PERHAPS one reason why the system of democracy has ended up to be just an icing on a cake is the fact that very few know the essence of such ideology and have good grasp of its defining elements as opposed to other systems such as communism and fascism. In turn, we fail as a nation to appreciate and claim for ourselves the very freedom such system offers us.
Take for instance during elections, for a small sum of money majority of Filipinos sell their votes in a heartbeat. Or just because the one seated in public office happens to be a blood relative we keep a blind eye and say nothing about blatant corruptions being committed right before our very eyes.
Are we really democratic? What is democracy anyway? My college professor ones said that the birth of democracy was undoubtedly one of the greatest milestones in human history, second to the discovery of fire. He said that it was the point when humanity defined himself as a co-creator of things on earth. It was the time when people finally learned to recognize and promote the dignity of every citizen. Democracy, to simply put, is a government ruled by the people. And in the case of the Philippines, our voice to rule is ultimately exercised during elections where the poorest of the poor is equally powerful with the richest of the rich. But are we really equals during elections?
In a society where a significant number of the population is not yet politically mature, the very instrument that empowers people can easily be manipulated to imprison them until the next election. And sadly, it has become an accepted trend. Some would say maybe democracy is just not built for Filipinos. It only works for the intelligent population where the power to vote is exercised with utmost discernment, and vigilance to the conduct of government is as automatic as breathing.
In as much as such pronouncements are valid, communism is still not a viable option, at least for me. I still think that it would be futile to just dismiss our existing system outright. We may not have used our freedom well in the past but freedom remains priceless. All it needs is re-engineering. This is where great minds can come in. I still think that there is a way where we could merge our culture to our level of political maturity, as well as the principles behind “people rule.” We have already been empowered; it would be stupid to give that up.
As to how it’s going to be, that is where we should start exploring. It does not have to be left or right only. It does not have to be just black or white. Let us explore ways to re-engineer our system. For instance, few ounces of socialism in our government framework may probably be necessary such as socializing basic government services like health and education.
The best sector to explore re-engineering our system should be the academe, them being devoid of vested interests. While it is also an option to let congress craft possible changes in our constitution, such direction is futile for obvious reasons.
Democracy is a gift and a blessing. We can make it work.