One of Get Real Philippines' post last 2013 (during the "Golden Reign" of Noynoy Aquino) was titled "Many Philippine politicians are corrupt because Filipinos allow it". Ilda, like her clueless husband Benign0, just doesn't get it, right? The big difference between GRP and CoRRECT Movement is this. It seems that GRP is just too focused on fixing people rather than the system that runs the people. Ilda even gets it partly wrong on her post about Singapore as she fails to mention that FOREIGN INVESTMENTS took part in shaping Singapore. Like Rigoberto Tiglao of the Manila Times - Benign0 of GRP gets it all wrong into believing that Filipinos must first straighten up their act before receiving FDI. Now, back to the topic of corruption. Yes, many Filipino politicians are corrupt not just because Filipinos allow it -- it's also because the SYSTEM allows it.
Systems shape behavior whether you like it or not. Right now, even President Rodrigo R. Duterte's term is riddled in corruption and the president is RIGHT to blame the system for it. Only if Noynoy saw the need for charter change in his quest for Daang Matuwid too. What do I blame for the rise of anomalies in Duterte's administration? The same system that allowed Noynoy to have those anomalies. It's really worsening and you expect Duterte to fix all that? For Noynoy, do you expect him to fix all that during the term of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo? Duterte is RIGHT in saying that the SYSTEM in itself is designed to experience a failed government. Just blame Duterte but not the system for its failures? Talk about Duterte being the DRIVER and you're making him drive a BROKEN CAR. Good cars will reveal the bad drivers. You can't know which driver is good and which driver is bad if all the cars were BROKEN. Good cars will be driven well by good drivers and mishandled by bad drivers. If all the cars were broken then both good drivers and bad drivers will fall down the cliff. Give everyone good cars and the bad drivers will reveal themselves.
Transparency International reveals the 2020 corruption perception index. Yes, that's last year's score and take a look at the ranks . What do New Zealand, Denmark, Finland, Switzerland, Singapore, and Sweden HAVE IN COMMON that the Philippines doesn't have? It's that these countries just don't have good leadership -- they're also PARLIAMENTARY countries. The Philippines, on the other hand, has poor leadership because of the PRESIDENTIAL SYSTEM that's partly based on American politics. The United States of America (USA) is proof that the presidential system isn't the best in the world. Some presidential countries are now doing better by being semi-parliamentary like Taiwan and South Korea. However, the fully parliamentary countries have better performance like saying that Singapore does better than South Korea. South Korea may be doing better than the Philippines but is held back by the fact it's still presidential overall. Two things that's holding the Philippines from becoming another Singapore are the presidential system and the lack of free markets.
How is the presidential system FAILING? It's because the presidential system is like a Bb. Pilipinas or Miss Universe contest. In short, presidential systems downplay credible leaders in exchange for popular leaders regardless of credibility. Examples of such incidents are when Joseph Estrada became the president because of his popularity and when Noynoy won the presidency because of his late mother Corazon Cojuangco-Aquino and his also late father Ninoy Aquino. People tend to vote for their candidates like they're selecting beauty queens. I'd even like to joke that all candidates, whether male or female, should go to the presidential debates dressed up in gowns and walk in swimsuits.
Meanwhile, the parliamentary system engages in more scrutiny and transparency. The presidential system doesn't really give the Minority Floor a chance to speak and to be heard of. It's true that the minority needs to listened to. Is that function really that functional in the presidential system? The current presidential opposition doesn't really have a real function because of the constitution. Is there really even a weekly question hour to top it all? Besides, how did every State of the Nationl Address (SONA) go for every presidency? Most of them just have the president speak but what about the questioning? Did the opposition even get the chance to question Duterte? That wouldn't be the problem when one's in the parliamentary system.
The parliamentary set-up would encourage transparency betwee the Government and the Opposition. The Government is the Majority Seat. The Opposition is the Minority Seat. The parliamentary form of governance gives the Minority a chance to be heard and the responsibility to scrutinize the majority. It's because for every minister in the Government -- there's a shadow minister in the Opposition. It would be like if Duterte is the prime minister and Noynoy is the leader of the opposition. Duterte has his own set of appointees (ministers) and Noynoy also has his too. These ministers and shadow ministers will be facing off against each other in the weekly question hour. These weekly debates are one massive press conference where both sides will show their best and expose their worst. Duterte's current poor choice of appointees would be better scrutinized with the parliamentary in weekly debates. A vote of no confidence is always waiting for those who fail to gain the confidence of the legislative. Having the fear of getting voted out is more fearful than the impeachment trials. Impeachment always waits for someone to do a crime. In the parliamentary, all it takes is for any member of the parliament to have lost the confidence of both sides to get removed.
What's really needed ow is to change the SYSTEM in itself. Filipinos living in developed countries tend to do better. Take Filipinos who have lived and worked in developed countries for a long time. Compare Filipinos who have lived in better countries those staying in the Philippines. Why are there more successful Filipinos abroad than in their own country? It's again an issue of the system more than the people driving the system.
Comments
Post a Comment