Accountability: 'What' and 'Who' Walden Bello and Akbayan Represent

Comment on the essay by Joy Aceron and Francis Isaac in Rappler: 

"That thing called resignation"

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Interesting essay from Joy and Kiko.... In addition, I think it is also important to understand that thing called "accountability". 

Walden Bello wears so many hats — a well-known public scholar and social activist, and recently a thinking and working congressman. Thus we may ask: Walden is accountable to whom? The answer to this may be context-specific.

But aside from being a party member of Akbayan, Walden is accountable to the many activist individuals and groups, and their constituencies, in the Philippines and internationally who supported Walden's candidacy, nomination, and cause for the principles that he fights for. The bottom-line is that Walden is ultimately accountable to 'what' and 'who' Akbayan represents. That is to say, the principles of democracy, social justice, self-sufficiency and sovereignty; and the poor, marginalized, victimized, subordinated, discriminated peoples, genders, and classes.

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It is unfortunate that Walden's principled stance and Akbayan's dynamism practising internal party democracy may not be appreciated well considering the country's dominant political culture and mentality. Such move does not also seem to be effective in the context of a personality-based political system in the current presidential form of government. The strategy of mainstreaming left political parties (i.e., left parties forging coalitions with mainstream political parties) may be much more effective in a parliamentary set-up which gives every party in the coalition substantial clout in decision-making and maneuver.

I am one of the many who supported Walden when he ran in 2007. Looking back to the testimonial that I wrote for the campaign, I'm very pleased and satisfied that the promise I made has been greatly fulfilled by Walden — though it has been quite short for the much needed and anticipated protracted struggle:

"Warning: re-electing AKBAYAN with Walden Bello as representative will forever change your conception of public service, tremendously elevate the level of political-economic discourse in public debate, and significantly accelerate the pace of social change."