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Marcos-Arroyo
Announcement: I started assuming a new role in the Global Voices network. I am now the regional editor of the Southeast Asian region. Thanks Preetam for recruiting me to write for Global Voices. For new readers, I started writing for Global Voices in 2006.
It is common nowadays to compare President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to former President Ferdinand Marcos. The opposition is fond of reminding the public about Arroyo’s marcosian traits to further malign the president. Indeed, the similarities between the two leaders are very striking.
Both are scholastic achievers. They topped the senate race. They were young when they assumed the presidency. They both have controversial spouses. They have children who are active in politics and they have daughters who are known for shying away from the political limelight. They also claimed that they were already rich even before joining the government. Marcos insisted he was the discoverer of some Japanese treasure loot while Arroyo is married to a scion of a very rich family. The Tuason-Arroyos were the landlords of the Marikina-Katipunan hacienda during the Spanish colonial era.
Unlike their predecessors, Marcos and Arroyo managed to get reelected. But they were accused of rigging the election results. They have very low public trust ratings.
Marcos and Arroyo undermined the independence of Congress. They neutralized the Church. They pampered the loyal generals. Marcos envisioned a New Society while Arroyo promised to build a Strong Republic. Marcos co-opted the Supreme Court Justices. Arroyo seems poised to accomplish this too.
Marcos was hounded by a sex scandal when an audio recording which featured him and American actress Dovie Beams was released to the public. Arroyo is alleged to be the frequent caller of an elections officer whose phone conversations were illegally recorded during the 2004 polls.
Marcos was the epitome of a corrupt head of state. He was accused of plundering the nation’s wealth. He owned secret bank accounts and real estate properties in different parts of the world. Arroyo is perceived to be as corrupt as Marcos. Her family is accused of being involved in numerous scandal-ridden contracts. Marcos and Arroyo have business friends who bagged money-making government projects.
Marcos and Arroyo inflamed the communist and moro insurgencies in the country. Human rights violations became rampant during their long rule. Rally dispersals were frequent. Critical journalists were harassed and censored. Political dissenters were detained. Marcos declared Martial Law while Arroyo proclaimed a State of National Emergency. Marcos was THE dictator while Arroyo is the “tin pot” dictator.
They both endorsed a labor-export policy which permanently altered the notion of a traditional Filipino family. They both became dependent on foreign borrowing to sustain the economy. Marcos disallowed the gathering of unemployment figures to deodorize the country’s economic data. Arroyo persuaded the Labor department to redefine unemployment to artificially reduce the number of unemployed persons in the country. Marcos and Arroyo claimed the national economy was improving but only few believed them. In fact, poverty worsened during their watch.
Marcos and Arroyo have weak foreign policies (read: puppets). Marcos sabotaged the Philippine claim to Sabah when the Jabidah Massacre was exposed. Did Arroyo commit treason when she allowed the Chinese government to explore the Kalayaan Island Group?
Marcos replaced the Constitution, appointed himself as Prime Minister and extended his stay in office. Can Arroyo repeat this infamous feat?
This is the usual narrative in highlighting the similarities of the two unpopular and strong-willed leaders. But recently, not a few media commentators have been advancing a revised version of history. They argue that during the early 1980s, the anti-Marcos political groups were too engrossed in the narrow goal of removing Marcos. This, according to them, prevented the public from appreciating the nationalist economic program of Marcos.
Their theory is interesting. Marcos was alleged to have declared independence from American financial institutions during the late 1970s. They said Marcos planned to develop an agro-industrial economy by reviving the country’s basic industries. Marcos wanted to replicate the economic strategies of neighboring Asian countries. But big western banks, in collusion with the old elite of the Philippines, conspired to unseat Marcos to restore the old reliable ruling order.
This theory is gaining ground especially if we note how Marcos’ successor miserably failed to implement a national industrialization strategy to improve the Philippine economy. Instead, the economic prescriptions of IMF-World Bank were blindly accepted. Marcos fans remind us that at least Marcos established power plants, highways, bridges and several infrastructures which benefited the countryside. What did Cory accomplish? Flyovers and 8-hour daily power interruptions?
This is an obvious attempt to resurrect the image of Marcos. The same line of thinking is adopted to manufacture Arroyo’s legacy to the country. They said Arroyo tried to assert a more independent Philippines by strengthening the country’s ties with China. This obviously angered the United States which triggered attempts to weaken the Arroyo presidency. Arroyo fans are proud of the super regions, new highways, airports, and the economic stimulus program. They said Arroyo is right to embark on an ambitious project to make the Philippines a first world nation in the next ten years. They remind us that at least Arroyo has a grand vision for the Philippines. What has the opposition accomplished so far?
The underlying message of this “tasteless defence” of Marcos and Arroyo is this: “True, Marcos and Arroyo committed human rights violations and imposed authoritarian policies, but we should not forget that they did good things like building convention centers and RoRo.”
To borrow some words from European philosopher Slavoj Zizek, comparing the martial law horrors to building roads is a displaced way of praising the human rights violations of Marcos. This is an even stronger defence of Marcos (and Arroyo) albeit in the form of criticism. This is a secret endorsement for the “obscene disavowed underside” (repressive measures, dictatorship) of the Public Law.
Thus, using again the arguments of Zizek, the real message runs this way: “True, Marcos and Arroyo did good things like committing human rights violations and imposing authoritarian policies, but we should not forget that they also did nasty things like building convention centers and RoRo.”
Behind the popular contempt against Marcos and Arroyo is a silent middle-class admiration for these two leaders. After all, Marcos (and Arroyo) embodies the qualifications of an ideal leader of the ruling establishment: educated, refined, conservative in outlook, charismatic and ruthless.
