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Rather than quitting, Duterte should rally the nation to action
BY YEN MAKABENTA
“Deliberation is the work of many men. Action, of one alone.”
Charles de Gaulle, Memoirs
First word
I SAW up close two of the republic’s 16 presidents at work — Ferdinand E. Marcos and Fidel V. Ramos. I stuck around in low-key roles through the length of their presidencies. But all that time, I never saw either of them consider at any time the idea of laying down their charge, for reasons of frustration, setback, fatigue or whatever.
I have hastened to study the subject of presidential resignation after reading about President Duterte’s declaration on Tuesday that he is prepared to step down from office, and to give way to a military junta or a more competent successor.
This is unsettling and incomprehensible. Duterte is weighing resignation at a time when his approval ratings are nearly in the 80s, and when his principal programs—economic strengthening, foreign policy resetting, infrastructure modernization, resolution of rebellion and insurgencies, poverty alleviation and development—are meeting with success and picking up steam.
National leaders do not quit when they are at the top of their game, or simply because they cannot have their way. They know that when they lose the reins of power, it is awfully hard to get back in the game.
The only leader in memory who quit office and was able to do things his way is the legendary and incomparable Charles de Gaulle of France.
Why Duterte could quit
Duterte expressed his thoughts during the launch of the Pilipinas Angat Lahat Alliance in Malacañang on Tuesday.
His first thought was to show that he has no illusions about staying longer in office or becoming a dictator. “For those who are dreaming that I will extend my term and be a dictator, you must be the lowest ***** in this country even to suggest that I have such a plan.
“For all of you, no illusions about extension, about dictatorship. At this time, I’m telling you, I’m ready to step down and retire.”
Which brings us to his second thought. He is tired and would be happy to go home to Davao City.
Third, he would give way to a military junta or a more competent successor.
DU30 said he would even administer the oath to military officers who want to install a junta to replace him. “I would suggest to the military, if you want a junta, or if you want yourselves to be in the junta, I say line up here, I’ll put you in your proper place.”
DU30 also said he was ready to be replaced by a “more competent” leader. “If you think there is somebody more competent, then by all means, put him in place. Or a group of persons who you think could bring prosperity to this nation.”
Finally, DU30 said he is opposed to a constitutional succession in case he vacates his office, and reiterated that he does not believe in the competence of Vice President Leni Robredo. “Were it not for the fact that I do not believe in the competence of the Vice President, I’m ready to go anytime,” he said.
Drugs and corruption getting worse
Duterte admitted that he has become “exasperated” since corruption and illegal drugs appear to be getting worse despite his unsparing efforts. He noted that illegal drug transactions have increased from millions to billions of pesos.
“Drugs will not end at the end of my term. The problem could worsen,” he said.
Finally, DU30 lamented his other huge frustration. In seeking to clean up graft in the bureaucracy, he realized that corruption had become “endemic” in government.
“My case against graft and corruption seems to be endless and it has contaminated almost all government departments and agencies,” he said.
“I said I will try to stop corruption which I’m doing and still I cannot succeed during my term.”
From Duterte to De Gaulle
For very significant reasons, the current mood of President Duterte impelled me to review something remarkable that I had read about the great General Charles de Gaulle of France in his memoirs.
The bare facts of his remarkable life is exciting reading. Consider this concise summation by **** Morris of the highlights of his story: “No leader of democracy since George Washington has had the uncontested political power to shape his country that General Charles de Gaulle enjoyed when the Allies liberated France in 1944. De Gaulle was not merely the nation’s leader, hero or great hope. Determined to purge France of the divisive and ineffectual political structure that he believed led to humiliating defeat by Hitler in just six weeks in 1940, de Gaulle called on the nation to rise above petty political parties and come together in spirit. Yet it didn’t work out that way, and de Gaulle would be forced to retreat and wait more than a decade for his time to come again.”
Despite having all the power and prestige of a war hero, de Gaulle was unable to defeat the French party system, at least at first.
Initially in 1946, when he realized that he had become a Gulliver tied up in procedural knots by parliamentary politicians, de Gaulle resigned as president, abrogating all his power, and returned to his country home to lick his wounds.
For 12 long years he waited, until he was finally summoned to avert a military coup d’état in 1958.
Having regained the power he had lost, he could proceed to accomplish his mission — dismantling the political parties that earlier forced his resignation.
He returned to witness the vindication of his vision of a France returned to greatness.
During WW2, alone among French leaders, de Gaulle unilaterally proclaimed himself the leader of the French government in exile. From London, he broadcast to the French people, calling on them to continue the fight against Germany by every means in their power. De Gaulle’s audacity was breathtaking.
One question haunted post-war France. What had gone wrong? How had the nation grown so weak that it could fall so swiftly to the German onslaught in 1940? France had been one of the most powerful nations in the world. During World War 1 it resisted the German army for four years, and then defeated it. But in World War 2, the nation was so rotted from within it collapsed in six weeks to Hitler.
De Gaulle attacked French weakness, wrote of their decadence, and warned that turning over to the political parties could result only in impotence.
Da Gaulle wanted the old republic to be replaced by a new and radically different form of government. He proposed a new constitution for France, in which the chief executive would not be chosen by a parliamentary party, but would serve only the national community.
In July 1945, he was elected as France’s president. But even as he took office, the party system tried to shackle his power. He opted to resign his office than accept the restrictions. He thought that France would recall him quickly after he resigned. But the country did not do so at once; it waited several years — indeed 12 years.
Rather than presiding over a process that would have eroded his reputation, de Gaulle opted to withdraw from events, before they withdrew from him. He said: “I prefer my legend to power.”
In 1947, he established his own political party. But there was no immediate success. In the wilderness, he went among his people. In the process he found his enduring message to postwar France – the greatness or grandeur of France.
De Gaulle returned to power in 1958 to lead the Fifth Republic. His presidency lasted until 1969. The Fifth Republic lasts to this day and shows every sign of continuing.
De Gaulle’s is a fascinating story that should bear insightful lessons for Duterte who seeks to bend the nation to his will and his vision.
Morris summed it up this way: “Ousted from power by a nation unprepared for the political changes he found necessary, De Gaulle left the stage; let the flawed political system run its course; and then, when the inevitable crisis loomed, he charged forward to save the day.”
Winning the case for reform
Today, Duterte probably feels a little dejected that the nation is not rushing to implement his chief reform mantra of federalism. The people are asking questions.
The people are also not buying wholesale his deadly campaign against illegal drugs; many are appalled by the killings. He is equally sullen about the problem of corruption, as his firing spree has not scared away the grafters, even among the people he appointed to office.
DU30’s threat to resign will appall most Filipinos, because he is indisputably a success so far. But losing him does not mean that the nation should give him everything he wants. Duterte must still rally and win the people behind his agenda of reform.
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Do not overrate what you have received, nor envy others He who envies others does not achieve peace. - Buddha
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tapos dedma lang sa stupidity knows no bounds niya hihihihih
<-- tambol mayor
