BIGOTRY OF THE DEFEATED

BIGOTRY OF THE DEFEATED

By Wilhelmina S. Orozco

I think that the best time to assess the perspectives of people whether they remain true or not to their belief of being pro-people is when a big socio-political issue arises. Is their view pro-people or is it just a case of wanting to be contra all the time?

Actually, there are two contra parties in our midst: the rightists who always want to take power at all costs, and the leftists who also want to achieve and maintain power to install a communist regime. The first is significantly symbolized by Marcos, who was able to deceive the people in the beginning that his administration was going to institute reforms, discipline in governance. Then he peopled the government with intellectual-technocrats whose credentials also deceived the people. They were experts in their fields, all right, but they did not bother to rock the boat so that democracy would be restored in our country.

Today, the rightists comprise those who reigned during the time of GMA and have been dethroned. Our enlightened people can already distinguish between fake and genuine leaders; hence the likes of GMA were easily marginalized. . We were able to dislodge them from power through the vote in 2010. Some of them are still in power, while others have returned to their former jobs – maybe having a business or getting engaged in media propaganda.

The leftists comprise the old and new parties allied with the Soviet Russian and People’s Republic of China’s regimes. When the USSR was disbanded, the leftists here quieted down, rather cautious about appearing to be against what is going on in that country. The PRC group, on the other hand, also are quite cautious about the turn to capitalism of that country, and now, are undergoing political cleansing of their ranks. The big question they have to hurdle now is: should they side with PRC or the Philippines on the issue of ownership of Scarborough Shoal or Panatag Island?

Because of the removal of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court from office, the chances of GMA to free herself from being under arrest, save bribing judges and other officials who are influential in the outcome of her case have narrowed down. She now probably could be resorting to the latter which could be a very big event should the officials of PNoy bow down and kneel to her dangling her millions stashed in banks and abroad.

By the way, if she is under arrest for such a very heinous crime, to my mind, as it is stealing the people’s votes and destroying the essence of our democratic system, how come her wealth has not been sequestered yet when this could be used to buy her way out of the case? I think that the State has that power to cover all nooks and crannies of the case, leaving no stone unturned to make sure that she gets to pay for her crime against the people.

Unfortunately, when I heard an official explain why GMA’s  case is moving oh so slowly, I became fearful that even the only witness to her having ordered the cheating in the past elections could suddenly disappear. How strong are PNoy’s chosen officials in terms of resisting all forms of bribery to decide in favor of the people?

The last case we have just gone through is monumental and significantly historical for us, as not half  but 87% of the senators voted to convict the CJ where as 2/3 at the House of Representatives signed the impeachment case. Here, we see that the people’s mind and hands are clearly on the case; why not when all of their seats emanate from the people’s unlike the members of the Supreme Court who are beholdened to the President for their appointments?

But wait, not all feel celebratory about the conviction of the CJ. One ex-communist (?) writer insists that there was a miscarriage of justice, while a broadcaster with socialist leanings proclaimed last night the same thing. They both side with the three senators who chose to acquit the CJ. Their arguments revolve around legalistic issues and they do not cite at all the basis for the decision of the Senate President JPE, who declared that the Constitution towers above all laws and therefore, because he did not declare his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Networth or SALN, the CJ is guilty of violation of our fundamental laws. 

What could be the reason for these persons’ being anti-people? I could only label them as bigots.

A bigot is one who is extremely intolerant of another’s creed, belief or opinion. To become a bigot is to show the other parties as wrong and mistaken in their beliefs. Hence, bigots think they are the only ones who are correct in their views. Don’t they sound like the rightists, Folks? It is easy to become a bigot – all one has to do is cup one’s ears and just listen to one’s voice. Or stop reading and broadening one’s knowledge. Just  read Mein Kampf by Hitler and Machiavelli’s The Prince over and over again. (Hitler is the killer of millions of Jews in the name of cleansing the Aryan race, while Machiavelli wrote in his book how the end of taking power justifies all means.) 

Yes, a very thin line differentiates the leftists from the rightists. They both want power and would use all means to advance their interests, especially when they have just suffered from an ignominious fall from power.

Bigots don’t listen to other people’s reasons, and judgments. Anything that defeats their stance is contrary to them, and therefore is wrong. Only they possess the power of truth, to their convoluted minds. Pity the relatives of these people. I know the backgrounds of these two persons: their mindsets could kill especially those that are intimate with them. So the best thing is to leave them to their ways.

I know some women who were married to bigots and who decided to leave the marriage in order to lead their own lives. They feel more fulfilled now. Those who stayed on, either developed debilitating diseases which eventually killed them or died due to a stroke. Their minds could not fathom the depths of evil thinking and so their bodies gave way.

By the way, this is why I believe that the divorce law has to be passed right away. Our country is undergoing political cleansing very fast and those who are tied to spouses with untenable bigoted views must be given a chance to start a new life.

Some bigots are highly educated and could sound very convincing when they talk – only because they speak and write in the colonial language, English. But those who are equally adept in the language would not be easily swayed by their arguments. Hence we need to clarify to our marginalized folks the need to sift through the arguments of every party who seeks to nullify the gains from the impeachment trial.

Folks, everyday, we are being roused to think of political power; even PNoy is doing that – showing already his preferences for high seats in the government. I think that after this battle that we have just gone through, as we were all united to see that the case against a cohort of GMA be resolved in our favor, we need to rest awhile and think through what had transpired and what our directions should be in the coming years.

It is easy to destroy institutions as GMA did, but more difficult to restore or rebuild them, those democratic institutions which our heroes and heroines fought for. When institutions are destroyed, so is the moral fiber of our people. They become pragmatic, and acquisitive – “Take advantage of the present,” becomes their motto. To do so is to ride roughshod over all moral values that we were taught in our childhood, and those we learned in school. “Kanya-kanyahan na lang tayo.” “Bahala ka sa buhay mo.” “Huwag kang magpaka-martir!” These become the mottoes of the day.

Can we afford to be so, when the conflict with PRC now is very real?