For lawyer Carlos Zarate, Bayan Muna Party’s second nominee, Obama’s win “only means a continuation and perpetuation of the same policies that for decades spawned a continuing state of impunity in poor countries” like the Philippines.
By MARILOU AGUIRRE-TUBURAN
Davao Today
DAVAO CITY, Philippines — Incumbent United States President Barack Obama secured another four-year term after winning his reelection bid versus Republican candidate, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, on Tuesday (Wednesday in the Philippines).
With Obama still occupying the highest position in the US government, Filipinos can’t help but raise their opinions on the 2012 US election turnout and its implications to the Philippines.
For lawyer Carlos Zarate, Bayan Muna Party’s second nominee, Obama’s win “only means a continuation and perpetuation of the same policies that for decades spawned a continuing state of impunity in poor countries” like the Philippines.
He stressed that it would be the same “neo-liberal economic policies” that promote and breed millions of impoverish and poor peoples all over the world, a point that was affirmed by labor advocate Omar Bantayan who’s now based in the US.
‘Not a battle between good and evil’
“This is not a stereotypical battle of good versus evil. Obama and Romney both believe in the same fundamental policy of neoliberalism,” Bantayan said.
Neoliberalism refers to economic liberalizations, free trade and open markets, privatization and deregulation. It is used as a general condemnation of economic liberalization policies.
Bantayan said that between the two, Romney is the “more dangerous one” with his “bigotry and anti-worker, anti-women and anti-immigrant stance.” He added that Romney made no efforts to hide his “fascist nature” and his “representation of greedy and violent corporate America.”
Had Romney won the US presidency, Bantayan said, it is highly possible that he will wage a war of attrition against the labor unions.
On the other hand, according to Bantayan, Obama has disappointed the working class in the US and the other progressive sections of American society during his first term though he has given the latter, to some extent, “concessions and some breathing space to exist and operate.” But, he pointed out, “Progressive unions within the US labor movement abhor Obama’s implementation of market liberalization.
With the reelection of Obama, the “imperialist character” of the US remains. Bantayan said this as he observed that in last four years under the Obama administration, the people have all witnessed “US military’s pivot and magnification of its footprint in Southeast Asia.”
Earlier, American Adam Shaw, a mission intern with the Initiatives for Peace in Mindanao, said that the US policy in the Southeast will not change. Thus, whether Obama or Romney wins, there will be a continued US military presence in countries with huge natural resources like the Philippines.
“Obama will definitely continue his policies of plunder and aggression in Asia. It is under his administration that massive deployment of American troops happened,” Juland Suazo, Public Information Officer of the environmental group Panalipdan, said.
With the permanent presence of American troops and warships in the country bringing environmentally-destructive nuclear weapons, the US government under Obama, Suazo said, is violating the Philippine constitution with impunity.
“(Obama) is pursuing the same policies of Bush because the US government knows that the Philippines has 840 billion US dollars of untapped mineral resources,” he said.
‘No genuine change’
“We cannot expect fundamental change under the Obama presidency,” said Sheena Duazo, spokesperson of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan. She urged that the Filipino people must continue to assert their sovereignty against US economic and military intervention.
This was also called by Bai Ali Indayla of the Moro human rights group Kawagib as she expects that “the foreign interventionist policy of US will continue and its war of aggression will intensify.”
Meanwhile, Bantayan said, that with Obama’s victory, the American people should realize that it is imperative “that a people’s movement should develop ideologically, organizationally and politically not only to make Obama and his government accountable, but for the 99 percent to effect real social transformation.” (With reports from Alex D. Lopez/davaotoday.com)
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