Empower Tomorrow

Written on Monday, April 21st, 2008 at 12:58 am | by cocoy

I believe there should be two fundamental beliefs that a new kind of political party ought to have. First, this party must be accountable only to future generations. Second, it must value human dignity and rights.

Why future generations? Because everything is about the future. Everything has repercussions that future generations will face. And if we truly believe in the justness of a cause, then it must serve that future. Everything from the choice of economic development to education to policy come right down to the question: what kind of a country are we leaving future generations to inherit?

And second, human dignity and rights is a core foundation of society that every party should hold sacred. What is more important than the quality of life? A person’s right to free speech and expression, of the right to worship, right to economic security, and right to live in a country free from physical aggression.

That said, it is time to answer comments from our last post.

Let’s start with cvj, who wrote:

…how did Arroyo’s current position become synonymous with her ‘life’? Why is there a ‘need’ for her to stay in power and does that mean that you are prepared to tolerate the kind of political and legal maneuvers that she employs to prevent a thorough investigation of the issues brought up against her? What kind of attitude are we propagating if the ‘need to stay in power’ trumps the value of ‘public office as a public trust’? Is this going to be the guiding philosophy of the New Party you’re advocating? If yes, then how is this different from the Old Parties?

I apologize. “life” was meant to be “political life”.

i do not “tolerate” the kind of political and legal maneuvers she employs. If you looked at all my posts, I have clearly been opposed to that. BUT I do recognize WHY she does it. I understand that it is her nature to do so. Just as it is the nature of any individual attacked (i use the word rather loosely) to defend herself.

I honestly think you don’t get the exact problem that we have. I’m just rehashing what I’ve written in the last two posts. Maybe the third time it’ll be clearer.

Again. we go back to why exactly IS there a need for a New Party.

You said: “We are not tolerating any kind of attitude by propagating her need” to stay in power.

Why is there a need for a new Party? simply because We can not get Arroyo to be tried by the Senate in an Impeachment court? Why? because she has her hands on the neck of every Congressman! We can not have any sort of investigation. Any honest investigation will be impeded by her Government, or by the nature of her intimidating presence as President. She doesn’t even need to say or do anything and quite naturally people will be cautious.

Answer: Get Congress. Become Congress. Get Elected to the Palace. Only then can you start creating special commissions to investigate all these allegations— without impediment. Once elected you can rollback all of Arroyo’s failed policies.

I ask you: what kind of attitude are we propagating if we don’t use our heads in getting what we want? Surely you can’t believe you can find the truth, yammering in the streets? surely you can’t change the law by simply yelling at the top of your lungs: “Arroyo you are wrong!”

These people in government, they don’t listen to public opinion. They don’t CARE. It is PRECISELY THAT reason WHY WE MUST take it from their hands. They don’t recognize Civility. They don’t recognize Order. All they see is WHAT WORKS for THEM.

When you say “propagating if the ‘need to stay in power’ trumps the value of ‘public office as a public trust’”, all i hear and see is that you see only what’s now and what’s behind us.

The WAY I see it, this whole issue about “need to stay in power” is the One thing You and many Filipinos can’t seem to get past. It is merely the SYMPTOM and not the CAUSE.

We CAN NOT right all these failed policies that Arroyo has done and still perpetuate by insisting we VALUE her need to stay in power. WE ARE TRYING to make sure no more Arroyos will plague our nation’s future. Because it is NOT HER personally, NOR it is HER FAMILY. Arroyo is simply the SYMPTOM and not the CAUSE.

What I’m trying to GET at by hoping to INTRODUCE a new Kind of Dynamic is to invigorate politics. To GIVE people a chance to CHARGE Arroyo and for Arroyo and her ilk to face trial. We can not do that, with a Congress that obviously sways towards her. We can not do that when she can twist Law into her own perverse need.

Don’t you see, we need to untangle this Gordian Knot?

We do through our existing Law: Election. We do it through persuading our People the rightness of our Party’s conviction and Nobleness of our cause which is MORE THAN GETTING ARROYO but DOING SOMETHING FOR THE FUTURE OF ALL FILIPINOS.

