Estrada's arrest a historic event for RP<\/p>\n
BANGKOK: Former Philippine president Joseph Estrada spent his
\nfirst night in jail in a comfortably furnished cell at a police
\ncamp after being arrested on charges of state plunder on
\nWednesday. The 3.5 metre by 5.5 metre cell inside the sprawling
\nCamp Crame in Manila came equipped with an air-conditioning unit,
\na soft cot, a clean bathroom and a corner desk where Estrada
\ncould sit down and write his memoirs, Interior Secretary Jose
\nLina said.<\/p>\n
Without doubt, Estrada has a story to tell. He is the first
\nformer Philippine president to be thrown in jail, and the first
\nAsian leader to be impeached. Should he decide to take up Lina's
\noffer, the most problematic part for Estrada will probably be
\nworking out where his fairy tale story went so horribly wrong.<\/p>\n
The black-sheep son of a middle class family, he found fame
\nand fortune as a movie star before entering into politics during
\nthe Marcos years. Even after his mentor's exit in disgrace
\nEstrada's star continued to rise -- despite the fact that he
\nachieved little -- culminating in his election to president in
\n1998 with the biggest-ever majority for a Philippine leader.<\/p>\n
The run of good fortune ended in January when he was ousted
\namid People Power protests triggered by allegations of
\nspectacular corruption.<\/p>\n
Even if some of the charges are true, Estrada could probably
\nstill honestly ask, but why me? Corruption and influence-peddling
\nare a part of business, military and political life in the
\nPhilippines, as in much of the rest of Southeast Asia.<\/p>\n
Estrada's mistake appears to have been to under-estimate the
\nstrength of the economic bloc: those with stakes in the market,
\nthe business class, the middle class, and foreign investors. When
\nhe took power two and half years ago, the Philippines was well
\nplaced to lead Asia out of its crisis.<\/p>\n
Instead, growth slowed to less than half the pace in the rest
\nof the region, the peso slumped and the stock market lost ground.
\nEven though he maintained his strong political base among the
\neconomically disenfranchised, Estrada's time in office was
\nrunning out.<\/p>\n
Outrage was soon added to incompetence as stories about late
\nnight games of high-stakes baccarat, and payoffs from gambling
\nden operators and kidnap gang leaders began to circulate.
\nProsecutors now charge that within a two-and-a-half-year period
\nEstrada raked in US$80 million from the abuse of his position.<\/p>\n
What are the lessons from Estrada's fall?<\/p>\n
Firstly, that globalization has changed the rules of the game.
\nWith so many of the elite's interests tied to the international
\neconomy and flows of investment, rulers who disregard the basic
\nwellbeing of the economy are living on borrowed time.<\/p>\n
Secondly, that People Power movements guarantee nothing.
\nEstrada may be gone, like Marcos before him, but little else has
\nchanged. It's still the same families, and business groups that
\ndominate parliament.<\/p>\n
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Estrada's replacement, must
\nprove that he wasn't just removed because his woeful
\nadministrative abilities were hurting some sections of the middle
\nand ruling classes. The only way to do that is to ensure power
\nand wealth are more equitably distributed in the Philippines.<\/p>\n
It's important the Philippines not forget that Estrada was
\nremoved through the non-constitutional intervention of the
\nmilitary. As the poor's continued support for Estrada showed,
\ndemocracy doesn't work well in a land where economic rights are
\nnot shared in the same manner as voting rights.<\/p>\n
Presidential spokesman Rigoberto Tiglao described Estrada's
\narrest as a "historic event. We showed that the former highest
\nofficial of the land could be held answerable for his actions".<\/p>\n
That is true and admirable. But whether Estrada's arrest will
\nbe a watershed event remains to be seen. For that to happen, the
\nsystem must change. Only then will Arroyo honestly be able to
\nsay, as she did yesterday, that "corruption does not pay".<\/p>\n
-- The Nation\/Asia News Network<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/estradas-arrest-a-historic-event-for-rp-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }