“My reason for not accepting the post of prime minister is because this year is an auspicious year for the King, whose 60th anniversary on the throne is just 60 days away. I want all Thais to reunite,” Thaksin Shinawatra, Prime Minister of Thailand, said in explaining his decision to quit.
He said he “want all Thais to reunite.” Familiar, eh? That is because we heard similar words from Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo a few years ago. Arroyo “honored” Dr. Jose P. Rizal, our martyred national hero, by declaring she would no longer run in 2004.
“…I have decided not to run for President during the election of 2004.
“If I were to run, it will require a major political effort on my part. But since I’m among the principal figures in the divisive national events for the last two or three years, my political efforts can only result in never-ending divisiveness.”
Of course, we know the rest. Arroyo “changed her mind.” In 2004, she did run–and allegedly cheated, with the help of Mr. Virgilio “Hello Garci” Garcillano.
That the Hello Garci episode caused further disunity in this nation is something that even the President and her men could not deny. It is therefore correct to say that Arroyo’s actions–and even Arroyo herself–is , at present, a hindrance to national unity. Indeed, her political efforts (chacha, etc.) “can only result in never-ending divisiveness.”
In light of all these, must she do a Thaksin? Asa pa us. Interviewed by reporters today, Presidential adviser Gabriel Claudio said what was happening in Thailand and with Thaksin was “an altogether different situation.”
“Filipinos are tired of political bickering and confrontation, that is why despite the relentless agitation by the opposition, there is no upheaval against the President or the government,” he was quoted as saying by INQ7.
If that is the case, what was the “lawless violence” and “insurrection” that Proclamation 1017 was supposed to have suppressed? Is the supposed leftist–rightist conspiracy really just a product of Malacañang’s fiction department?
In any case, it looks like Arroyo is not doing a Thaksin anytime soon.