Building a Party and winning an election is ABOUT BUILDING THE MEANS TO GET WHAT WE WANT. What’s in it for people? FIRST: It gets you to Congress SO WE CAN WRITE our OWN LAWS. It Gets us to the PALACE to ENFORCE those LAWS and to ERASE ALL THOSE FAILED POLICIES we disagree w/Arroyo.

As Lester’s raised as a comment in “Because We Can” one of his favorite loop holes is the Law on Secrecy of Bank Deposits”. If it’s BROKE, let’s FIX it.

The Second being in Power lets us create all the special prosecutors, and have access to all government records to PROVE whether or not Arroyo is guilty of ANY CRIME.

In simple words: “delayed gratification”.

AGAIN, MORE THAN GETTING ARROYO, Becoming the Power in this country, actually lets US do something with all those things people always COMPLAIN ABOUT.

We get to do something bloggers, protesters, media only yammer about. We need to become PART of the system to fix it. To put our own touches.

You can not build a house by throwing stones. You build a house by picking up the stones and piling them up, brick by brick by brick.

Do you get it now?

What’s different? I thought I was rather clear on what’s different with this Party i’m imagining. Again: What’s different is that BEYOND ARROYO, BEYOND this NEED to RIGHT ALL the WRONGS we think she did, is the ABILITY to DELIVER for FILIPINOS everywhere, What we’ve been dreaming of for so long: a government that works for us.

As for a litmus test, the ONE litmus test for me is that this actually gets off the ground. Because, I truly believe that people– our people have the natural ability to see what’s right and what’s wrong when presented to them. By showing them this PARTY is inclusive, that it brings people from all walks of life and WHO HAVE a say in the party, in the Organization, they’ll know that this is different.

Which brings me to the second point, that Anthony has raised:

New Party will need to provide answers to your questions at 7:48 am. Simply forming a party won’t make them go away, or make them any easier to solve. We are all stakeholders in the education system. As such, we can all get directly involved. It doesn’t require you to be part of the government or political party to start solving its problems.

To start, you first need to find out what is wrong. You can do this on a top-down national level, in which case the problem becomes very complex and the solution slow and difficult to implement. Alternatively, you can take a bottom-up approach and ask your children, teachers and local businesses about the challenges they face. With this approach, you can get results within weeks or months. They will be small, but immediate needs can be addressed.

Let me pass the question back to you. What is wrong with education in the Philippines?
You write very passionately and have very high ideals. This is commendable. No doubt the New Political Party of Good People that you propose will be similarly idealistic. But what the country lacks are implementers–people who will look at the problems with a cool head and get on with the job of fixing them.

Which I believe was somewhat answered in Because We Can Change the Dynamics of the Game:

Civil Society is filled with smart and wise people. Networking is their speciality. Jester was right in that we need the diaspora to fund this enterprise and in Civil Society, I’m sure we have financial wizards who can figure out how to do that. And people who are experts in raising money for a worthy cause. I’m sure the Lawyers reading this can figure out the details with regard to structure and stuff like that.

The economists need to figure out how to set the ship of state right, no nonsense and very blunt strategy to accelerate our economic development. What sacrifices must business make? What sacrifices must labor, must farmers make? We need to talk about food. What technology must we use to attain that goal? And even before the elections are over— these people must all agree on an economic agenda. That a compromise must be struck now.

The educators in the building need to come up with a sure fire way to start taking their heads out of textbooks and get out kids to start thinking and start discerning. This is an Age of Information but what good is all the Google and Yahoo and Mahalo of our age, if our children can not ask the right question? What good is technology if not one of our children can discern and analyze from that mountain of available information? 

I’m sure there are Political Strategists out there who can iron out the details and forming a cohesive plan and get everybody on board. Because just as important is a Movement, the Political Will and the consensus to execute it must be in place long before even the first ballot is cast. 

Anthony, I recognize that I am not the smartest nor the wisest person on Earth. Neither am I a polymath to be an expert in every field of endeavor known to man. I’m also not the best team player ever. But This Party is bigger then me, and bigger than anybody.

