5 billion to burn. We believe in elections but only if it enables competent men and women with party programs to steer the country’s destiny, not a haphazard free for all, dependent on money even with correct counting, whether automated or manual.

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Charter change that will shift government to parliamentary federal will chart a new course for Philippine politics much like what the Obama administration is doing for America. It is changing its policies that have been shown to benefit the rich and powerful. Understandably, there will be resistance to change and it will come from the stakeholders of the present system enamored with presidential elections even if they know that these do not advance the wellbeing of the country.

I have since been converted to simplifying arguments for charter change into 2 D’s - democratization and decolonization, but W.J. Basil Fernando, the political scientist who left poverty in a Sri Lankan fishing village to become a leading advocate for social change, disagrees. He believes democratization and decolonization are really one.

He says that before we can have any discussion on democratization we must first agree on what the word means.

He has come up with a working definition of democratization: it is a process whereby people engage in constructing a state for their own benefit with social equality as its core principle, working though an elected government operating under the rule of law, supported by functioning institutions subject to a constitutional framework incorporating international norms and standards as set out in United Nations’ human rights treaties and covenants. By that definition, we are far from being a democracy and the 2010 presidential elections will not change that.

An important requirement for democratization, he says, is genuine sovereignty. A sovereign country must be able to use its natural resources and wealth for its people’s benefit.

“It is contradictory to suggest that a colonial power can ‘create’ democracy. Colonizers rule over countries for their own benefit, and the kind of ‘democracy’ they introduce has the same characteristics.” Now that is a mouthful but it answers why we have been unable to change our charter through the years and that is, whoever was governing at the time, whether it was Arroyo, Ramos, Erap or Aquino.

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When new Iranian ambassador, HE Ali Mojtaba Rouzbehani came to visit the STAR offices in Port Area and meet its writers and editors, it was a good opportunity to ask again about his country’s nuclear program. His answer, as it had been with previous ambassadors, is they are fighting for the right for the peaceful use of nuclear energy as a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

As he correctly said, the present Iranian government is merely continuing with the work started during the Shah of Iran’s time and there was no objection from Americans. I told him that I very nearly joined a group of journalists who were invited to join an ‘inspection’ trip of its nuclear plants but one thing or other got in the way and I was not able to come.

My family and I have Iranian friends from our London exile and they came to Manila for one of my sons’ wedding. Amb. Rouzbehani deplored the lack of contact and information between Iranians and Filipinos.

Rouzbehani is keen to develop tourism between the two countries. He cites his country’s 7,000-year history that has made it a treasure trove of knowledge and historical sites. Iranians are very similar to Filipinos because of their natural friendliness.

Some who have gone there and have had pleasant experiences call them one of the friendliest peoples of the world. Of course if all you see on TV are pictures of dour politicians and mullahs you will not know that. You must go to Iran to experience the ordinary Iranians’ friendliness. More personal contact is the answer to misconceptions about his people since the conflict with the US over nuclear energy. A tour of Iran would include Zagros Mountains to Shiraz and the magnificent ruins at Persepolis, started by Darius I in 515BC and destroyed by Alexander the Great in 330BC.

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I have to say with embarrassment that until a few days ago, I have not seen nor heard the world famous Bamboo Organ in Las Pinas. It was Mr. Hyun Mo Park, founder and chairman of the Filipino-Korean Cultural Foundation, who called me twice to attend an evening concert there celebrating the 60th Philippine-Korean Friendship Night. My balikbayan friend, Lu Sumulong Yujuico who came along was ecstatic saying “it was like being transported into a different world.” To think that just outside the church was the heavy traffic in this crowded city. The concert featured artists from Korea — organist Yang-Hee Yun and baritone Seong-Kyu Lim’s. Beautiful Yang-Hee Yun played various pieces among them Allen Zudir Herr Jesu Christo by J. Pachelbel. I liked especially baritone Seong kyu Lim’s rendition of Panis Angelicus. I congratulate the Korean cultural group and thank them for introducing the bamboo organ to me, a unique instrument known throughout the musical world.