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People's power again



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People?s power again

The Hindustan Times (New Delhi)
January 24, 2001

FEW TEARS will be shed over the ouster of Philippines President Joseph
Estrada. He had tried desperately to cling to power despite the
corruption trial. But it was finally yet another demonstration of
?People Power? which toppled him in a replay of what had happened to
Ferdinand Marcos in 1986.

Estrada, the movie actor-turned-politician, proved to be a poor student
of history. He had refused to learn any lesson from the ignominious end
of the Marcos era. True, Estrada retained some of his popularity till
the end but that was only because of his celluloid fame. The people of
the Philippines had reasons to be indignant about the way he sought to
cover up his crime, riding roughshod over a pliant Parliament.

However, the more he tried to shield his wrongdoing, the louder grew the
demand for his ouster. A time came when his own ministers and the
military openly defied him. And yet, Estrada refused to see the writing
on the wall.

But when tens of thousands of people, including two former Presidents
and senior religious leaders, held a huge demonstration against him,
Estrada reluctantly handed over power to Vice-President Gloria Macapagal
Arroyo.

Southeast Asian countries have generally been known for their tolerance
for institutionalised corruption. But even by such standards, the
charges against Estrada were shocking. He was charged with corruption,
bribery, betrayal of public trust and violation of the Constitution for
accepting nearly $ 12 million in kickbacks from illegal gambling
operators and for other misdemeanours.

Estrada?s tragedy may prove to be the Philippines? triumph. Democracy in
the country may still be fragile, but the success of the
anti-authoritarian and anti-corruption crusades has set an example to
the rest of the region. It may be recalled that students? protests in
South Korea had brought about the downfall of an authoritarian system
there. Two former Presidents were brought to justice for abusing power.
Similarly, the campus-based movement forced the ouster of the Suharto
regime in Indonesia in 1998. Even in Myanmar, the pro-democracy movement
nearly ousted the military junta a decade ago.

After its long tryst with authoritarianism, the region is today enjoying
a democratic renaissance. Old style leaders will ignore the underlying
message from the developments in the Philippines at their peril.



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<!doctype html public "-//w3c//dtd html 4.0 transitional//en">
<html>
&nbsp;
<br><b><font size=+2>People?s power again</font></b>
<p>The Hindustan Times (New Delhi)
<br>January 24, 2001
<p>FEW TEARS will be shed over the ouster of Philippines President Joseph
Estrada. He had tried desperately to cling to power despite the corruption
trial. But it was finally yet another demonstration of ?People Power? which
toppled him in a replay of what had happened to Ferdinand Marcos in 1986.
<p>Estrada, the movie actor-turned-politician, proved to be a poor student
of history. He had refused to learn any lesson from the ignominious end
of the Marcos era. True, Estrada retained some of his popularity till the
end but that was only because of his celluloid fame. The people of the
Philippines had reasons to be indignant about the way he sought to cover
up his crime, riding roughshod over a pliant Parliament.
<p>However, the more he tried to shield his wrongdoing, the louder grew
the demand for his ouster. A time came when his own ministers and the military
openly defied him. And yet, Estrada refused to see the writing on the wall.
<p>But when tens of thousands of people, including two former Presidents
and senior religious leaders, held a huge demonstration against him, Estrada
reluctantly handed over power to Vice-President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
<p>Southeast Asian countries have generally been known for their tolerance
for institutionalised corruption. But even by such standards, the charges
against Estrada were shocking. He was charged with corruption, bribery,
betrayal of public trust and violation of the Constitution for accepting
nearly $ 12 million in kickbacks from illegal gambling operators and for
other misdemeanours.
<p>Estrada?s tragedy may prove to be the Philippines? triumph. Democracy
in the country may still be fragile, but the success of the anti-authoritarian
and anti-corruption crusades has set an example to the rest of the region.
It may be recalled that students? protests in South Korea had brought about
the downfall of an authoritarian system there. Two former Presidents were
brought to justice for abusing power. Similarly, the campus-based movement
forced the ouster of the Suharto regime in Indonesia in 1998. Even in Myanmar,
the pro-democracy movement nearly ousted the military junta a decade ago.
<p>After its long tryst with authoritarianism, the region is today enjoying
a democratic renaissance. Old style leaders will ignore the underlying
message from the developments in the Philippines at their peril.
<br>&nbsp;
<br>&nbsp;</html>

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