Bagong Pinay/ Pinay Ngayon (Filipina Today) January 2003/The Importance of Raising Our Political Voice by Joann Natalia Aquino

"Democracy cannot be forced upon a society, neither is it a gift that can be held forever. It has to be struggled hard for and defended everyday anew," quoted by the late Heinz Galinski referring to the people's struggle in achieving a democratic government in his country. A statement that can also be applied today.

As the 108th United States Congress and the 58th Washington State Legislature convene to legislative session this January, key issues are at stake affecting the Asian Pacific Americans and immigrants and refugees in this nation.

Pressing issues in the Congress include: the National Security and "The War on Terror," and with that, the anti-terrorism legislative bills affecting immigration and our civil liberties; the nation's budget issues; education issues, specifically in higher education; Medicare assistance for senior citizens; environmental issues for clean-air regulations; unemployment issues for the over 780,000 jobless workers across the nation; social policy legislations; transportation issues; amongst many other key topics facing our lawmakers this year. On the State Legislature level, similar matters are also a concern, such as the anti-terrorism legislation bills detrimental to our civil liberties; health care and other human services for low-income, senior citizens, immigrants, and refugees; bilingual education and other education issues affecting immigrants and refugees; victims' services for trafficking of persons and domestic violence victims; capital funding for community organizations; the economy; and most of all, the 2 billion dollar deficit the State of Washington is facing.

Each of us has a role in this process. Each one of us is accountable. We must make our voices be heard. If your voice is already loud and clear, then you must roar even louder. Now more than ever, there is a huge amount at risk. We must be vigilant and proactive. Moreover, as individuals and as a collective, we must be aware of any issues that may affect our social justice and our civil liberties. We need to continue and build upon our participation in the political process. This means continuing to speak up for our rights and other people's rights, reaching out to others and to our elected representatives. This also means we need to have more dialogues, community forums, teach-ins, and vigils to educate ourselves and other people in the community about issues. It also means continually educating our own selves about these concerns by participating in community meetings, reading the newspaper, watching the news, listening to the radio, watching debates, attending public hearings and community forums, making phone calls and writing letters to our senators and representatives, by voting, along with many other measures we can do to be conscious citizens.

I have had a blessed privileged to be working for the Governor's Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs for the last two years and ongoing, as the Commission's Legislative Liaison, with the 2003 Legislative Session as my second session. Each day in this job has been a learning experience for me, many of which I would not be able to learn reading a textbook or in a classroom setting. As the Legislative Liaison, my role at the Governor's Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs is to track and analyze legislative bills and public policy reports affecting Asian Pacific Americans (APA); testify to the Legislature on behalf of the APA community; write issue and policy reports, provide casework duties; provide community outreach and participate in community forums; and educate and inform the APA community about changes in laws, public policies, and programs. In addition, I also have the honor to help articulate, develop, and advance public policies, and to advise the about issues concerning Asian Pacific American's in Washington State. This entire work experience in public policy has changed my life and how I view politics, as well as acknowledging the importance of our participation in the government and in the political process. It is truly important for us to let our voice be heard and our united spirit as a community be visible in this arena.

I encourage each of you to do your part in having your opinions and your thoughts be heard, especially by those who make the decisions in the government.

Whatever the actions we carry out, it weighs profoundly significant voicing our beliefs than staying silent.

Let your voice be heard. Raise your political voice. The full impact of our contributions, though some of us may not be aware, extremely matters.

To learn more about the Washington State Legislature, please visit www.leg.wa.gov .

For televised public hearings, please check live/ tape-delayed TVW availability by calling TVW at (360) 586-5555, or visit the TVW web site at: www.tvw.org.
If you are concerned about any bills or issues, please contact your legislators by:
1) Call your legislators toll-free at 1-800-562-6000.
2) Write to your legislators c/o: Washington State Legislature, Olympia, WA 98504.
3) E-mail your legislators. To find your legislators' contact e-mail, go to
www.leg.wa.gov, then click "House of Representatives" or "Senators."

For other State Legislatures, please contact your state government for information.

To learn more about the U.S. Congress and the legislative process, please visit:
U.S. Senators: http://www.senate.gov .
U.S. House of Representatives: http://www.house.gov .

(Republished with permission from the author and editor-in-chief of Filipino American Herald. Article originally published at Filipino American Herald on January 2003.)

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