Contemplating a revolutionary gov’t
Two Sundays ago, about 5,000 followers of President Duterte staged a rally at Luneta urging the Chief Executive to establish a revolutionary government. They claim that only revolutionary powers can allow the President to effect sweeping reforms to eradicate corruption and achieve inclusive growth.
Apart from the expediency that revolutionary powers affords, a revolutionary government also sets the stage for the transition from our present presidential-unitary system to a parliamentary system within a federal government framework. This is something his followers are in favor of as well. To explain the implications of federal government and a parliamentary system deserves another article. Suffice to say that they have both positive and negative implications.
Back to the demand of the 5000, a revolutionary government is one transitory in nature. While in effect, it gives the Chief Executive absolute powers to define the extent in which human rights are to be respected and how much political freedom the citizens can posses. It gives the revolutionary President a free hand to implement economic and political reforms, bypassing the checks and balances of Congress. It also gives him the freedom to define the nation’s legal structure and the opportunity to enact a new constitution. In short, it gives the President the powers akin to a Dictator.
On the surface, a revolutionary government appears like the quick fix we need. This is why the idea is tempting to many. Among its many benefits is that it will allow government to override the procurement process to get vital infrastructure works done; it will allow it to reconfigure the income tax structure; it will allow it to correct the exclusionist provisions of the constitution with regards to foreign direct investments; it will allow it to abolish redundant agencies such as the LTO and LTFRB; it will allow it to amend laws that have failed us such as the local government code, the agrarian reform law, the Government Procurement Reform Act, among many others. Done right, revolutionary powers can quickly rid the nation of its impediments to rapid growth and equitable development.
But just as revolutionary powers can be a blessing, it can also be a curse, depending on who wields the power. If it is someone as learned, as moral and as altruistic as Lee Kwan Yew, we can be sure that future generations of Filipinos will benefit from the reforms put in place. On the other hand, if he has the bloodlust of Idi Amin, Saddam Hussein or Pol Pot, then we can expect a bloodbath with nothing to show – neither economically nor in terms of stronger institutions. Just look at what Uganda, Iraq, and Cambodia have become. The stakes are enormous when bestowing revolutionary powers to a single person. This is why we must be careful what we ask for.
Let us not be swayed to think that Congress and the Judiciary are out to sabotage the reform agenda of the Chief Executive. They exist for a purpose. They exist to protect us from policies and/or executive orders that may harm the majority or compromise our freedoms. They exist to uphold the laws by striking down acts that run afoul against the constitutional and the rights of the people.
I share the impatience of those who rallied in Luneta. Nothing will give me more satisfaction than to see this administration go full blast with its seven trillion peso infrastructure program and to see our arcane laws blown into oblivion. But before we lend our support on this initiative, we must make sure that the beneficiary of such revolutionary powers, President Duterte, will go the path of Lee Kwan Yew and not some despot in history.
Personally, I will be sure when I see the President uphold human rights primordial above all else; when I see him take strong defensive stance to protect Philippine sovereignty against China; when his presence is felt beyond the war on drugs but also in economic and social realms. When I see him surrounded by the best and the brightest, not friends and allies. When I see real “big fish” arrested for corruption and drug-related crimes. Until then, I am afraid we will need Congress and the Judiciary to provide check and balance.
**** Andrew is an economist, political analyst, and businessman. He is a 20-year veteran in the hospitality and tourism industry. For comments and reactions, e-mail andrew_rs6@yahoo.com. More of his business updates are available via his Facebook page (Andrew J. Masigan). Follow Andrew on Twitter @ aj_masigan.