Clash of Civilizations?

Does cartoons like this help?

I was at a farewell street party for my Brazillian friend Joao last Saturday, 4th of March 2006. Booze was flowing freely and music was pumping courtesy of the good DJs of soundsrealgood (Edge, Brian and Ant). Anyway, we were about to leave around 4 AM when suddenly a friend of ours (Iranian Dutch) and another Danish friend was suddenly going at each others throats and the Iranian guy was pounding the Dane in the pavement. The reason? The Dane punched the Iranian because the latter's French was bad. Good thing the fight was broke up as soon it started but without the Iranian guy (who happened to be a Muslim) crying out for blood for that unprovoked assault. I wont mention their names here to avoid inflaming the issue. I exchanged SMS with the Iranian hoping to calm him down, as he was bent on looking for the Dane and give him a nasty thrashing. I've known the Dane for like over a year now and he is quite known in my circles as rude, and abrasive. But on the other hand, his namesake who is also a Dane is a bestfriend of mine and was certainly embarassed with the whole issue.

***These are unedited text messages sent to me by my Iranian Dutch friend.

3/05/06
4:14 AM
Fuck that. I am drop ing my friendi home and I am coming for his soul. Forgiveness is for christians.

3/05/06
4:20 AM
I am not smarter then anyone. however i am stronger then most and he will say the price. I am n my way to optigar*. And after i drop the drunk guys off. I will search for him in embassy**. And beat him to an inch from his life.


3/05/06
4:31 AM
I can not, he will pay for his unprovo Ked crime. And I will have him.However we are lost. So perhaps i will be late. But i swear, i will have him. May i burn in hell for all eternity if not. And i shall be kept to my word him and his threats ur es friend will bleed by my hands, i swear to all that is holy and unholy, i will see them bleed.


* Optigar may mean Ortigas Centre. A business district that straddles the cities of Mandaluyong and Pasig, the Philippines.
** embassy or more popularly known as Embassy Superclub is the latest hangout in Manila where most young expats hang out.

The world reeling from a spate of anti-Danish protests in the wake of the offensive cartoons of Jyllands-Posten, incidents like this only confirm the fact that there is still much to learn from each other.

Rebels Without a (Good) Cause

Finally, like manna from heaven, a day after I "wished" that Proclamation 1017 be rescinded, the President lifted the controversial Proclamation. Yesterday, news reports say that the opposition are planning to send a complaint to the United Nations regarding 1017. Whatever that should result with, I couldn't see the UN even take a second look at it when it had more pressing problems of its own like the recent corruption scandals that racked Kofi Annan's term. At a Columbia School symposium, United States Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton on Saturday declared the United Nations is hobbled "by bad management, by sex and corruption and by a growing lack of confidence in its ability to carry out missions.'' It also has to grapple with the mess in Iraq, the recent flagrant flaunting of International Atomic Energy Agency's Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty of the Republic of Iran. There is Darfur, the AIDS crises and the avian influenza pandemic, the Hamas victory in the Palestine Territories, the persistent threat of global terrorism and the frequent unilateral response of the United States amongst others. The UN never did really intervene during the Marcos dictatorship did they? Not even ASEAN can interfere in the internal affairs of its members. How many years did it take ASEAN to finally publicly censure Myanmar's military regime? The generals kept Dame Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest for several years now, and never allowed her National League for Democracy party to take power even if it won the elections. It took several years and thousands of deaths in East Timor before UN finally stepped in.

Taking the case to the United Nations is an exercise in futility and as far as I know it it is just another ploy by the opposition to gain media mileage as well as an air of international legitimacy over their much-discredited and scorned cause. What scorn is greater than having the general public, the middle forces, the real taxpayers ignore their political acrobatics? In the end, its the people that must decide. Thankfully (and hopefully) , with 1017 lifted, we can finally move on.

Enemies of the State

At the height of the tensions last weekend, the President placed the whole country under the State of National Emergency (Proclamation 1017). While I feel that the power grabbers and coup conspirators should be arrested, detained and charged, the vague powers that the Proclamation encompasses can be chilling. The raid on the Tribune was a huge mistake. Whoever reads that paper anyway? Whoever suggested that raid to GMA should be sacked. Threatening the Fourth Estate, especially in the Philippines is a deathwish. Information is power, and who wields this power but the most freewheeling of all media in Asia? It controls radio, TV, print and the internet. When Marcos left in 1986, EDSA 1 spawned the freest media in this region and its accompanying scourge- irresponsible and payroll journalism. Recent years saw increasing attacks on the media personnel in the country. Although Filipinos ignored the state of emergency, (I visited Greenbelt 25 Feb. 2006, and found that , it was teeming with the usual crowd, there was even a birthday party in Salcedo Village attended by a diplomat from the US Embassy), the effects abroad was panic. Family members called in to check on my friends who are from the US, Brazil, Denmark.

