NOW that the mid-term election is just 15 months away, talks are again rife on many unhappy facts about the prevailing political system. One of these is that almost all politicians in power belong to some political dynasty or other.
Being criticized for days now is a tentative list of “senatoriables” being reportedly assembled by the old Erap Estrada-Jojo Binay tandem.
Critics are making an issue of the fact that the lineup includes some names associated with the past discredited, graft-ridden Macapagal-Arroyo regime. Of course, it is easy to conclude that these critics are those who do not exactly love Estrada and Binay, especially Binay who’s believed to be the man to beat in the 2016 presidential derby.
The more “neutral” critics zero in on the fact that the list contains names of recycled politicians belonging to political dynasties which have ruled this country from the time we gained freedom from our foreign colonizers.
Our early leaders certainly had something to do with this. Look at the family names of past (and incumbent) presidents of this country, and know what we mean. Of all the presidents –Emilio Aguinaldo, Manuel L. Quezon, Jose Laurel Sr., Sergio Osmena Sr., Manuel Roxas, Elpidio Quirino, Carlos P. Garcia, Ramon Magsaysay Sr., Diosdado Macapagal, Ferdinand Marcos, Corazon Aquino, Fidel V. Ramos, Joseph Estrada Ejercito, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Benigno Aquino III, only one or two do not have close relatives dominating the political scene.
Arguably, it is not entirely the fault of these presidents if their relatives were elected even long after they had died. It would likewise be unfair if their highly qualified siblings and offsprings will be barred from vying for political positions.
Truth is, electing or rejecting candidates is a responsibility of the voters first and foremost. That they are easily inveigled into voting for candidates who can present the best enticements is perhaps a flaw of our democracy. Yet it is no reason to switch to another form of government. Communism and dictatorship are worse when it comes to the system of selecting leaders.
We submit that the fault lies more in our not being politically mature as a people. We have, likewise, missed a lot of opportunities to embrace reforms, as the reformists could be the most unpopular politicians in this country.
Until the time we have achieved an ideal level of maturity through massive voter education, we may just have to swallow this bitter pill called political dynasty and be content with the same political names over and over again.
