A habit of the heart

There was a time when I would not be caught dead supporting Anwar Ibrahim. This was the time of development and the virtues of authoritarianism in getting things done.

Mahathir was my hero. He still is – for the brave stand he took during the 2008 Asian financial crisis against all odds and criticisms from western financial moguls especially against George Soros whom he accused of sabotage. He introduced controls to protect the Malaysian ringgit. That was also the time when he went against Anwar Ibrahim when it seemed that his deputy prime minister was wavering in his support for Mahathir’s policies.

Close Filipino friends were in Kuala Lumpur for the trial of Anwar Ibrahim for sodomy. We stood at different parts of the courtroom. I went to see Mahathir in his office outside the city convinced that it was the development path that was more significant than Anwar’s fight for freedom and democracy.

The same Filipino friends of Anwar Ibrahim in court have sent his speech in Georgetown University to this column as he awaits the decision from Malaysia’s High Court expected any day.

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Ibrahim’s speech in Georgetown addresses Filipino reformists of today, too.  I like especially the part when he said that he would return to Malaysia soon. He could opt not to. But he said the cause of democracy is a habit of the heart.

He could not leave the youth he had inspired to continue the job. It would be unfair to them. In a way, we who have worked hard for constitutional reform in the Philippines for many years can learn from his speech. Like him we continue to fight against those who would destroy our institutions because we believe that we can mature in a democracy and continue the fight for reform and save our institutions under a rule of law. We must have faith and preserve our values. All this I take to mean as a response equally relevant to us in Bayanko.

 It would be so easy to give up, but who is to do it if so many are mesmerized by what they think is progress and development?

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In the same speech, he compares the Reformasi as the journey to Ithaka. This is a poem written by Constantine Cavafy. I would like to share this poem with this column’s readers as a source of inspiration to keep them strong and determined for the struggle now and in the days ahead.

“When you set out for Ithaka? ask that your way be long, ?full of adventure, full of instruction.? The Laistrygonians and the Cyclops,? angry Poseidon – do not fear them:? such as these you will never find? as long as your thought is lofty, as long as a rare? emotion touch your spirit and your body.?

The Laistrygonians and the Cyclops,? angry Poseidon – you will not meet them? unless you carry them in your soul,? unless your soul raise them up before you.??

Ask that your way be long. At many a Summer dawn to enter with what gratitude, what joy –?ports seen for the first time; ?to stop at Phoenician trading centres, and to buy good merchandise, ?mother of pearl and coral, amber and ebony, and sensuous perfumes of every kind, sensuous perfumes as lavishly as you can; to visit many Egyptian cities, to gather stores of knowledge from the learned.??

 Have Ithaka always in your mind.?

Your arrival there is what you are destined for.?But don’t in the least hurry the journey.? Better it last for years, so that when you reach the island you are old,? rich with all you have gained on the way,? not expecting Ithaka to give you wealth.? Ithaka gave you a splendid journey.? Without her you would not have set out.? She hasn’t anything else to give you.??And if you find her poor, Ithaka hasn’t deceived you. So wise you have become, of such experience,?that already you’ll have understood what these Ithakas mean.” It is not just for the few but for the rare and “crazy.”

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News reports have been coming out that “we are now in a post crisis period.” I was with a group last night who were not aware of the reports. If we are now in this post crisis situation what is the government doing about it?

“The Nasdaq reports that “looking back to between 1945 and 2008, we see that the frequency of financial crises and recessions is quite high: on average, there is one crisis every 58 months (using data from the US National Bureau of Economic Research). In other words, statistically speaking we should expect the beginning of the next crisis in April 2015, which would end by March 2016. So are we in a post- or a pre-crisis period?”

There is another perspective to the crisis. This comes from Jose Alejandrino, member and adviser  of Bayanko. He gathers facts that are available in many news reports.

‘The Japanese economy sank further in the 3rd quarter after a severe contraction in the previous quarter, pushing it into recession. The Russian economy is on the edge of recession due to economic sanctions imposed by the West as punishment for interfering in Ukraine. The Eurozone is also on the brink of recession due to high debt, low growth, and high unemployment. The German economy, the powerhouse of Europe, only grew by 0.1 percent in the 3rd quarter.?IMF’s managing director Christine Lagarde and Bank of England governor Mark Carney warned of a spectre of stagnation sweeping Europe.?The economies of the emerging markets are all slowing down.? All this will impact severely on the US economic recovery.

A world recession cannot but affect the Philippines. In my previous postings, I warned of external and internal factors that will hit the Philippines in 2015. A world economic recession is the  external factor. It will reduce considerably the country’s exports and manufacturing, increasing further the already high unemployment and poverty rates. These are the internal factors. The social repercussions will add to the revolutionary situation already present in the country with a do-nothing government and wide discontent. It could sweep away the established order.”

Is this the divine intervention that will happen to finally awaken Filipinos to the dire economic and political situation in the Philippines?