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Vox Populi?

In this country where elite politics is still the best weapon of the powerful and the mighty to keep themselves entrenched, the concept of democracy remains in a surreal dimension. For where in the world can one find a house of representatives dominated by landlords and bureaucrat capitalists who avow to be the voice of the poor and the downtrodden? Where in the world do you find a president brazenly dangling the people’s hard-earned money to bribe her lackeys to keep her in power?

The recent voting procedure in congress on the impeachment case against the president was pure cardiac exercise where one’s blood pressure depended on what a congressman’s impassioned plea contained. The people’s representatives who voted NO to junking the impeachment complaint were uncertain of winning yet they valiantly stood their ground to seek the truth and deliver justice to their constituents. Though few and far between, their NO was oxygen to a gasping parliamentary battle. They lent honor and credibility to what that “august hall” has been bereft of for a time now.

The congressmen (and women) who voted YES had the gall to say that they were the saber and principled voice of their constituents and that they were for national unity and progress. However, they could barely conceal the fact that they were wooed, cajoled, cowed or arm-twisted. The Cordillera congressman who was asked by a constituent to vote NO but replied “funds needed badly by his province” needs to reflect on his role as the voice of his people. And this goes for the other congressmen from the provinces of Northern Luzon who were accomplices in the murder of truth and justice. They were put into office by the people who expect services and development in their localities and who pay taxes for these. They are public servants whose sworn duty is to ensure that the people’s money is given back in terms of social and economic welfare, genuine development and wise governance. This is the people’s right. It was not Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo who sent them to their seats in congress, thus she should be the last person these congressmen should be beholden to.

This is where we are, a country where elite politics and political patronage can distort a lot of concepts –on democracy, public trust, public accountability, etc. This is once more a learning experience for the people. Those who felt betrayed are of a jaded conclusion that this country is going nowhere. For many who followed the events unfolding, this is a time of heightened consciousness about being a vigilant citizen. For some, it was a moment of political awakening and decision to join the arena of action. For the rest of the people, this is a period of insistence and persistence where they must let their true voice be heard and not allow tyranny to silence them. #

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