Busts of the two presidential candidates at Madame Tussauds
Wax Museum in Washington D.C.
We Filipinos Must
Learn from the American Election (The Bohol Standard, The Philippines)
"Despite the
fact that this year’s poll is more important than any previous U.S. election,
the exercise of political discourse is much more mature and open than we have
ever witnessed in any Philippine election. ... How shall we conduct our
elections come 2013? Will we see a parade of actors and actresses? Will we be
confronted with choosing from evil and lesser evil?"
Less than two months from now, the American people will
choose their leader. And once Americans have chosen, the world will to some
degree consider the newly-selected president the
leader of the world.
America remains the sole superpower, at least for now.
Despite its economic distress, America continues to dictate and demand how
nations should behave and treat each other. The country’s economic health,
whether robust or ill, has a direct impact on the wealth of other nations.
The American election is a critical moment in history. It
will define not only the direction America takes in the next four years, but
even more so, it will lay out the very future of the world. Every U.S. election
is a global political moment that is hard to ignore.
For the Philippines, the U.S. election plays a more
significant role for millions of Filipinos than it does to the lives of people
with many other nationalities.
The U.S. hosts four million Filipinos who comprise 1.5
percent of the American population. Immigration, employment, health insurance
and education are among the primary issues when sizing up Filipino voting power
in the U.S.
Regardless of whether Barack Obama or Mitt Romney wins the
presidential race, our public officials, led by President Aquino, will inevitably
and immediately signify their support for the newly-installed president. We have
yet to hear a public official express open disgust toward a U.S. president.
On the other hand, the Philippines can learn much from this
year’s U.S. election. Despite the fact that this year’s poll is more important
than any previous U.S. election, the exercise of political discourse is much
more mature and open than we have ever witnessed in any Philippine election.
Despite hosting the world’s most awaited election, Americans
are seemingly unbothered about whether the president will be rich, popular, or
handsome. What is important to them, among other things, is the president
should be capable of withstanding the economic and political pressure at home
and abroad.
We Filipinos should learn how America conducts its elections
and how people decide how to choose their leaders. The U.S. election, first and
foremost, is not simply a popularity contest. It matters little whether a
presidential candidate is landed or rolling in cash.
How shall we conduct our elections come 2013? Will we see a
parade of actors and actresses? Will we be confronted with choosing from evil
and lesser evil?
If we had learned earlier about how Americans conduct their
elections and choose their leaders, we would have been spared decades of unneeded
struggle and difficulty thanks to unqualified public servants.
