Thursday, May 24, 2007 Arinday: Political sacraments By G.H. Arinday, Jr. Sunfare
“Our present is bounded by phantoms. This is no reason to add to them. It is not restoring the Republic…that we need to think. We must think of recreating it free of its rituals and obsessions, in the light.” --Signs, by Maurice Merleau-Ponty
1. The rituals. -- It is often cacophony of the perceived past errors of the powers-that-be that is often played to make the agglutinative criticisms stick in the uncritical minds, the subtle purpose of such evil is to enhance the culture of hatred or revenge among the followers.
Fundamentally speaking, critical analysis must not be subjective but a presentation of an overview of the many problems the State must attend with the view of improving the lot of the under privileged class—which is the bottom line of a political dogma absent of bigotry.
But this command of the sovereign will must be anchored on a nonpartisan considerations if the objective is to propel the growth not only of the infrastructures but commonweal of the masses through proper indoctrination or education untarnished by prejudices.
Given the socio-economic structure of our society, there are various events in our perceptual existence, each one competing for prioritizing, the solution of which is often short-lived and we return to its beginning in a Sisyphus manner. This is the usual ritual we prefer because we need an immediate effect.
This is the crisis of reason we easily adhere to without either hindsight or foresight. The blight in our political system is the absence of any quasi-philosophical qualities as our way of politics is subservient to the crooked wisdom of our leaders, if not the glitter of gold, or the power growing out of the barrel of the gun.
If only the courage and intellect which trashed away the traditional politics to the dust bin of history when the majority of Pampanga voters rallied to the crusade of Fr. Ed Panlilio, then probably we can have a very bright future for our country.
If the thinking of those who boldly joined the priest-turned politician to exorcise the evils in their midst could be converted into a healthful virus, then by all means let us help propagate such freshness of leadership starting with the villages and sub-villages throughout the country. By then, if it is successful those highly-educated from the lower middle class may become leaders in their own right.
It is too idealistic but it can be done if we have the fortitude and will power firm as the rock. It is a tall order, indeed.
2. The Obsession. -- The dynamics of one’s obsession could be played in many ways. The worst of this nightmare is the lust for power at all costs. This is the present factual milieu which is the dominant paradigm. It is not all concerned of how the charade shall be played.
The kinship structures reinforced by the semi-feudal characteristics prevailing in the countryside are major obstacles to the liberation of the underprivileged from the command of their employers or landowners.
In some respects, the old cacique system has virtually disappeared with most of the younger generations having attained certain degree of education by working outside of the landholding which accounts for slight changes in the political settings in the rural areas, but this is not enough.
The wind of change would eventually wash away the rubbish if political maturity shall have been attained. But when?
3. The Phantoms. -- These are the power-brokers, whose intents are limited to their intended dominance of economic power and influence. Within the party, the candidates are provided by the wherewithal by this unseen power whose agenda is not limited to the personal aggrandizements but extends beyond the socio-economic shades including monopoly of infrastructure projects.
Given the violent-prone of our politics, the candidates are shielded by “armed executive assistance”, whose missions are varied upon the contingencies of the political situation. Every candidate has his or her own “sleeper cells” in the opposite camps to gather vital information and the hidden agenda designed to cripple the major objectives, let alone the plot to make a countermove to achieve the death wish.
The three circumstantial milieus are the vital condiments of a political menu including bloody confrontations.
