EDITORIAL - Reason must prevail

Both President Arroyo and her predecessor Joseph Estrada showed statesmanship in their meeting the other day at the bungalow where the former chief executive is being held without bail in Laguna. Estrada appeared to be all civility and charm before the head of the administration that has sent him to jail for plunder. He addressed her as the "beloved" President, but of course he was not yet conceding his legal fight to reclaim the presidency. Mrs. Arroyo, for her part, appeared solicitous to her predecessor, risking the ire of some of her supporters who are pushing for a virtual public lynching of Estrada.

The behavior of the President and Estrada was in stark contrast to that of some of their allies, whose perorations are reaching hysterical levels. There must be many people out there who are wondering why our national leaders are behaving as if they are involved in a gunfight at the OK Corral. It’s obviously part of the election fever, but in these times when partisan passions are running high, the nation will appreciate politicians who will do their best to pacify the demagogues in their midst and let reason prevail.

Here we are in the age of cyberspace, rocket ships and genetic engineering, still worrying about power grabs and anarchy. One candidate is brandishing a gun on TV during an election period and threatening to shoot anyone who tries to arrest her. Another candidate notorious for failed coup attempts is echoing the Abu Sayyaf and warning that he’d rather die than surrender.

Why is the nation still plagued with adventurists who want violent short cuts to power? Even if a power grab succeeds, how long can the regime that will be installed survive without backing from the sectors that have reaffirmed their support for the Arroyo administration in the wake of the assault on Malacañang? These include the business community, the military and police, the Church, much of the Left, fo-reign governments including the United States, and several civic groups.

Not all members of the opposition are adventurists and extremists. Surely a good number of them are peace-loving moderates who want the judicial system to work. And surely the admi-nistration recognizes the role played by a strong opposition in a robust democracy. Our national leaders must not allow the nation to be destroyed by partisan interests. President Arroyo and her predecessor Joseph Estrada have shown the way. National leaders don’t have to like each other. It has been said often enough that people can disagree without being disagreeable. As the go-vernment acts to prevent further violence, all sectors must move quickly to restore sanity and calm in our troubled nation.