Signing Without Understanding

Signing Without Understanding
May 6, 2006

Philippine Free Press

THE ideas of parliamentary government and people's initiative are very much discussed today. I have observed that the people who most enthusiastically talk on these subjects are politicians, the wealthy, and powerful, and they speak about the shift to parliamentary government as if the country's survival depended on it and they, especially the politicians, were the ones chosen to save the country.

How about the ordinary people? Do they know much, or do they know anything, about these subjects? Do ordinary people know what is people initiative? Do they know the parliamentary system of government?

It is regrettable that many national and local leaders are so obsessed with the change to parliamentary government and pushing for it through people's initiative without explaining to the people what these things are. I observed this here recently when people were made to fill out questionnaires on the proposed change to parliamentary government. I argue that although people signed the forms, that doesn't mean they understood what it was they signed.

I remember attending a consultation on the proposed change. Somebody observed how well attended the meeting was. Those present were people from the academic community, local government, national government agencies, civic and other groups- the blessed and the privileged of society. I looked for the tricycle drivers, the farmers,and the fishermen, the vendors and the barbers and others with very little in life. They were not there. Why? They were not invited was it because they were a weak force and anything they had to say about the proposal didn't count?

A little reflection might help here. It is we, the ordinary people, who buoy the courage of the powers that be. They rattle off the issues at the village assemblies and then ask us to sign the survey forms. They take advantage of our ignorance and weakness. We who sign those forms without understanding are not contributing to our country's development, but to its downfall.

We must be given time to know the issues involved and understand them. Our leaders should go out to the slums and the barrios to give us all the information we need. Then we will study the proposal and, with full understanding, answer yes or no.

Reginald B. Tamayo
20 Ballesteros Street
Aparri, Cagayan