It is different because, I want it to be a Party of inclusion. Everyone is welcome to join. Truck Drivers. Cab Drivers. Janitors. Housewives. Lawyers. Teachers. Businessmen. Entrepreneurs. Celebrities. Catholic. Muslim. Atheist. People is the life blood of the Party.

I can not even begin to imagine the details of what an educational system should be but I do know that it’s got to be a system that teaches our Children to ASK the right questions, to CONSTRUE, to DISCERN, to INTERPRET, to THINK in other words, building blocks that will make them CREATIVE (and when I say creative, the ability to put multiple disciplines together to create something new or unique: innovative) then they will not be able to face an unknowable future with the right tools. In this Age of Information we are drowning in a torrent of data and it will become even more so.

If the children of today and going into the future, do not learn all those things, what good is all the information we have at our disposal?

Same goes for power, for water, for food security, and myriad other issues, not to mention which ones do we solve first.

I’m not an expert but I’d be the first to say we need to recruit people who are experts. We need people to DEBATE amongst ourselves, THEN DECIDE on a course of action and SUCH an ACTION must be DECIDED long before ELECTION DAY.

Like I’ve mentioned, This Party if ever it becomes a reality must hit the ball running. It has to work LONG before it wins and into its first hundred days, its got to have maximized work.

I know this is all idealistic, all so imaginary. I can only hope that someone out there read these last few posts and see the value in them for what it is. It offers hope, when others pursue a negative agenda. It offers a road to include people, to wake them from apathy. It creates a new kind of dynamic that is different, simply because its nature is to work.

I know it is a dream and a dream with a million flaws that are equally laughable. It offers Optimism, but not a blind one. It Offers a chance to right wrongs instead of pointing fingers at what’s wrong. It believes in People. It believes in the Sacredness of Human Dignity and the Fundamental Truth of Human Rights. It seeks to nurture and be held accountable by the Future.

When everything is said and done, this Dream’s philosophy can be summed up in a mantra: Empower Tomorrow.

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About The Author: cocoy is a twenty-something neoliberal, Linux & Mac user, technology geek who enjoys a good cup of Coffee and who believes in New Media. He hangs out on twitter as @cocoy and blogs at Big Mango.

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Comments

10 Responses to “Empower Tomorrow”

  1. Anthony on April 21st, 2008 5:32 am

    cocoy, let’s get back down to earth.

    Again, kudos for your passion but if something’s going to work, it needs to be grounded in reality. Please don’t think I’m being negative because I do admire your idealism. However, if real change is what you’re after, the dream needs to backed by substance.

    First of all, what do you mean by the party being accountable only to future generations? How can the unborn hold you responsible for your actions in the present? Does that give your party free reign to do what you will based on the imagined desires of people who don’t exist?

    And who is this ‘We’ to which you always refer? Is it ‘The People’? Can The People rule a country? The People are not a single mind but made up of individuals with countless combinations of hopes and interests.

    This is where your proposal falls apart. Because once your party wins power, the individuals will act in their own self-interest. It may be under the guise of The People’s Will, but it is their own aspirations that go fulfilled.

    Governments are the same the world over and throughout history. They come bearing hope and claiming to act in the interests of The People. But in the end, the need to stay in power isn’t a symptom as you say. It is the primary objective of the game.

    Where is the new kind of dynamic there? Will your government really be any different from all those that have ever existed?

    But hope is good, cocoy, and I see that is what you’re offering. Just don’t rely only on idealism to deliver change. Dreams must be underpinned by the groundwork to follow them through.

    If you believe in what you’re saying, go for it. Form your party and ignore the nay-sayers like me. Just don’t hope for someone out there to see the value in your ideas. You are the only one who can make your dreams a reality. And when you make the first concrete step towards your goal, that’s when you start to change the dynamic.

    You see, a new political party won’t change the dynamics of the game, but the act of forming one will.

  2. cvj on April 21st, 2008 11:21 am

    Cocoy, the party that you are proposing will, because it is new, have no track record to speak of. How do you overcome this initial hurdle?

