By Harvey Keh
ON MY way to work this morning, I heard some disturbing news about the results of a supposedly Malacanang-commissioned confidential survey on the early ranking of possible Presidentiables showing that former President Joseph “Erap” Estrada was on top with a 23 percent rating. The survey also showed Vice-President Noli De Castro in second place with Senators Francis Escudero, Manny Villar, Loren Legarda and Mar Roxas lagging behind.
I am personally saddened by the results of this survey if indeed this was conducted scientifically and accurately. I’m wondering if Filipinos have actually forgotten the crimes that former President Estrada has committed, including his involvement with illegal gambling operations that eventually led to his ouster in 2001. Have we also forgotten that this was the same man that was convicted of Plunder charges just a year ago?
Yet as I reflect further on the results of this survey, it appears that majority of Filipinos are now very disgusted and disillusioned with the present administration that they are willing to bring back a convicted plunderer in the hopes that he will do a much better job of running the affairs of our country. While I agree that many of us have lost hope and trust in the Arroyo administration, have we also lost patience in looking for new leaders who can effectively and ethically lead our country that we have to settle for former President Estrada? Have we chosen to give up and just accept that we can never find a better leader other than Erap? I would like to continue to believe that there are still many good, effective and well-meaning government leaders in our country who may not be as popular as Erap, but can do a much better job in helping our country move forward at the pace of our Asian neighbors such as Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Japan, China and Vietnam.
As much as I believe that the opposition should unite under one common candidate if they hope to be able to topple the political machinery of the incumbent administration in the 2010 elections, choosing Erap will not send out a clear message of promoting change and development in our country. Many Filipinos especially those living abroad are now looking for a Filipino leader that will really work for genuine and lasting positive change in the lives of every Filipino most especially the poor and the powerless.
Let us all remember that change in our country cannot happen overnight and will not be delivered by just one person, it will take years of good governance, ethical leadership and the proactive social involvement of every Filipino if we want to achieve lasting peace, prosperity and progress for our country.
In this age of rapid globalization and migration, if we elect Erap back to Malacanang, we will not only continue to become the Sick Man of Asia but we will also become the Laughing Stock of the World.