Elitism disguised as populist politics

BACKBENCHER
Rod Kapunan
5/21-22/2011



Admittedly, it is easy for one to conceive of a constructive idea that would help put a sense of direction to our society than have it implemented. In fact, even if the idea stands as a mere suggestion, still that will encounter difficulty of being implemented if coursed through our politicians. That simple suggestion becomes one of arduous assignment because the person who conceived of that bright idea thinks quite differently from the politicians in whom we repose our trust to implement them.

Such is the sad realism that is happening in our society. Instances of bright ideas coming from ordinary people are innumerable, and yet many of them are not taken into consideration all because any suggestion that it will be good for the people, and society as a whole, may not be that good for our politicians. Maybe that can be attributed to the fact that we have relied much on that elitist (disguised as a populist) democracy. But even this view is bound to meet its dead end for what is good for the people may not necessarily be good for our politicians. Following that line, one could sense that our politicians are honed by their self-centered instinct of on how to survive in an election under our system of unlettered process of elitist democracy.

At a glance, the wishy-washy reluctance of our politicians to legislate well-meaning laws underscores their refusal to depart from the pseudo-populist line much that only by supporting populists policies will help determine their chances of being elected. But that the people do not know is that many of the proposed bills patronized by politicians came mostly from elitist interest and pressure groups often disguised populist policies. In fact, a much deeper analysis of the given political environment would reveal that our people are ignorant of what a populist democracy is.

Besides, modern propaganda communication have already perfected the art of mass deception to deprive our people of their ability keenly distinguish a real populist policy from an elitist pressure-laden policy, more so if packaged into our consciousness as a populist policy. The irony is we assume that an interest or pressure group policy as a people-oriented policy; that a populist policy is always right relying on that false notion that what is good for our people will be good to our society.

If one would have to ramify that theory, one would soon discover that it is one of the greatest political fallacies of our time. The truth is what is good for the people may not necessarily be good for the government, just as what is good for the government will not necessarily be good for the people. It is on this basic political postulate that exposes the hard truth about our understanding of democracy for frankly speaking the politicians we elected no longer epitomize our democratic idealism. As one would lament, what good is our democratic process if the politicians we elected were created and sponsored by interest or pressure groups made up of the elite that are more successful in exploiting populist sentiments than in actually supporting populist policies.

Rather, the correct theory is that what is good for the people is always and is necessarily good for the government. The trouble however about that theory is that the people themselves have failed to come out with what is essentially good for them. This explains why coming out with misguided form of populist policies has become the forte of politicians for the simple reason that it is most appealing to the people. Hence, through the years of catering to what we believe as constituting the majority, we have produced demagogues much that demagoguery is more appealing compared to a dour but straightforward politician.

This explains why all politicians want to play the role of chief executives because it is in that capacity where they are able to enforce their policies that reflect more of their abeyance to the elite that made possible their election. For instance, senators, congressmen, provincial board members, and city and municipal councilors all scramble to play the role of chief executives within their own limited dominion than in legislating laws and ordinances that would give to them the indelible trademark of becoming a statesman.

Moreover, politicians shun the idea of participating in debate or making a stand on such specific issues precisely because they know that what is being debated will not be on the basis that our people have politically matured, but an ominous hint that one pressure or interest group has gained the upper hand in the propaganda war. Classic to this is the stand of many of our elected public officials on the reproductive health bill. Their position is not based on their understanding of it, but on weighing which side is more popular.

This also explains why many legislative proposals on taxation, education, health, business franchise, public works, rights of certain minorities or groups, etc, are products of rigorous lobby. Despite that none of us would question because we believe they have with them that badge of having been elected by the majority, not knowing they were blinded by the volley of propaganda made by their financial brokers. So, as we move on in our crusade to fulfill our role as an independent state by legislating laws co-terminus to our exercise of sovereignty, we found ourselves mired deeper in political contradictions.

To date, many of our politicians have been reduced to political retardates incapable of seeing the rationale why they have to come out with this or that law. They failed to see the wisdom that good laws can never been inconsistent to good government which combines the policy of serving the people and a policy of disciplining them. Thus, unless and until we could do that, we will never be able to achieve a respectable level of political maturity. Forever we will be stacked to that self-centered elitist politics disguised as populist democracy which is susceptible to foreign exploitation, and our people degenerating to one devoid of any political morality and values.

(rodkap@yahoo.com.ph)