Why blame the voters?

To be assaulted by never-ending stories of corruption in the country is mentally exhausting.  More so, to be overdosed by a daily barrage of their hints and allegations and spins and counter-spins.  

Everyone now has alibis and excuses to avoid facing the bar of justice.  What I find especially shameful is the audacity of corrupt politicians elevating themselves onto soapboxes to obscure and obfuscate the truth of their involvement in the scam. 

 

Many times I told myself upon hearing another piece of bad news that it is just another incident that will soon be forgotten.  Or so, I thought.  But I cannot forget.  I get mad, I curse the perpetrators, I demand for justice but past experiences tell me that more than likely nothing will come of it.  So I get personal. 

 

However, the odd thing is, I have to make sense of what is going on---perhaps for the sake of maintaining my sanity.  And voila!  As always, I have my answer and it’s a convenient one.  I blame the great unwashed of voters.  Period.  After all, they deserve the kind of government they voted for.

 

But on second thought, I asked myself, there’s something not right about this thinking.  Since, no leader is immune to the corrupting influence of power and money, why blame the voters?  

 

Really?

 

Yes, they can vote but they are not the ones crafting malice with the aim of sucking away the people’s money to instantly enrich themselves and their families.  

 

Yes, they can vote but they are not the ones sabotaging or pilfering the economy and leaving the nation’s coffer bone-dry.  

 

Yes, they can vote but they are not the ones entrusted with power to manage the affairs of the government.

 

The reality is, given the existing social disparity in power and influence, it is not difficult to understand as to why the electoral decisions of the hoi polloi rather than the hoi oligoi of our society are not respected at all.  In fact, we unfairly blame the former for the rampant corruption in our country for which in many ways we are all equally responsible.  Notwithstanding, that the dire circumstances of the masses prevent them from having to defend themselves legally or politically.  How can they defend themselves when they are preoccupied eking out an existence and barely making it?  In contrast, the privilege positions that the few possess speak volumes as to why they are unlikely to be blamed for the ills of our society. 

 

Having said that, I came to the realization that our best shot for a less corrupt society is to insist and demand from our leaders to control or moderate their self interests. If they can’t control or moderate themselves or if they simply refuse to do so, we can always restrain them with the shackles of the law.  That's my hope.   

 

This is also to say that the framework of our current institution of government is generally a good one.  The theoretical and practical foundations of our democratic government are well thought out and well founded based on the principles of separation of powers and checks and balances.   And so, if it does not work as it should be, it is not because of institutional failure but because some of our leaders fail to make it work.

 

And so, the question is how do we make our democratic institution work?  Are there conditions that we can change that will help the great unwashed cast their votes intelligently?  I believe there are “game changers” within PNoy’s tenure that if resolved would dramatically impact us all.

  

I know it will not be easy.  But our President will not go wrong in heeding the advise of the late President Ramon Magsaysay that “those who have less in life should have more in law.”  PNoy must help the majority of our voters restore their faith and trust in the electoral process and our institution of justice.  

 

Lately, the President has been very busy doing so many things besides “putting out fires” here and there from scattered hot spots created by his detractors and enemies.  I know he wants to solve problems but he also wants to keep all his ducks in a row, so to speak.  That’s politically unrealistic.  Besides, he does not have enough time to do so many tasks and to do them well. Unless he has a clear, specific, and selected idea of what he wants to accomplish before he leaves office, he won’t achieve what he wants. 

 

For me, there are two dominant domestic game changer cases that if resolved by the President within his tenure would dramatically change the attitude and behavior of our voters as well as our political landscape forever.  These are: the fair, quick, and successful prosecution and punishment of those who are involved in the Maguindanao Massacre and the P10-Billion Pork Barrel Scam.

 

Our President cannot be distracted by deflections and side issues.  He cannot be polarized by so many political irritants and paralyzed not to make a decision.  He must believe that his plan to prosecute and punish those who are responsible for the massacre or scam to the full extent of the law will work.  He must be willing to become unpopular and to make up his mind once and for all, come hell or high water.


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