BALANCING OF INTERESTS In sliding down from his presidential bid in 2010, Mar Roxas has virtually become de facto president of the country. You see him wherever the president goes, especially when the president meets with his US counterpart. Whenever he enthuses about the moral high ground of this presidency, he unwittingly alludes to the kind of leadership he has installed for the president. Whenever he declares certain projects are to be pursued, it is as if the pronouncement comes from the president himself. Waltzing on the corridors of power should therefore make one wish the night is young. Too early to go home. There is no tomorrow. Roxas wants the evening extended. He seeks another term for the president, and himself of course. But this will require constitutional amendment that could disastrously divide the country in the next 693 days. His proposal only seeks to delay the break of day, although he realizes the day will come eventually. The problem is that he is closely associated with Abad. It took then two years to learn the tricks in budget management. And during the period, they hesitated to spend, for lack of familiarity with the nuances of running the ship of state. As it turns out now, they worked in vain, not being the financial wizards par excellence they ought to be, with Roxas business credentials from Wharton Business School (University of Pennsylvania), because the Supreme Court has declared their efforts to be unconstitutional. Assuming they succeed in breaking through the constitutional term limits, it would be a nightmarish evening just the same, when daybreak comes, because their political opponents will be running after their necks. Postponing the inevitability of power shift may not be for their common good. By the time the extended term ends, Binay might no longer be a viable successor, for possible decline in popularity, or simply for reasons of health. By then, all of them will be losing the protective mantle of insurance coverage under Binay, with a hostile successor determined to get even, if not even more. In the words of Reinhold Niebuhr, the administration stalwarts must have the wisdom to know the difference. They should have the pragmatism of Deng Zhao Ping, to be able to survive the brewing political gauntlet not far in the horizon.
Posted on: Thu, 07 Aug 2014 01:50:31 +0000
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