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Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Why A Parliamentary Shift Advocacy Has ‘Lost It’


May 16, 2013
culture change
It’s not so much the concept of a parliamentary form of government, but the manner in which one group chooses to push for it that has gotten the larger online Filipino community linking arms against it.

Tsk tsk. Weak arguments, kilometric tirades, and focus on personal attacks are signs of a creeping desperation in this “movement” to sell “Constitutional Reform” on the basis of a quaint acronym and a strong predisposition to badger those who only seek to challenge its basic principles.” — Benign0
I am not against the idea of a Philippine parliamentary form of government because I can see where it could actually make things easier — having worked with more than half a dozen elected politicians over the past decade and a half.
However, what IS at issue is the misguided and abrasive militancy with which it is being pushed by a certain group.  If at all the group sincerely believes in the merits of a parliamentary form of government, it should heed this nut of wisdom when it comes to gaining supporters: “It’s not who you are or what you say, it’s how you make people feel.”
How can people support the cause of a group that openly resorts to defaming people’s character in public space for merely asking questions about the theoretical assumptions that underlie the group’s cause?
Compounding the group leader’s utter lack of understanding, wisdom, and knowledge of Philippine politics on the ground is a dangerous mix of intellectual dilettantism and persistent political naivete covered up deftly by an ability to recall trivia and mimic accents.
The leader of the group brags of being politically connected to the powers that be and claims to be pushing for political change but hasn’t managed to get enough “balls” together to make a REAL push as a registered political organization — at least in this year’s election.
How can you take such a movement seriously when it hasn’t put anything at stake?

Paul Farol

Christian. Husband and father. Writer and Blogger. Amateur grass grower and fruit tree enthusiast. Car washer and polisher. Lusts after tools and gadgets at Handyman, Ace Hardware, and Japan Home Depot.

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