Dean Mel Sta Maria beat me to this, commenting on the fooloshness of the impeachment threat against Chief Justice Sereno, so I borrow his words instead. The weakness of a case is measured by its preposterousness. And this attempt at impeaching Chief Justice Sereno is the most preposterous of all. It emanates from wild imaginations. The case, if filed, would simply be a nuisance. What is so disappointing in these impeachment threats against the Chief Justice and the impeachment cases filed against the President is that they cheapen what is supposed to be a very significant political process of eviction. Worse, this cheapening is initiated and abetted by some members of the House of Representatives depending on which party or ideological leaning the initiating, endorsing or threatening representatives belong. There is a reason for the Constitutions providing for a limited list of selected officials as indictable; for highly serious crimes as grounds; for an extremely rule-laden process; and for a particular number of votes to carry an impeachment through. And that reason is, I believe, to remind everyone that the process cannot be trivialized by using it as a means of harassment on certain officials, like the Chief Justice, dangling it like a “sword of Damocles” to exert undue pressure. More fundamentally, it cannot be availed only for the purpose of making political or ideological statements regardless of their merit designed to simply discredit an official. The House of Representatives should be a venue for more deliberative, intelligent and fundamental sovereign activities. It cannot be a place for political blackmail. Indeed, the way our representatives use their House reflects the kind of officials they are.
Posted on: Fri, 08 Aug 2014 23:54:58 +0000
Trending Topics
© 2015