Philippines Transition Raises Hopes

S I N G A P O R E, Jan. 21, 2001 -- The largely peaceful transition in the Philippines raised hopes of a fresh start inthe country today and won praise elsewhere in Asia which isgrappling with a host of simmering socio-economic crises.

But newspapers in Taiwan, which had its own brush with aconstitutional crisis when opposition parties banded togetherto threaten the president with dismissal, warned againsttoppling leaders without holding elections.

On the diplomatic front, China, the United States, Malaysiaand New Zealand said they looked forward to working with GloriaMacapagal-Arroyo, who replaced disgraced President JosephEstrada on Saturday.

Macapagal-Arroyo, formerly vice-president, took over after theSupreme Court fired Estrada saying he was no longer fit togovern, ending the country's worst political crisis since a1986 "people power" revolution toppled dictator FerdinandMarcos.

"People power appears to win victory after victory, butbeing forced to take to the streets time after time is a tragicfate," Taiwan's United Daily News said.

Sentiment Across Asia Mostly Favorable

"The opposition which mobilized the people must be awarethat they are setting the worst precedent for the Philippines,"Taiwan's mass-circulation China Times cautioned.

But elsewhere, the response was more favorable.

Thailand's Nation daily newspaper hailed what it called"another remarkable development of democracy" in SoutheastAsia, praising the decisiveness of the guardians of the systemin upholding the national interest.

Newspapers in Indonesia, whose own President AbdurrahmanWahid is being probed by parliament over financial scandals,gave blanket coverage to Estrada's downfall.

Peaceful Nature of Turnover Praised

In Japan, newspapers praised the peaceful nature of thetransition. The Mainichi Shimbun hailed "an example ofdemocracy on display in a bloodless political change."

The crisis came to a head after the country's military andsecurity chiefs rallied to the opposition on Friday andTaiwan's newspapers were not alone in raising a note ofconcern.

South Korea's Chosun Ilbo praised the expression of "peoplepower" but highlighted what it called "lingering concern" thatthe military had once again played a decisive role.

"The military should avoid even the suspicion that it wantsto meddle in the political process," it said.

China greeted Macapagal-Arroyo as a friend. "China will make jointefforts as always with the government and people of thePhilippines in enhancing mutual trust and reciprocalcooperation in all sectors," Foreign Ministry spokesman ZhuBangzao said.

The U.S. Embassy in Manila welcomed Macapagal-Arroyo's appointment.

"We have had an exceptionally strong working relationshipwith new President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in the past, and arelooking forward to working with her to strengthenU.S.-Philippine relations even further," it said in astatement.

Australia's Prime Minister John Howard described theappointment of Macapagal-Arroyo as the only way out of the crisis.

Malaysia's Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, whose relationswith Estrada were strained over his support for his jailedrival Anwar Ibrahim, welcomed the appointment of Macapagal-Arroyo.

But opposition leader Lim Kit Siang predicted that thechange would leave Asia's longest-serving elected leaderfeeling increasingly isolated and threatened by pressures forreforms.

"He has become the last survivor in this region who refusedto step down or yield to popular demands for far-reachingpolitical, economic and social changes," Lim said.