I almost titled this column “Singing nurses with quack medicines,” as I only see the ambitions of these candidates but not their integrity. In fact, they all seem to have the same faces but wear different masks to beguile the unwary voter.
Walang mapagpilian. I ended up with the same conclusion: Not a single one of them is fit to lead this country with integrity.
Integrity is the key word here because it ties up all other social values that would make a politician stand up and resist the pressures brought by political expediency, narrow religious and business interests, pervasive corruption and many other challenges. These wannabes flip and flop like a fish that landed on dry land. Their absurdity no longer surprises me.
One candidate promises the return to power of a dictator’s family that remains a resilient political dynasty. Another is caught up in the issues of loyalty and citizenship—but who are the real backers? Another seemingly eloquent and shrewd political neophyte continues to chase her dreams of becoming the third female president. In her desperation, she even connived with the old powers which carry the same smell of moolah.
I call these politicians “Singapore gold,” their election promises wrapped in deceptive luster but concealing weak agendas. The worst part is that they represent a continuation of the same old politics that had made victims of us for many decades. The truth is, we have been deceived, systematically and without finesse, by the same political elite that constantly adjust the tune of their political messages. To paraphrase a line from Alice in Wonderland: “The more they change their tunes, the more the same old song remains.”
It’s been 30 years since Edsa and yet we are fed the same half-truths as if we have never moved away from the chronic social ills that have plagued us in the dark years of dictatorship. We still chase the same hopes for justice, social order and political maturity. All other signs of progressive thinking are still beyond our reach. If we do have some scant victories, we are again pulled back to the same pit of partisanship, prejudice and conservative thinking.
All four major candidates junked the thought of legalizing divorce and two even pushed for the return of capital punishment. Don’t they realize that a hellish marriage is also a form of capital punishment? And what kind of statistics do they have to justify that killing a thief or an insurgent can actually reduce the incidence of thievery and rebellion? Why is it that for every forward step we make such as rationale family planning or simple healthcare measures, we are drawn back to the same old habits endorsed by a religious majority?
The cynics among us may retort that to tie our high hopes with the ballot is wishful thinking. Their claims convey ironic truth since democracy, like any other big word, is a high-flying balloon that demands hard work. Democracy is more difficult than any other political instruments and processes since it allows contrary views, the rationale standing next to the absurd. Democracy’s generous space makes room for both the benign and malignant in the same body politic that is sick and without the normal defenses of good health.
We have once been called the Sick Man of Asia. Here’s more sad news: We are still in the same sick ward, coughing our way with terminal disease and all we have are singing nurses who can only offer quack remedies.
So when you hold that ballot on Election Day, look beyond the promises and TV glamour these candidates project and thrash the myths they dangle to our waiting mouths.
A ballot is not only a vote. It can be your instrument to effect change, but be forewarned that real arduous work begins only after the elections, and in a democracy that means working for a long time. A very long time.
Joel Vega is a Palanca Award-winning poet. He now lives in the Netherlands.