PHILSTAR: ARAB REVOLT
MANILA, FEBRUARY 2, 2011 (STAR) SKETCHES By Ana Marie Pamintuan - One of America's SOBs, its staunchest ally in the Arab world, seems to be headed the way of Ferdinand Marcos.
Whether the ouster of Hosni Mubarak will mean greater civil liberties for Egyptians remains to be seen. Of greater concern for Egypt's neighbors (and Washington) is whether Mubarak's replacement – if he is ousted at all – will be good for the stability of the volatile region.
The other autocrats in the region – the long-reigning royal families of Saudi Arabia and Jordan – will be anything but overjoyed if Washington embraces pro-democracy protesters and turns its back on its ally Mubarak.
It's a reminder to Filipinos that Washington backed Marcos until almost the final moments of the 1986 EDSA revolt, telling him to "cut and cut cleanly" only when there were no other non-violent options left.
Championing human rights is a tricky business for the land of the free and home of the brave. During US President Barack Obama's recent summit with his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao, the part on human rights in their joint statement did not get sufficient play-up in the free press: "The United States and China underscored that each country and its people have the right to choose their own path, and all countries should respect each other's choice of a development model." That is the Chinese line when it comes to human rights.
The events in Tunisia and Egypt have raised hopes that a wave of freedom is sweeping a region where human rights, particularly those of women and the press, have long been suppressed.
At nearly 83, Mubarak isn't expected to last long in power, and had tried to groom his son Gamal to replace him. The lack of a viable succession plan is seen as a factor behind the current unrest.
The Western press is playing up the possible rise to power of Mohamed ElBaradei, a secular democrat who once headed the International Atomic Energy Agency. English-speaking Egyptians interviewed by Western TV seem to like him. But an Islamist group or oppressive military faction could also replace the three-decade-old Mubarak regime.
The fall of the authoritarian Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, in 1979 installed fundamentalist mullahs as the new rulers. Today Iran is one of the world's most repressive states, and speculation over its nuclear ambitions is unsettling its neighbors. Iranians demanding more freedom and supporting an opposition presidential candidate staged a "green movement" in 2009 but the protests were crushed by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
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The circumstances are different, but watching the mass protests in several Egyptian cities, we can't help being reminded not just of the 1986 people power revolt, which restored democracy after Marcos, but also EDSA II in 2001, which the nation, it seems, would rather forget.
I was reminded of EDSA II while recuperating in a hospital from a fever. My room had wi-fi and on a news website was the story about Filipinos forgetting the second people power revolution.
I had to google the exact date of EDSA II, when Joseph Estrada waved goodbye as he boarded a river barge from the Palace to Malacañang Park and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was sworn in at the EDSA Shrine. The 20th of January – a few days had passed since the 10th anniversary of EDSA II before my memory was jolted by the online report.
The Tunisians and Egyptians who are yearning for freedom and a better life after authoritarian rule may learn something from our experience in rebuilding a nation after great social upheaval.
Some quarters think Corazon Aquino's presidency was as much of a disaster as the grievous natural catastrophes – the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo and the Luzon earthquake – that occurred during her watch. But the nation never returned to authoritarian rule, and she repelled seven coup attempts that would have installed a military cabal in her place. Also, while her administration was not 100 percent graft-free, she set the example in restoring decency in government. Best of all, she relinquished power willingly, as scheduled.
Her legacy was enough to send her only son, untried in governance, to Malacañang by a landslide last year.
Noynoy Aquino's victory was also a form of protest against the biggest beneficiary of people power II. EDSA Dos gave Filipinos a valuable lesson on the pitfalls of mass uprisings and being careful what you wish for. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has people power fatigue to thank for her staying power at Malacañang.
The 10th anniversary of EDSA Dos came and went with many Filipinos suffering from collective amnesia, like retired military comptroller Lt. Gen. Jacinto Ligot.
It's significant that as the 10th anniversary of EDSA Dos was marked, one of its heroes, Angelo Reyes, was being portrayed as a corrupt heel, by a state witness whose handler is the son of Erap, the president who was ousted over a corruption scandal and convicted of plunder.
A Cabinet buzz in the previous administration was that among all the officials who defected to the EDSA forces in 2001, Erap felt most betrayed by "Angie" Reyes, his chief of staff and kumpare, because Erap felt that the military's defection sealed his doom. As far as Erap is concerned, the story goes, there's a special place in hell for Reyes.
The recent revelations on gift-giving traditions in the military show that there's so much more to nation-building than just ousting an autocrat through a mass uprising.
It's a lesson we remember as we watch the revolts and movements for freedom now spreading in the Arab world.
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RED TAPE: Speaking of hospitalization, I was informed that it would take from three to four months before I am reimbursed over P5,000 by PhilHealth. My private HMO footed the bulk of the bill. As for PhilHealth, a patient could die before getting a refund. That's government efficiency for you.
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Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
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