Related entries:
Marcos-Japan
Gloria-Cory
Conjugal dictators
It is common nowadays to compare President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to former President Ferdinand Marcos. The opposition is fond of reminding the public about Arroyo’s marcosian traits to further malign the president. Indeed, the similarities between the two leaders are very striking.
Both are scholastic achievers. They topped the senate race. They were young when they assumed the presidency. They both have controversial spouses. They have children who are active in politics and they have daughters who are known for shying away from the political limelight. They also claimed that they were already rich even before joining the government. Marcos insisted he was the discoverer of some Japanese treasure loot while Arroyo is married to a scion of a very rich family. The Tuason-Arroyos were the landlords of the Marikina-Katipunan hacienda during the Spanish colonial era.
Unlike their predecessors, Marcos and Arroyo managed to get reelected. But they were accused of rigging the election results. They have very low public trust ratings.
Marcos and Arroyo undermined the independence of Congress. They neutralized the Church. They pampered the loyal generals. Marcos envisioned a New Society while Arroyo promised to build a Strong Republic. Marcos co-opted the Supreme Court Justices. Arroyo seems poised to accomplish this too.
Marcos was hounded by a sex scandal when an audio recording which featured him and American actress Dovie Beams was released to the public. Arroyo is alleged to be the frequent caller of an elections officer whose phone conversations were illegally recorded during the 2004 polls.
Marcos was the epitome of a corrupt head of state. He was accused of plundering the nation’s wealth. He owned secret bank accounts and real estate properties in different parts of the world. Arroyo is perceived to be as corrupt as Marcos. Her family is accused of being involved in numerous scandal-ridden contracts. Marcos and Arroyo have business friends who bagged money-making government projects.
Marcos and Arroyo inflamed the communist and moro insurgencies in the country. Human rights violations became rampant during their long rule. Rally dispersals were frequent. Critical journalists were harassed and censored. Political dissenters were detained. Marcos declared Martial Law while Arroyo proclaimed a State of National Emergency. Marcos was THE dictator while Arroyo is the “tin pot” dictator.
They both endorsed a labor-export policy which permanently altered the notion of a traditional Filipino family. They both became dependent on foreign borrowing to sustain the economy. Marcos disallowed the gathering of unemployment figures to deodorize the country’s economic data. Arroyo persuaded the Labor department to redefine unemployment to artificially reduce the number of unemployed persons in the country. Marcos and Arroyo claimed the national economy was improving but only few believed them. In fact, poverty worsened during their watch.
Marcos and Arroyo have weak foreign policies (read: puppets). Marcos sabotaged the Philippine claim to Sabah when the Jabidah Massacre was exposed. Did Arroyo commit treason when she allowed the Chinese government to explore the Kalayaan Island Group?
Marcos replaced the Constitution, appointed himself as Prime Minister and extended his stay in office. Can Arroyo repeat this infamous feat?
This is the usual narrative in highlighting the similarities of the two unpopular and strong-willed leaders. But recently, not a few media commentators have been advancing a revised version of history. They argue that during the early 1980s, the anti-Marcos political groups were too engrossed in the narrow goal of removing Marcos. This, according to them, prevented the public from appreciating the nationalist economic program of Marcos.
Their theory is interesting. Marcos was alleged to have declared independence from American financial institutions during the late 1970s. They said Marcos planned to develop an agro-industrial economy by reviving the country’s basic industries. Marcos wanted to replicate the economic strategies of neighboring Asian countries. But big western banks, in collusion with the old elite of the Philippines, conspired to unseat Marcos to restore the old reliable ruling order.
This theory is gaining ground especially if we note how Marcos’ successor miserably failed to implement a national industrialization strategy to improve the Philippine economy. Instead, the economic prescriptions of IMF-World Bank were blindly accepted. Marcos fans remind us that at least Marcos established power plants, highways, bridges and several infrastructures which benefited the countryside. What did Cory accomplish? Flyovers and 8-hour daily power interruptions?
This is an obvious attempt to resurrect the image of Marcos. The same line of thinking is adopted to manufacture Arroyo’s legacy to the country. They said Arroyo tried to assert a more independent Philippines by strengthening the country’s ties with China. This obviously angered the United States which triggered attempts to weaken the Arroyo presidency. Arroyo fans are proud of the super regions, new highways, airports, and the economic stimulus program. They said Arroyo is right to embark on an ambitious project to make the Philippines a first world nation in the next ten years. They remind us that at least Arroyo has a grand vision for the Philippines. What has the opposition accomplished so far?
The underlying message of this “tasteless defence” of Marcos and Arroyo is this: “True, Marcos and Arroyo committed human rights violations and imposed authoritarian policies, but we should not forget that they did good things like building convention centers and RoRo.”
To borrow some words from European philosopher Slavoj Zizek, comparing the martial law horrors to building roads is a displaced way of praising the human rights violations of Marcos. This is an even stronger defence of Marcos (and Arroyo) albeit in the form of criticism. This is a secret endorsement for the “obscene disavowed underside” (repressive measures, dictatorship) of the Public Law.
Thus, using again the arguments of Zizek, the real message runs this way: “True, Marcos and Arroyo did good things like committing human rights violations and imposing authoritarian policies, but we should not forget that they also did nasty things like building convention centers and RoRo.”
Behind the popular contempt against Marcos and Arroyo is a silent middle-class admiration for these two leaders. After all, Marcos (and Arroyo) embodies the qualifications of an ideal leader of the ruling establishment: educated, refined, conservative in outlook, charismatic and ruthless.
Related entries:
Marcos-Japan
Gloria-Cory
Conjugal dictators
posted by: mongpalatino at April 15, 2008 17:36 |
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