Just recently, at the recently concluded second wave of “HER TIME IS UP: 2010 Election Forum” held at the UP College of Law by KAISA and several student councils in UP Diliman, I had the chance to interview and listen to what Mr. Nicanor Perlas has to say on the Maguindanao Massacre. Here's his video interview c/o Noemi Dado and Blogwatch.ph:
In choosing someone to succeed President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in 2010, one must take into serious consideration what the candidate has planned, his vision, and how he or she will run the country.
In the forum, he laid out his vision and 6 pillars to spell out his platform (which you can browse at the link provided below).
- Erradicate Poverty and Enhance Quality of Life
- Advance Moral and Effective Governance
- Uphold the Integrity of Creation
- Build Partnerships for Social Justice
- Promote Creative Education and Inner Change
- Mainstream Visionary Initiatives
To be honest, I like his ideas, his vision, his will and courage to take the road less traveled by. Certainly, he says, it would be hard for him to win. He has too little following compared to seasoned politicians, and those who are already in the limelight. He has much less financial support as compared to others. So what are the chances he'll win?
In our elite democracy, where money, power and fame dictate societal norms, one could dare but only imagine how he'd penetrate the system. Let's see if Mr. Nicanor Perlas can do it. I like what he wrote in his site, "The Trap of Traditional Notions of Winnability," and he says, "The good news is that there is a tremendous burst of initiatives in the Philippines trying to reclaim authentic democracy in the national elections of 2010. The bad news is that the would-be bearers of change politics are still stuck with the thinking of the old politics. Nowhere is this more evident than in their concept of “winnability”. To win in 2010 means, for them, to have, from the beginning, name recognition, political machinery, financial and other resources, and endorsements."
He continues in "Winning An Election the Non-Traditional Way", and this is the point, "One of the tasks of new innovative politics is to reframe old notions of winnability and not to remain trapped into letting old winnability concepts dictate the future of new politics." In a truly democratic country, everyone has the chance to be President. But with the unequal field politics is being played in, I doubt if that's the case.
