“The beauty of the parliamentary system is it can be regionalized into states and or provincial levels so each area is truly self governing and accrue into a national legislature that brings constant accountability.”
Why the Philippines need to change is very simple, when you study what is occurring here. The elected are not accountable to the people once elected. Now I know there are many who will immediately leap to the defence of the existing system, they will say they are accountable and hide behind the impeachment process. But seriously, can anyone invoke this system in an affordable and timely manner, as I have often heard quoted here, “Justice delayed is justice denied!” The glaring reality is “Impeachment” is a giant smokescreen behind which delay, procrastination, prevarication and deceit removes accountability, and more importantly denies everyone justice.
Democratic right does not exist with this system, not just for the guilty, but for the common man or woman in the street.
The cause of this and of almost every issue that happens here stands out like a beacon of light, in the Philippines politics is all about personality, it is not about policy, it is not about “doing what is right” , it is not about “accountability” and that is the key to the whole problem.
The politicians claim to be operating under a party based system, but the parties never seem to produce a “policy document” and despite the claims they do have a “party system” there is no opposition party which seems to have any documented alternate policy or plan.
When election time comes around it is the one who is most well-known and with the most money to buy votes who wins. Listening to the campaign speeches they are generally very thin on substance, they are strong on emotion and emotionally based rhetoric. It is all promises, criticism of anyone else who is standing or defiling those who have gone before them, it is hot air, talk, and more talk, seldom is there any substantive plans or planning, nor budgetary concepts that explain how they will implement their words.
You do not see any hard evidence in documented form, so afterwards when the elections dust has settled, there is no “holding to account”.
That in a nutshell is why the Philippines are a mess, why it staggers from one crisis to another, and will continue to do so.
If the Philippines is serious about being a real productive and useful member of world society there is only one solution which even comes close to fixing that and that is converting the country to a Parliamentary form of government and here is why. When you take that knowledge as outlined above and stand it up against the best performing countries around the world, it quickly becomes clear true parliamentary systems are the top performers in almost every field that matters when you compare the differences between Presidential systems and Parliamentary systems of government. But most important of all they have real “accountability”.
In Parliamentary governments there is a real opposition party, not just opposition individuals at election time, but a fully functioning organization which holds the elected members of government accountable on a day to day basis, like watch dogs, they have an alternative written plan and policies to match every decision made by the government, everything the Government does is compared to it, and is exposed to public examination and debate in the Parliament. Question time in this venue brings out the best and worst in every member, both government and opposition for all to see and when a sitting member of parliament is caught trying to cheat, stepping out of line or generally not performing his duty in the best interest of the people they would quickly become a central issue and this can lead to the fall of the leadership and the government.
Unlike in a Presidential government, when this happens there are no prolonged delays waiting for impeachment, no vote buying, or procrastination or prevaricating will delay the consequences, it really exposes the realities. It can be brutal, but it is effective, and it is quick, you are either on your best game every day or you can be out of office, and out of government and it can happen in a matter of minutes in some cases.
The Philippines needs this now!
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