Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 10/25/2010
A NEWS item published in the Thai newspaper “The Nation” caught my eye as I was on my way to Bangkok last week. The article carried the head: “Cambodian, Thai journalists make pact.”
It appeared that during a visit to Bangkok of 12 Cambodian journalists, they met with their Thai counterparts at the Thai Journalists Association and agreed “not to allow themselves to be used by politicians who make nationalistic claims for political gain.” Among the points they agreed on was that “the media should be careful with coverage that could cause conflict between the two countries and resentment between their peoples” and that “media workers from both sides should meet regularly to correct misunderstandings.”
The journalists’ concern apparently stems from confrontations that have taken place between Thai and Cambodian forces in the border area between the two countries, with politicians on both sides using the reported incidents to fan nationalistic sentiments. One contentious issue have been reports that the Thai “red shirts,” as supporters of former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra are known, have been undergoing weapons training in Cambodia. These reports have since been dismissed by the Cambodian government, with officials arguing that they could not afford to conduct such arms training since Cambodia “is a tourist area.”
Thailand is also facing difficulties in the area in which it shares a border with Burma, where thousands of displaced persons fleeing the junta, economic refugees and even victims of trafficking have been caught between Burmese troops giving chase and Thai troops trying to keep order in the area and keep down the number of undocumented migrants entering their country. Indeed, it is a volatile situation in an unstable area where, in addition, drug traffickers wreak havoc.
* * *
THAT journalists from both Thailand and Cambodia have felt the need to ink a pact to be less incendiary in their coverage speaks much of the instability of the situation. And I take it as a good sign that reporters and editors recognize the need for them to be more circumspect in their coverage and commentary.
Philippine media have of late come under fire for perceived lapses in reportage, especially during the Luneta hostage crisis where blanket coverage embarrassed the government, exposing the inadequate training and preparation of a SWAT team attempting to rescue the hostages.
In one instance, a radio team apparently even attempted to take over the work of negotiators, preoccupying the hostage-taker at a particularly sensitive phase of the incident.
Despite the sharp criticism and recommendation for the filing of criminal charges against the broadcasters by the investigation body, President Aquino chose instead to let the KBP, the broadcasting self-regulation body, lower sanctions, if any, against the radio people. But so far, nothing has been heard from the KBP about the institution of an investigation or a hearing.
This is dangerous because unless the media show a willingness to seriously investigate lapses in both the ethical and legal aspects of the profession, they invite interference from government. Like our Thai and Cambodian brethren, we would do well to sit down and talk and agree on certain guidelines of coverage. More important, we should find the will and gumption to enforce these guidelines and hold each other accountable.
* * *
WE made our way to our local polling place to cast our votes for barangay officials, but due to some circumstance, we failed to cast our ballots. Which may be a good thing, in retrospect, because neither my husband nor I knew any of the people running for barangay chair, barangay kagawads or even the Sangguniang Kabataan (youth council).
Our subdivision happens to lie on the fringes of Barangay Mayamot and as far as we know, none of the candidates had bothered to campaign in our area or even distribute flyers.
The hubby was at first determined to participate in the barangay elections, arguing that we should at least have a say in choosing the people who were going to run things in our small corner of the country. Last year, he had visited the barangay office to get a senior citizen
ID for himself and he came home with a very positive impression of the way barangay matters were handled. As the elections approached, I asked him for the barangay chairman’s name so we could re-elect him. Only then did I find out that the chairman had already won as a city councilor in last May’s election.
Maybe that’s the problem with politics: the most competent and efficient tend to rise through the ranks and their legacy of good performance doesn’t get carried on by their successors.
* * *
ANYWAY, my congratulations to all who won in Monday’s elections and may they keep the spirit of service that, I hope, energized their candidacies.
I was also quite shocked at reports that ballots and other election forms didn’t make it by the deadline and so elections had to be postponed in some areas, including the province of Albay.
True, there was some confusion early in the Aquino term when the President seemed inclined to postpone the voting, but one would think the Comelec, which conducts elections regularly, would have been familiar with the logistical challenges by now.
I would also like to add that it isn’t enough for citizens to simply elect the candidates they favor. Good governance also relies on the active involvement of citizens, who must remain vigilant and outspoken if they care about good, honest, transparent local governance.
No comments:
Post a Comment