Keep a political system simple
Posted on May 28, 2007 - Filed Under Punch Forum |
Rafael L. Oriel, Jr.
28 May 2007
Mr. Ramos, if you need a solid background in socio-politics, you are better off to put your stock to someone else. I am quite sure there are many Filipinos around with those credentials.
Actually, that is a very good question that you should ask politicians. Whatever I learned from the school of hard knocks and school of conventional wisdom is all that I have as far as socio-politics is concerned.
Contrary to what you think, I find nothing dreadful about using the Japanese, Singaporean, or any success story of Asian parliamentary government. Using your line of thinking, the Asian countries you are talking about seem to be enamored with European parliamentary governance because they adapted the parliamentary system of government based on European models. Singapore, for example, is a republic with a Westminster system of unicameral parliamentary government. Westminster?
From what I understand, there are broadly two forms of Parliamentary democracies. Westminster System or Westminster Model and the Western European Parliamentary Model. There is also what they called a Hybrid Model, the semi-presidential system, drawing on both presidential systems and parliamentary systems.
I guess the French model proposed by JDV is a hybrid model and is more complex compared to the English model proposed by FVR. I like the one proposed by FVR better because it is much simpler.
If ever we Filipinos will decide to go for the parliamentary system of government, of course, they should design it in such a way that it will appropriately suit the needs of every Filipinos, something that we can call a Filipino-style of parliamentary system of government. I hope they can produce something that we can be proud of.
The most ideal is to keep all our systems in the Philippines as simple as possible because it is more economical and much more manageable. I strongly believe that Filipinos have all the talents and resources to make it feasible or to make it a reality towards a better future for the country and its people.
Last May 22, we had a provincial election here in Canada to elect 57 Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for the Province of Manitoba. It is very simple to vote. We just need to select one out of four candidates or one out of four different political parties. I just put an X beside the name of the candidate that I think can best represent me to the provincial legislative assembly. I based my decision not so much on the candidates’ personality but much more on their political platform.
The voting process was very simple and ensures the smooth and efficient conduct of the election. The polls opened at 8:00 A.M. and closed at 8:00 P.M. and few hours after that we already knew the winners and the losers were already graciously conceding defeat followed by a victory speech of the newly elected Premier of Manitoba. Consequently, it took only few hours for us to know the winning political party who will govern the province and the political parties who will be in the opposition.
Iniisip ko na sana ganito rin ka-simple ang election sa atin. Kaya ko nagugustuhan ang unicameral, federal and parliamentary system of government dahil sa mga nakikita kong maraming mga advantages nito na siguradong makakabuti sa ating bansa at mamamayan.
It is as simple as that and I am quite sure that you do not need a solid background in socio-politics or to be a rocket scientist in order to know that fact. All we need is to use our common sense.
If we are really after the welfare of Filipinos why not GO for it? If some Filipinos can suggest something much better then why not? If Filipinos will believe what Mr. Carrera is saying that nothing works, wala talagang mangyayari sa ating bansa at mga mamamayan, di ba?
Hindi ba ito insulto sa kakayahan, husay at talino ng mga Filipinos. Gusto niyo bang hanggang diyan na lang tayo?
I like to reiterate, I am a firm believer of what the KISS strategists, especially computer programmers, often say, “Keep It Simple, Stu”. The current Presidential system is complex, very expensive and very difficult to manage causing excessive burden and unnecessary yoke that is overloading the country and its people.
Godspeed to all.
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