Walkout to Defeat?

Today’s walkout by the opposition at the House Justice Committee hearing is a strange one and may betray the weakness of their position.  A walkout is essentially a surrender — a decision to discontinue playing the game perhaps hinting thatanother game is worth playing.

Walkouts have been a powerful symbol and in their own way, instrumental in each EDSA.  In EDSA 1, there were many walkouts. The Enrile-Ramos walkout was one of the last.  But we should not forget the COMELEC computer operators who marched out of PICC without any idea if they would live to see the morning.  Or the dramatic walkout by the air force symbolized by the Sikorsky helicopters landing in Camp Crame’s marching field. 

EDSA Dos started with Chavit Singson’s walkout; pushed forward by the impeachment panel’s walkout and capped by the military’s walkout symbolized by then Gen. Angelo Reyes’ appearance at the EDSA Shrine.

Somehow, today’s walkout isn’t up to par with those momentous walkouts.

In both EDSAs, the walkouts came at the tail-end of a slow process of awakening the middle class to take action.  In EDSA 1, 20 years of Marcos rule, the Ninoy Aquino assassination, and the deteriorating economic condition provided more than enough fuel for Enrile and Ramos.  In EDSA 2, the awakening was much faster.  In sum, the frustration surrounding the impending acquittal of Erap was enough but it took months of impeachment drama before it came together in the Marian shrine along Ortigas. 

Today’s walkout won’t awaken anyone.  If the impeachment is a bad dream, then everyone’s raring to go back to sleep.  The level of moral outrage necessary to drive people to action just isn’t there.  The slow Congressional hearings have all but lulled the people back to a state of normalcy.   Safe in their shells, it would take a lot to get them out now. 

The Garci Tapes and Malacanang’s mishanding of the affair brought GMA to the brink.  The Palace’s deft strategic moves in Congress have provided enough time for people to calm down and for politics to take over.  People now expect the impeachment to die in Congress. 

Of course one could argue that the walkout was designed to get more signatures to the impeachment complaint but indications are that this won’t happen either.  So, it looks like the death rattle for the impeachment has begun — and this walkout won’t bring people to their action but signal the opposition’s defeat. 

My, how times have changed.