Our turbulent times

We live in turbulent times. If we borrow the first two sentences from the popular book of Charles Dickens "A Tale Of Two Cities," he wrote, "This is the best of times. This is the worst of times."

Dickens wrote about the critical period of the French Revolution where he compared the two cities of London and Paris.

Yes, this is the best of times. This is the worst of time for us too.

And to bring this country back to its senses and keep it moving is a challenge to all of us, more than a challenge to our leaders.

The book is a fiction. It opens with the story of Dr. Alexander Manette, a kind-hearted French physician attending to a girl and boy killed by the arrogant marquis St. Evrymonde. Yet Dr. Manette was the one thrown into jail where he languished for 18 years until he was freed with the storming of the Bastille. He was sent to London half crazy.

You read the book to appreciate the theme and the lack of concern of Parisians to the turmoil going around, "housewives of Paris, knitting near the guillotine as noble heads fall…"

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This is what I want to drive home. Our people must not be too unconcerned of things happening and, on the other extreme, also not as irresponsible because while leaders come and go, we are here to stay.

We cannot lay the blame alone on our leaders. A big part of the blame must be borne by us. We deserve the officials we elect.

We elected them. We must not allow them to fool and abuse us. We must not allow them to rob us.

Our defect as a people is our being docile, afraid of authorities, afraid to voice our anger, even afraid to defend ourselves. There are only tyrants when there are slaves.

There are people who abuse because there are people who allow them.

That's how other people see us. That's how many believe has been the cause of our problem. Our leaders believe they can fool us.

This is the result of centuries of our having been a colony of foreign powers with our so-called colonial mentality. And also our Catholic religion that teaches us to be obedient. And not to fight but only pray for people who abuse us.

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Is it not time now to stand up? It is! Let your voice be heard. Make yourself be counted. As a columnist many people would suggest issues to take up against somebody or something.

When I asked them I would put their name and idea, the common reaction was "No, no, no. I don't want to be controversial." I always would answer, "It's not that you don't want to be controversial. You are afraid." Many admitted they were.

How can we correct errors in the system if we are afraid to stand up?

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Media is standing up to what it perceives as an oppression. And if in the past many did not want to cross the path of media, it is because media would stand up. And, I believe, in this issue, it will not back out.

And I believe this time officials from President down will realize media cannot be pushed around.

If media people commit a crime, charge them. With all the powers of the government, they can be jailed.

And police should never tell media to follow their standard. Standard of what? Tell us what to say and what to write? Or what not to say and what not to write?

I cannot understand the agenda of Malacañang in picking on media. Probably, they believe that by doing so media will forget the other issues and focus on defending themselves.

Or the other principle that to frighten the hens, whip the chickens believing media is the chicken and the opposition is the hen.

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By the way, I am for President Arroyo as a strong leader and don't want her to step down if she is sincere in transforming our government into a parliamentary one.

But she has to survive all these turbulence first.

A parliamentary system has many advantages. Look at Thailand. Thailand's Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is beleaguered with calls for his resignation.

He avoided the crisis by calling for a new election. So, his opponents left Bangkok and went home to campaign in their district, afraid they might lose to Shinawatra's candidate.

At the first sign of a crisis, President Arroyo would have faced a vote of non-confidence or, if she knew she could get majority of the Parliament, she could call for a new election.

And candidates do not spend plenty because another election might be called soon. They will not be able to recover the expenses.

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Meanwhile, don't worry about the crisis. This is only in Manila. We are as peaceful as ever here.*

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