Far From Neutral Notions - Philippine politics, culture and stuff

The world is a dangerous place to live, not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don’t do anything about it.
~ Albert Einstein

May 2007 will mark the country’s midterm elections, where all the seats in the House of Representatives, provincial governors, provincial, city and municipal board members and city and municipal mayors, as well as half of the Senate will be contested.

This year’s elections promise to be a bit more interesting than in years prior. One of the biggest issues facing reelectionists and hopefuls alike is their stand on the administration vis a vis Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. In an arena without defined causes and platforms, the Philippine political landscape is defined by personalities and egos; as such, a vote for a pro-administration candidate is a vote for Gloria, as has been exemplified in the failed impeachment attempts of the past. In a pukinanginang twist of fate, a vote against Gloria is, unfortunately, a vote for Erap.

The elections will give voters (read: us) the first real chance to express our opinion on GMA after the aborted impeachment trials. You will recall that the impeachment process was stopped dead in its tracks by pro-administration Congressmen - most of which will be running for reelection. It is a given that impeachment will be tried again, particularly because of Gloria’s insistence on charter change, and the people we put in the House of Representatives will be the ones to decide on the matter.

Question is, do most of us even know where we stand on the matter? It is difficult to have a clear-cut stand on this because of the simple fact that, truly, all politicians are equally bad. There is no Cory in the present day scenario to battle Gloria’s Marcos, and yes, there is no Gloria to combat Gloria’s Erap. The Doctrine of Lesser Evil doesn’t even apply here because they are all the same, hence the voter’s dillema.

That said, is it reason enough for apathy?

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