Buencamino does foreign and political affairs analysis for Action for Economic Reforms. This piece was published in the newspaper Today, 14 August 2004 edition, page 9.
Once upon a time, Cowboy George bragged about the 80 COWs (Coalition ofthe Willing) in his ranch. He and his Halliburton pals were whooping itup so much they didn’t notice that a lot of COWs were jumping over thefence and going home. Last week, he counted his COWs and discovered hehad only 32 left. Bush realized his Iraqi barbecue would end if all theCOWs went home so he decided to try a new way to herd them back intohis corral.
Everybody knows that pigs don’t fly so what would attract more curiosity than pigs sitting on a fence?
Iraqi sovereignty is one such pig on a fence. A recent cartoondescribes it best. The cartoon shows two men talking on the phone. Oneman says “What the heck? They transferred sovereignty two days early?Now I have to cancel my Iraqi Sovereignty party!”
The man on the other end of the line asks,” What happens at an IraqiSovereignty party?” The first man replies, “You tell your gueststhey’re in charge, but they can’t drink without your permission.”
Nevertheless, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) gave wings tothe pig. According to our Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), “The UNSecurity Council passed resolution 1546 last month that restored Iraqisovereignty, pledged international assistance to the Iraqireconstruction, and delineated the role of the US-led multinationalforce in keeping the peace in the embattled country.”
UN Security Council Resolution 1546 was proposed by the US, Britain andRomania. In other words, the rancher, his ranch hand and a cow. It’snot a bad resolution per se except for one thing, it forgets to mentionthat there was a non-UN sanctioned, hence illegal, invasion andoccupation of Iraq that preceded it. So except for that tiny littleomission which absolves the criminals of any liability; recognizestheir newly appointed “sovereigns”; and legalizes all the businessdeals entered into during the occupation and forever after, theresolution is good.
One former COW was so intrigued by the pig sitting on a fence that she asked Cowboy George to allow her to go back in.
Her Foreign Secretary said, “Our future actions will now relate to howwe will be covered by UNSC resolution 1546 under which we canparticipate to show that we are a responsible member of the U.N. andpart of the U.N. Security Council.”
Her military spokesman, Lt. Col. Daniel Lucero, added, “One of the aimsof the Armed Forces is to support our government in our commitment tothe United Nations-sponsored activities. With this commitment, theArmed Forces of the Philippines has a unit prepared, trained andequipped specifically to support any UN-sponsored mission.” And whilehis unit is waiting to be called, maybe Lucero can keep them in shapeby sending them after the NPA or the bandits in Mindanao.
In addition to Lucero’s battalion, DFA Secretary Delia Albert saidthere would be 6000 potential Angelo dela Cruz’s going to Iraq by nextweek.
Why call them “potential Angelo de la Cruzes?” Because the Iraqis areMuslims and they do not like pigs, winged or otherwise. Besides,they’ve been around long enough to know that pigs don’t fly.