HOTSPOT
Tonyo Cruz
It cannot be stopped: The next administration is taking shape. The new president is set to take his oath on June 30. A new government will be inaugurated.
The time for mourning must give way to action. And by action, we mean building a fierce, fearless and fabulous opposition.
Senator Risa Hontiveros leads the minority in the Senate, while the Makabayan triumvirate of Gabriela Rep. Arlene Brosas, ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro and Kabataan Rep. Raoul Manuel will be our champions in the House.
There are also a handful of independent-minded local executives across the country who could play pivotal roles.
On July 1, when Leni Robredo would have become former vice president, she will formally launch Angat Buhay NGO. She has said she will do two things as Citizen Leni: fight disinformation and organize the biggest-ever volunteer network in the country’s history.
The national democratic activists belonging to Bagong Alyansang Makabayan are eager to reconvene the Parliament of the Streets. Their battlecry is clear: Reject and resist.
There are also the many watchdogs of human rights, civil liberties and good governance, as well as advocates of reforms.
It is only a matter of time whether we will see again the broad, multisectoral, multi-stakeholder coalition that backed the opposition in the last elections, this time to encourage positive reforms, mightily defend human rights, and to vigorously oppose the bad.
Building a credible opposition could be more difficult than setting up a new administration. Given the character and background of many political leaders and the political system, there are more incentives for collaboration and complete surrender to a powerful administration. Building an opposition requires dedication and commitment, which have either become scarce since May 9 or have given way to cynicism and apathy.
But we must do it, because our people and country deserve to have an opposition force that proposes solutions to their problems, big or small. It is up to the opposition to make use of all legal, meta-legal and proto-legal ways to push, pitch and make those solutions work. Whether it is about the removal of taxes on oil or how to improve the dismal state of public mass transport, there should be a responsible and credible opposition ready and able to propose what should be done and challenge the government on its official response.
What the opposition will or won’t say or do would be the yardstick that people would remember them by. And this includes the millions who responded to the calls for “gobyernong tapat” and even the battle cries of the other campaigns. Would the leaders who portrayed themselves as qualified and ready to be president, vice president, senator and others be equally qualified and ready to be leaders while in the opposition or even in conditions where they say they would be in critical collaboration with the administration?
Those who say they fear the worst, like a new reign of terror and greed, owes their adherents the commensurate mental and organizational preparation if ever that happens. I mean, what if such a reign is imposed, can mere individuals manage to resist an organized, disciplined and massive action by the state? Of course not, maybe except if the forces of the opposition are also organized, disciplined and massive.
Some say there should be a new opposition political party, and I tend to agree. The next few years should be a time to create and develop new leaders who could run in the next elections, build a network of supporters to the grassroots, craft alternatives to government programs, and win the people’s support one barangay at a time. The 15 million who voted for Robredo, and perhaps those who chose other candidates, could be attracted to this new party. As we have learned, building a political infrastructure would be too late if this would be done only in 2025 and 2028.
But ultimately, what’s important now is to find ourselves front and center in the hearts and minds of the public, to earn their backing as their champions, to present the best possible solutions to their problems, and to make the correct calls to action. In short, to serve the people especially in what could be the hardest of times to be in opposition because that’s puny compared to what they face or have to endure every day.
Yes, it is time now for the fierce, fearless and fabulous opposition to stand up. This could be the real exciting part we’re waiting for.