    Also, suppose such an ideal New Party is formed, given that it is imbued with all the qualities that you deem ideal (or at least better than existing parties) do you then favor a One Party system when that party eventually achieves power?

  3. benign0 on April 21st, 2008 11:43 am

    Cocoy,

    I think the inability of Pinoys to comprehend this conceptual party that is underpinned by a a solid philosophy and that is forward-looking is understandable, given that Pinoys generally are:

    (a) generally not an ‘ideas’ culture; and,

    (b) generally not forward-looking.

    First of all (referring to Item ‘a’), the lack (or inability to endure) of political parties that have solid philosophies behind them is more a symptom than a cause of the non-delivery of democracy on its promise of a prosperous Philippines. The Philippines’ portfolio of VACUOUS political parties merely reflects the thinking faculties of an electorate whose duty it is to EVALUATE their merits. Obviously, a national debate dominated by speculation about people rather than an evaluation of IDEAS will favour political parties organised around personalities rather than ideas.

    Second (referring to Item ‘b’), you need look no further than Mr. cvj’s true-to-form comment:

    Cocoy, the party that you are proposing will, because it is new, have no track record to speak of. How do you overcome this initial hurdle?

    I think the point I make by citing the above quote is self-evident. ;)

    Furthermore, in the last five to ten years, when was the last time you heard a political slogan that alludes to the future? At least Marcos had his “New Society” and Ramos his “Philippines 2000″.

    Where are these visions now? The only future-looking talk I hear of nowadays is a sudden focus on food security and population growth.

    Too little too late in my opinion.

  4. cvj on April 21st, 2008 12:29 pm

    Benign0, the question of how a new party has to justify its existence given its lack of track record is something that will be asked. Anyone who puts up a new party needs to have a good answer to this question (which hopefully goes beyond political slogans).

  5. Jon Limjap on April 21st, 2008 12:35 pm

    CVJ,

    So you won’t dare do anything new because anything new has no track record?

    I don’t see your point.

  6. benign0 on April 21st, 2008 1:48 pm

    cvj:

    Numerous studios turned down George Lucas’s Star Wars concept because he didn’t have a track record. They must’ve been kicking themselves over the last 30 years.

    Similarly, Einstein’s re-framing of the concepts of gravity, space, and time was so counter-intuitive and so without precedent in its conceptual underpinnings that you wonder where we would be today if “track record” was such a big factor in accepting and developing ideas.

    Einstein, Lucas, as well as Bill Gates, Steven Jobs, Rizal, and other visionaries were all young men when they ran with their crazy no-track-record ideas.

    For someone who is so into track records, you fail to notice how so much of our politicians today are so rich in track records yet so miserably fail when it comes to holding up a VISION for Pinoy society.

    It’s that kind of Old Fart thinking that makes mires Pinoys in that abject primitivist thinking that imprisons our society today.

  7. cvj on April 21st, 2008 2:34 pm

    Jon, my point is what would be Cocoy’s answer? Don’t get me wrong, that’s a genuine question, not a rhetorical one.

  8. cvj on April 21st, 2008 2:47 pm

    Jon, don’t get me wrong. I asked a genuine question, not a rhetorical one.

  9. Manuel L. Quezon III: The Daily Dose » Blog Archive » It doesn’t compute (revised) on April 22nd, 2008 9:30 am

    […] Because We Can Change the Dynamics of the Game. cocoy expands his views on a New Political Party in Empower Tomorrow (essential, accompanying reading in this vein is A Comprehensive Proposal for an EDSA Reform […]

  10. Silent Waters on April 24th, 2008 11:06 am

    I think setting up a new political party is not exactly a new idea. During the last elections, a new party was formed to try to vote in three literally unknown candidates. I think it was the Kapatiran Party?? Anyway, sustainability may be an issue.

    Then again, if people are “angry” enough, sustainability may not be an issue.

    The issue for me is how do we make sure that this new party will eventually not devolve into the parties of yore. Different people react differently to power and money as they say.

    This is not an argument to not do anything but to try to see if any method can take place to ensure the “purity” of the party.

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