Be careful with federalism

I understand the concerns of the majority against federalism.

Too much autonomy can lead to secession; we saw it in the American Civil War of 1861-1865.

A recent example of this is the collapse of the Soviet Union. The three Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania split off, as did Ukraine, which led to the modern confusion in today’s eastern Ukraine and is a powder keg for peace in Europe.

Personally, I prefer a strong central state to a federalist system. Too many cooks spoil the broth, says a proverb.

I had the opportunity to see the Soviet Union as a central state in 1985 and again after its collapse in 1996. It was different like day and night.

We do not know who and what comes after President Duterte.

What if a complete secession from the motherland is on the agenda in Mindanao?

The temptation of a separate state could lead to tremendous internal conflict.

The last thing this country needs is a civil war.

The individual regions may decide on certain things alone and independently, hence the danger of chaos and anarchy. /atm

JÜRGEN SCHÖFER, PhD, [email protected]