Right now, it is probably to her advantage that the anti-Gloria opposition camp – part of the country’s political elite – remains in disarray, galvanized only by the objective of removing the illegitimate President. If they aim to be back in power, then they should begin talking about unity, forging a solid coalition and reaching a consensus on who will be the next President in a scenario where Mrs. Arroyo will be ousted in a third impeachment, in a snap election or, who knows, in the 2010 elections. How to match the administration’s election machinery, which includes the use of government resources, its control of the Comelec, the AFP and national police all of which can be harnessed to commit yet again a monumental fraud, is an obstacle that needs to be hurdled.

Meantime, the organized masses can use the next electoral circus as a political process toward ousting the President. Having seen the country’s major political pillars festering under the hands of the elite – the presidential office, Congress and the electoral system in particular – the bourgeois election will serve as an opportunity for broadening the masses’ political consciousness about genuine people’s governance and establishing real democratic institutions. Many unorganized elements from various social classes and sectors who were politicized by the constitutional crisis generated by the electoral fraud, the impeachment initiatives, and the manipulative tactics of the traditional elite aligned with Arroyo can likewise use the campaign period for deepening their political consciousness and linking up with the progressive and patriotic forces.

It will be a good time to articulate at the forefront the basic demands that cry out to be addressed, including the termination of the lopsided Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) as well as the destructive mining law, a stop to political killings and justice to the victims of the Arroyo regime’s political persecution, a stop to the ongoing demolitions in Metro Manila and elsewhere, environmental degradation, and several other land and labor issues. Posted by Bulatlat

*The Center for People Empowerment in Governance (CenPEG) is a public policy center established shortly before the May 2004 elections to help promote people empowerment in governance specially the democratic representation of the marginalized poor.

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