BBM’s speech on Ninoy Aquino Day was as vacuous as it was eloquent. He exhorted Filipinos to protect the country’s democratic gains. But he failed to detail for us what those gains are. He didn’t because he couldn’t. There simply are no democratic gains to speak of. We have never been a democracy except in name.
Genuine democracy requires proportionate representation in government. Yet, until we have a worker party, no proportionate representation is possible. How can there be when only political parties of the elite take turns making self-serving political, economic and cultural decisions for the country? The party-list system is a delusion. It divides more than unites the marginalized sector into small inconsequential groups that are easily smothered by parties of the elite, not to mention that many minority parties are headed by members of the elite.
Genuine democracy is touted as a rule by the majority. How is this possible when our system puts into office those who get the plurality of votes among a number of candidates? We don’t have recall-elections that ensure a candidate’s win by a majority vote. Instead, we have been ruled by people who win by a plurality of votes that often do not represent the majority.
Democracy also transfers power through free and fair elections. But how free are our money-denominated elections? Only the rich can file their candidacy. If you are less financially endowed, no matter your qualification, you are disqualified from running for not having the wherewithal to conduct a national, provincial or local election campaign. Moreover, in our totally undemocratic system, voters have to be transported and fed in addition to being paid for their votes.
Democracy means freedom of speech and assembly. How can BBM exhort Filipinos to have the courage to defend Ninoy’s legacy of speaking up and pushing back against democracy-killing dictatorship when anybody or any group that dares criticize the government in a more than a moderate pitch is red-tagged, considered a subversive, harassed and even jailed or killed? Indeed, there are communists around, but not all anti-government groups are for its violent overthrow. They just want to participate in government.
Of all people, BBM should know that in this country there is a well-entrenched ruling elite, the political dynasties, of which he is a prominent member if not leader. They invest heavily in the preservation of an elitist political system that rotates political power around dynasties and within a dynasty around husband, wife, children and even grandchildren.
Status-quo politics has to go if we are to become a true democracy. But the ruling elite will never let go of the political power that is making them rich. We have now come full circle to the need for the marginalized sector, the worker-farmer-fisherfolk sector, to form their political party. They alone can rid us of our oxymoron of an elitist democracy.
Finally, genuine democracy should lead to a democratic economy. Yet, there is in fact a growing concentration of wealth in a few. Poverty incidence is down only in government reports. This could only mean democracy is not gaining but losing ground. What gains then is BBM talking about?