JDV’s global rainbow coalition

Just because he no longer bangs the gavel in the House of Representatives, it doesn’t mean that former House Speaker Jose de Venecia has stopped doing what he does best: gathering people of different political colors and persuasions for a common cause.

He is still into forming rainbow coalitions. This time, on the global stage.

JDV and a group of statesmen from Asia, Latin America and South Africa formed the Centrist Asia Pacific Democrats International (CAPDI) which is designed, in his own words, “to primarily bridge the classical gap between orthodox political parties and civil society groups working for peace, reform and development in Asia’s emerging democracies.”

CAPDI, he said in a speech during the 2nd General Assembly in the port city of Makassar in South Sulawesi, Indonesia, “is perhaps the only organization in the Asia Pacific which brings together political parties and civil society under one roof in a common house.”

CAPDI traces its beginnings to the alliance with Christian Democrats International. In 1992, then presidential aspirant Fidel Ramos and De Venecia, then Pangasinan representative formed Lakas ng Tao political party. It formed a merger with National Union of Christian Democrats headed by former senator and Foreign Affairs Secretary Raul Manglapus. LAKAS-TAO-NUCD became Ramos’ vehicle to the presidency.

The party underwent several transformations as it tried to include other groups including the Union of Muslim Democrats of the Philippines and Gloria Arroyo’s Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino.

When JDV fell out of Gloria Arroyo’s grace , he left the group. It is now Lakas-CMD headed by Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez and Sen. Ramon “ Bong” Revilla. Former President Ramos is also out of the party that he helped found.

Both JDV and FVR are now active with CAPDI which gathers international leaders regularly trying to solve the problems of the world. For this year’s conference in Makassar, they focused on Peace and Reconciliation and Climate Change.

Only Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen was the sitting leader who made it to the assembly. Vice President Jejomar Binay was represented by former Sen. Francisco “Kit” Tatad.

Aside from Ramos, other former heads of government who attended the conference were former Prime Minister of Nepal Madhav Kumar Nepal, former President of Seychelles James Mancham, former vice president of Indonesia Jusuf Kalla.

JDV urged CAPDI members who come from different parts the world (Asia, Latin America, Africa) and from different sectors including business, academe, and think-tanks to consider the East Timor-Indonesian and Cambodian models of peace and reconciliation.
“In Cambodia, Prime Minister Hun Sen, our CPDI Chairman Emeritus, skillfully and courageously achieved the impossible: with the support from the late legendary King Norodum Sihanouk, Prime Minister Hun Sen integrated Cambodia’s four warring armies in the now united Cambodian Armed Forces , including the integration of the Khmer Rouge which was responsible for the genocide killings of more than two million Cambodians,” JDV said.

He continued: “Hun Sen also brought together opposing political parties in a Cambodian government of national unity, while Cambodia continues to prosecute those responsible for war crimes in partnership with the U.N. Tribunal.”

“Yes, peace and reconciliation with justice!,” he declared.

JDV brought up the issue of amnesty as a most effective tool in peace-making. “Amnesty – a wide ranging official pardon, which exterminates the offense, approved by the legislature, for the peoples who have been charged with or convicted of political offenses, except for genocide and other horrendous crimes in any peace process, and is most effective tool in peace making, with generally lasting results.”

There were some CAPDI delegate, those who are in decmocratically -developed countries who were not so sold on the idea of amnesty saying that it could just encourage more coup d’etats.

De Venecia said amnesty is an important tool for newly restored democracies in transition to “heal society’s wounds and lay the basis for political, economic and social reforms that will endure.”

JDV knows whereof he speaks because he played a major role in the granting by President Ramos of amnesty to military officers who staged several coups against the President Cory Aquino. One of those included in the amnesty was Sen. Gregorio Honasan.

President Benigno Aquino III also granted amnesty to military officers who rebelled against Gloria Arroyo, the most prominent among them is the newly re-elected senator Antonio Trillanes IV.

JDVB said CAPDI is recommending amnesty for peace and reconciliation in Thailand.