Elections in Japan again

It was not to be a regular day as I left the exit of the train station closest to our university here. There were far too many blue-uniformed police and more people gathered near the station and especially farther down the big main road.

There must be big-time campaigners around, I thought. A week after, local elections were scheduled and so campaign period was in full swing in Japan.

To my big surprise, it was not just any big-time politician campaigning in our vicinity. No less than the present Prime Minister Aso of Japan was on top of a campaign truck, calmly calling out to the voters in the area to vote for their Liberal Party candidates. Supporters carried little paper flags and actively joined and cheered for their party.

I was also surprised to see the stark contrast in the security system of the Japanese and Philippine politicians and officials. Rich though Japan may be, the security around the Prime Minister and his other officials was very modest and simple and extremely polite!

Those of you who have witnessed attending events that involved Filipino officials and politicians can attest to the huge, tight security network surrounding them. Many of their security also need retraining about human relations, how to handle security matters more sensitively where the public is concerned.

Although Prime Minister Aso deserved the utmost security being the head of Japan, they did not disrupt traffic and their campaign crowd did not block any of the usual pedestrian or car routes. In fact, their security network and supporters were very apologetic about having disturbed the regular way of the residents there. What lessons our own politicians and their security team can learn from Japan!

One Japanese scholar, however, commented, in jest, that perhaps security was lax because there was no major threat to the first Catholic Japanese Prime Minister with rumors abounding here, that like previous Prime Ministers before him, PM Aso himself would not stay as Japanese Prime Minister for long!

True enough, the results of the latest local elections here showed the ruling Liberal Democratic Party losing to other parties. PM Aso then announced the holding of elections by August 30.

When Japanese officials lose the confidence of the voters, immediately new elections are scheduled and conducted with votes quickly canvassed electronically and results, honest and genuine ones, out within days.

What a contrast again to our situation in the Philippines .

Despite having the lowest confidence ever among all Filipino presidents, GMA and her party still want to continue to stay in power, either through CONASS or whatever other means,constitutional or not!

Where Japan has had several Prime Ministers before PM Aso, our country seems to be heading the opposite direction, with incumbent officials wanting to hold on to power for as long as they can, even if the voters already clearly want them out!

August 30 in Japan will reveal whether the present ruling party, the LDP , has enough public support to allow them to stay in power or not.

Soon, will the Filipinos finally get a confirmation about CON-ASS or martial law or any other political maneuver of the GMA administration to stay in power or to finally give way?

Are the public statements and visits of the American officials related to any GMA government plan related to elections, no elections, CON-ASS or Martial Law?

Abangan. Let us remain vigilant and closely monitor the events that will unfold from now on.

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