What follow is the full text of Proclamation 1017 declaring a state of national emergency:

MALACAÑANG PALACE
MANILA


PROCLAMATION NO. 1017

PROCLAMATION DECLARING A STATE OF NATIONAL EMERGENCY

WHEREAS, over these past months, elements in the political opposition have conspired with authoritarians of the extreme Left represented by the NDF-CPP-NPA and the extreme Right, represented by military adventurists--the historical enemies of the democratic Philippine State—who are now in tactical alliance and engaged in a concerted and systematic conspiracy, over a broad front, to bring down the duly constituted Government elected in May 2004.

WHEREAS, these conspirators have repeatedly tried to bring down the President;

WHEREAS, the claims of these elements have been recklessly magnified by certain segments of the national media;

WHEREAS, this series of actions is hurting the Philippine State--by obstructing governance including hindering the growth of the economy and sabotaging the people’s confidence in government and their faith in the future of this country;

WHEREAS, these actions are adversely affecting the economy;

WHEREAS, these activities give totalitarian forces of both the extreme Left and extreme Right the opening to intensity their avowed aims to bring down the democratic Philippine State;

WHEREAS, Article 2, Section 4 of our Constitution makes the defense and preservation of the democratic institutions and the State the primary duty of Government;

WHEREAS, the activities above-described, their consequences, ramifications and collateral effects constitute a clear and present danger to the safety and the integrity of the Philippine State and of the Filipino people;

NOW, THEREFORE, I Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, President of the Republic of the Philippines and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested upon me by Section 18, Article 7 of the Philippine Constitution which states that: “ The President…whenever it becomes necessary,…may call out (the) armed forces to prevent or suppress…rebellion…, “ and in my capacity as their Commander-in-Chief, do hereby command the Armed Forces of the Philippines, to maintain law and order throughout the Philippines, prevent or suppress all forms of lawless violence as well any act of insurrection or rebellion and to enforce obedience to all the laws and to all decrees, orders and regulations promulgated by me personally or upon my direction; and as provided in Section 17, Article 12 of the Constitution do hereby declare a State of National Emergency.

IN WITNESS HEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the Republic of the Philippines to be affixed.

Done in the City of Manila, this 24th day of February, in the year of Our Lord, two thousand and six.


GLORIA MACAPAGAL-ARROYO
President
Republic of the Philippines

Freedom is not always absolute. Freedom comes with a responsibility. The problem with this proclamation is it blurs the definition. Rights can be trampled and for a country who was under a dictatorship for a long time, people will do anything to protect that freedom (sadly, no one raises a howl about responsibility).

As of this writing states of emergency are imposed on the following (from wikipedia):

• Nepal has been in a state of emergency since political parties and the constitution were suspended by King Gyanendra in response to Maoist rebel factions.
• Egypt has been in a state of emergency almost without interruption since the Six-Day War in June 1967.
• Brunei Darussalam has been in a state of emergency since December 12, 1962 in response to a pro-independence rebellion.
• Swaziland has been in a state of emergency since the constitution was suspended by King Sobhuza II on April 12, 1973
• Israel has been in a state of emergency since the 1948 War of Independence (May 19, 1948- )
• Syria has been in a state of emergency since the Baathist coup of March 8, 1963, however it is to be relaxed. [7]
• New Mexico (U.S.) declared a state of emergency on August 12, 2005, in counties bordering Mexico as a result of illegal immigration and border crime.
• Arizona (U.S.) also declared a state of emergency for the same reasons on August 14, 2005, in four southern border counties.
• Louisiana (U.S.) declared a state of emergency on August 27, 2005, due to the imminent threat posed by Hurricane Katrina. [8]
• Mississippi and Alabama (U.S.) also declared a state of emergency on August 28, 2005, in response to Hurricane Katrina.
• Texas and Arkansas (U.S.) declared a state of emergency on September 2, 2005 in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
• Tennessee, Georgia, Oklahoma, Florida, West Virginia, North Carolina, Utah, and Colorado (U.S.) declared a state of emergency on September 5, 2005, bringing the total to thirteen states under a state of emergency as a result of Hurricane Katrina.
• France has entered a state of emergency effective midnight, November 8, 2005, in response to civil unrest
• Philippines has entered a state of emergency effective February 24, 2006, in response to coup threats against President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's government in the midst of the 20th anniversary of the 1986 People Power Revolution that toppled the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos.

I am not scared of the proclamation, what I am worried is that it will be abused. The sooner it is lifted, the better for the country.