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Remodeling an Asian Democracy
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10491 |
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CURRENT ISSUES
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1 / 1993 |
2,007 Words |
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Keith W. Eirinberg
Keith W. Eirinberg is a fellow in Asian studies at the Center
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Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. |
For Filipinos the past year was dived into two seasons: reflection and anticipation. In the first half of 1992, the attention of a nation struggling with poverty, natural disasters, power outages, and insurrection shifted to the celebration of democracy. The successes and failures of outgoing President Corazon Aquino's six-year term were debated spiritedly, but one thing was certain: She survived seven coup attempts and brought the nation to free and fair elections.
In the latter half of the year, the nation focused on the plan of the new president, Fidel Ramos, to bring the Philippines on a par with the thriving economies of east Asia. Despite Ramos' popularity, Filipinos were aware that groundwork for his strategy lay on shifting sands of political rivalries, entrenched interests, the attraction of foreign investment, and the beneficence of Mother Nature.
It was, to be sure, a year of transition. The withdrawal of U.S. Military forces from Subic Bay and Cubi Point moved the Philippines headlong into post-Cold War World. The economic aid that came with the old military links was cut in half.
With the battle for economic primacy in Asia escalating, the Philippines needed ammunition. The special relationship with the United States was ebbing, and new relationships for the new world were necessary.
The celebration of democracy was boisterous throughout the islands in May and June as Filipinos realized that the transition of the Aquino administration to its successor would be peaceful. Across the South China Sea, though, the Philippines' neighbors were skeptical.
Because the four dragons--South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, and Hong-Kong--have modernized and are beginning to realize the democracy the Philippines enjoys today, proponents of the Asian model of development and democracy could be heard citing the Philippines as an example of the perils that face a nation that undergoes democratization prior to achieving a level of prosperity and stability that raises the standards of living of all its citizens. Filipinos, though, were quick to point to the economic devastation that resulted from authoritarian rule of Ferdinand Macros.
THE NEW SOCIETY
The Asian model of development was not for the Philippines, which reflects a more Latin American style owing
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