An HTML-version of this newsletter is available at http://www.fnf.org.ph/enewsletter/ltm122004.htm
************************************************************** Liberal Times Manila A monthly newsletter of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation’s Philippine Office ************************************************************** Dear friends of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation, 23/12/2004 Looking back, 2004 has been a good year for what I like to term organized liberalism in the Philippines. In the eyes of not a few observers, the Liberal Party (LP) has emerged as the winner of the May elections. Following systematic deliberations, the Party has meanwhile come up with a comprehensive strategic plan that has no lesser goal than the return to presidential power at the end of the decade. As a member of the liberal family, the liberal Foundation has provided support for a series of trainings and other educative programs – and intends to continue doing so in the future. Once more, our main partner has been the National Institute for Policy Studies (NIPS), the liberal think tank in the Philippines. All these activities are guided by our joint conviction that strong platform based political parties are important for the prospering of liberal democracy. Bestowed with a strong popular mandate, the major challenge for our political friends is to prove to the electorate that they can have a positive impact on governance. This endeavour is highlighted in the recent issue of the liberal philippines magazine’s cover story “Liberals in Government.” Should you not have received your personal copy, you may read all the articles at www.liberal-philippines.com , the magazine’s award-winning Website, or simply drop us a note, and we will send you the magazine free of charge right away. Inspired by a recent international survey published by Transparency International (TI) according to which on a global scale political parties are conceived as the most corrupt institution, I have written a commentary – and ended my argument with a slightly more optimistic message. As always, I am attaching excerpts of that column to this note. You may check out the complete text and other liberal commentaries in the opinion section of www.fnf.org.ph. One of the highlights of the activities we co-sponsored since I last wrote you a month ago, was the National Congress of the Kabataang Liberal ng Pilipinas (KALIPI). The young Liberals elected a new leadership and also came up with an ambitious action plan for the next three years. The liberal philippines magazine and the Foundation, together with KALIPI, are sponsoring a nationwide essay writing contest. Anyone from 15 to 35 year is invited to submit an article written in English and not exceeding 1000 words on the topic “The Filipino as a Liberal.” Deadline for submission is January 31, 2005. The winner will get an unforgettable trip to magnificent Batanes with a chance of a one-on-one encounter with Department of Education Secretary (and former LP president) Florencio “Butch” Abad. To view the “mechanics” of our contest, please go to www.liberal-philippines.com. To celebrate the New Year, the Friedrich Naumann Foundation in cooperation with our main regional partner Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats (CALD) will host a reception in Makati City in the evening of January 13, 2005. A personal invitation should arrive in your mail-box in the next days. Finally, I wish to thank the readers of this newsletter and the friends of the liberal Foundation for all your positive feedback in the past 12 months and your many expressions of support. At the same time, I wish you and your loved ones a blessed Christmas and a peaceful and successful New Year. Thank you and kind regards, Dr. Ronald Meinardus ************************************************************* The monthly Liberal Times Manila-newsletter informs about activities of the Friedrich-Naumann-Foundation in the Philippines and beyond. This issue has been sent to 1258 individuals and organizations. If you do not wish to receive our messages anymore, please return this note and put “unsubscribe” in the subject. More information on recent FNF-activities is waiting for you at www.fnf.org.ph. ************************************************************** The battle against corruption can be won (Excerpts) … A recent survey published by Transparency International (TI), the leading global nongovernmental organization devoted to combating corruption, revealed disturbing news. In 36 out of the 62 countries surveyed, a majority of respondents thought of the political parties as the most corrupt institution. Following political parties, parliaments, the police and the judiciary were perceived as the next most tainted.… Among the many important messages of the recent TI report, two stand out: First, the public perception of political corruption is by no means limited to the so-called Third World with its young democracies, but very much a global phenomenon. Second, political corruption continues to have a devastating impact on the public's confidence in political institutions, foremost, political parties and parliaments, in all parts of the world.…To win elections, politicians and parties wage costly campaigns. Often, campaign contributions are linked to political favors. The challenge is not to eliminate all money from politics. Parties need money to function according to the constitutional provisions. Ways and means must be found to ensure the clean and transparent management of all political funds. "One common observation is that corruption in parties is more prevalent when parties lack strong ideological commitments," wrote Peter M. Manikas and Laura Thornton in a recent book entitled Political Parties in Asia. They argue that when parties offer their constituents little in terms of concrete policies and programs, "money can substitute as driving factor for winning votes." Thus, the promotion of platform-based party politics becomes one strategy in fighting political corruption. On a more technical level, governments that have successfully tackled the issue of political finances have implemented two policies: First, they have set clearly defined limits to the amount candidates and parties may receive and spend from third parties; and, second, they have introduced direct public subsidies. Among the Asian countries in which political corruption is perceived by many as a major systemic problem is the Philippines. For some observers, the absence of strong platform based political parties and illegitimate money politics are just two sides of one coin. Therefore, it is no coincidence that regulating party finances plays a central role in Philippine discussions aimed at reforming the party system.... The failure of the political class in the Philippines to enact sweeping electoral reform legislation ahead of the general elections last May stands in stark contrast to the determination with which reforms of political parties and campaign finances have been pursued in other East Asian democracies. While Taiwan's governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has set a benchmark regarding the democratization of internal party procedures by introducing primary elections to select candidates for public office, South Korea has set new standards regarding the way politicians deal with money. Not long ago, politics in South Korea were considered by many as one of the most corrupt in the region, if not in the world. In 2004, however, that country experienced tremendous changes in its political finance regime. At the center of these ground-breaking reforms stands the legislation which significantly restricts the finance practices of parties and politicians…South Korea's President Roh, Moo-hyun gave prosecutors "free rein" to investigate parties and politicians for corruption and even encouraged such investigations targeting his own camp. As a result, even some of Roh's own supporters, among them "honorable" members of parliament, were arrested and have been placed behind bars. The South Korean experience is illustrative and also encouraging. It shows that the battle against political corruption can be won -- and will be won, as soon as the political leadership demonstrates political will. Without this, nothing will change. © BusinessWorld, December 23, 2004 ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Make a clean sweep of pop-up ads. Yahoo! Companion Toolbar. Now with Pop-Up Blocker. Get it for free! http://us.click.yahoo.com/L5YrjA/eSIIAA/yQLSAA/9rHolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The Internet and Democracy Across Asia: MAY 2001 Online Trends in Governance, Civil Society and Media More information at: http://www.e-democracy.org/do Rule: No more than two posts a day per participant. To SUBSCRIBE, send e-mail to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNSUBSCRIBE, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/do-asia/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
