They say that bloggers are the opinion writers of the future. Well, I wouldn’t even dare align myself with the likes of heavyweight Filipino columnists Randy David, Winnie Monsod or the late Teddy Benigno. Tim Yap, maybe.
Besides, I haven’t written anything with nary a semblance of an opinion for a long time now. Recently, though, I rediscovered the joys of opinion writing when I sent an e-mail to Mr. Tony Abaya in reaction to his recent article on The Manila Standard entitled "Sleeping with the Communists" and his other anti-communist treatise, "How now, Brown Maos?"
Tony Abaya, together with Conrad de Quiros, is my favorite columnist (even though they come from opposite ends of the political spectrum). Both are certified intellectuals who would do well to ignore the thoughts of mere mortals such as myself.
So, when Mr. Abaya responded to my e-mail, you can only imagine that I felt like a pubescent girl gushing over her first menstrual visit. Hey, nothing Brokeback Mountain about that, OK? It’s more like Ang Pagdadalaga ni (The Blossoming of) Maximo Oliveros.
Just for my own kicks (because I have the power to bore you to death), I’m posting my email-cum-opinion-article as a blog entry below. Tony’s (naks, first-name basis daw!) articles can be viewed in blog form at www.tapatt.org while Conrad’s There’s the Rub column, in full blog edition, is at dequiros.blogspot.com.
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Dear Mr. Abaya,
I truly enjoy reading your articles, most especially the ones about communism (i.e. the Brown Mao series). As an idealistic college student and volunteer (we taught kids in an urban poor community) not too long ago, I, too, found solace in leftist rhetoric whenever I tried to make sense of the rampant injustices that pervaded the little world I lived in.
Deep inside, however, I also felt that there was something amiss about communism — for it flew in the face of human nature and the practical realities of daily life. I figured that human evolution has somehow programmed "greed" (or its more recent descendant, the "profit motive") into human nature to enhance one’s chances of survival. They say greed is good? But nature does not even distinguish between good and bad. Perhaps we are all born capitalists, and communism (and altruism and hedonism and all other -isms) is just something we learn along the way? Because we are "moral" animals, etc.
Capitalism in its wildest or purest state (God save us from dog-eats-dog globalization) may be a cruel jungle, but it is perhaps the natural order of things. If so, the whims of the market are too powerful a force of nature for communism to defeat roundly. Tame it, maybe, like what the social democrats and civil society are doing?
While I continue to believe in man’s innate goodness, the real world I discovered after college turned out to be a harsh (if not deadpan) teacher. I slowly shed off my leftist inclinations, more so after I became an OFW several years ago.
In Shanghai or any other Chinese city I visit, almost every young Chinese I know (from the suit monkey types to the xiao-long-bao-hawker kind) are avowed capitalists. They simply can’t imagine ever going back to their parents’ near-death brush with the Cultural Revolution. This, despite their continued allegiance to the communist government.
"Socialism with Chinese characteristics" does not really seem that socialist anymore. But it doesn’t seem that "capitalist evil", either. Sure, the transition is not without problems as China is always on the brink of social unrest given the widening gap between the rich and poor. But in general, most Chinese seem to agree that they could work together in promoting prosperity and harmony in society without necessarily "imposing" communist-style "equality".
It is quite an eye-opener, really, and as I watch firsthand how China rides on the wave of capitalism to emerge as the world’s next economic superpower, all eyes are on the "other giant", India. Like the Philippines, India also has a "proud" democratic tradition and a burgeoning communist movement. But it seems that some Indian communists are following the Chinese example and are having a change of heart. Please click on http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2005/10/31/8359173/index.htm to view an article that came out in Forbes magazine (OK, consider the source) in October of last year.
It quotes the chief minister of West Bengal, which is the heartland of the Indian Communist Party. His pronouncements remind me of Deng’s famous line, "We had it all wrong, comrades". Curiously, the paragraphs that contain most of his heretical statements, can be found in the print edition of the magazine but are omitted in the online edition. No erratum was published explaining the omission.
Having read this article, do you then think it’s possible for some Filipino communists (particularly the younger, presumably more open-minded, ones) to also tone down their hardline stance and cooperate with more moderate forces for the good of the country? If yes, then "sleeping with the communists" can’t be that bad. It might even be a small step towards better things. Like you said, violence is not the answer. Hatred is not the answer. Perhaps a "better idea" could win them over? Given their respective countries’ similar size and scale, the communists in communist China are showing the communists in democratic India that it is, after all, possible to tame the market beast.
Perhaps, the communists in democratic Philippines can also learn something from their communist brothers in communist Vietnam? Vietnam, given the breakneck pace of its growth, is well-poised to feed economic dust to laggard Philippines.
It won’t be long before Pinoys go gaga over "Vietcongnovelas" featuring fashionably dressed Romnick Sarmenta lookalikes and svelte Vietnamese hookers saying "Me so horny, boom-boom long time" with an American accent. =)
Maybe I’m being naive, too. But I continue to believe that many communists (except those who espouse violence) have only the best intentions for our countrymen. It’s just that we follow different means to attain the same end. In the final analysis, I am inclined to think that humankind’s eventual redemption can be found neither in the left nor in the right because, as in most things, the "truth" is somewhere in between.
Best regards and keep on writing!
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