"The simple-minded view is that government cannot lead a democratic revolution-'for there is no revolution from above'. This view forgets that history is change, that countries evolve their special character and that government itself develops in theory and practice...

'The simple-minded view is that government cannot lead a democratic revolution-'for there is no revolution from above/ This view forgets that history is change,that countries evolve their special character and that government itself develops in theory and practice. . . .

"Even today people judge governments by their willingness and capacity to act as the instruments of social change. Government, especially in Asia and Africa, has stopped being a mere policeman, governing best because it governs least. The governed look to their governments for leadership not only in politics but in the economy and in social life.

"Only when a government has failed in these leadership roles is it rejected and disowned by the people.

"Of course, the great majority of the people do not begin revolution: they answer to the call of a revolutionary minority. But a revolutionary minority in a democratic society may have some purpose other than setting the masses free. The government that this minority hopes to set up may result in less, not more, freedom for the people. A democratic government, then, is obliged to make itself the faithful instrument of the people's revolutionary hopes.

"lt must lead a revolution from the center."

Publisher's Note:
Rarely does a statesman publicly describe his actions and motives in the very heat of crisis. In the middle of great events, President Ferdinand E. Marcos has written his own account of his country's recent history in Today's Revolution: Democracy (1972), Notes on the New Society of the Philippines (1973) and Five Years of the New Society (1978). This popular edition, meant for the student and general reader, contains material from these three books. It is a series of Raya books on Southeast Asian affairs.