Edsa@38 – History lessons not learned by those in power
The 38th anniversary of the EDSA People Power uprising that ousted the US-backed Marcos dictatorship is a watershed moment in history, yet its lessons are lost on those in power today.
February 25 is not a holiday. Manila is imposing a “no permit, no rally” policy. The Marcoses are back in power and are bent on changing the Constitution for self-serving aims. Those in power today are clearly oblivious to what EDSA stands for.
The PNP will reportedly deploy 8,500 police for the anniversary of the EDSA uprising on February 25. EDSA should be a celebration of “people power”, not a fascist display of “police power”. EDSA is all about the people’s sovereign will. Instead, government is more interested in suppressing the people’s will and their aspirations for genuine freedom and democracy.
The nation’s problems today are being blamed on EDSA and the post-EDSA Constitution, instead of the rotten economic and political system that was not dismantled after the uprising that toppled the dictatorship.
The Marcos regime should be warned that it cannot erase EDSA and the people’s struggle for change. The worsening crisis faced by the people motivates them to fight for a better future and a just and humane system.
EDSA meanwhile should also remind the people that it is not enough to oust a dictator if we want to have real, fundamental changes in society. The very fact that the Marcoses were able to return to power tells us that the rotten, elite and foreign dominated system remained even after the downfall of the dictator.
The message on February 25 is simple: the struggle for freedom and democracy continues, collective action is needed more than ever. Those seeking to perpetuate themselves in power through Charter change will be sorely disappointed because the people will not allow it. Marcos should abandon all efforts at changing the Constitution and instead focus on the people’s demands for land, livelihood, human rights and national sovereignty. ###
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