ONE peaceful step towards truly democratic social structures is a genuine political party by, for, and of the marginalized sector of tenants, small farmers, teachers, workers, small market or street vendors, etc.
Genuine as it will work exclusively for the interests of ordinary folks as a counterbalance to the existing political parties’ exclusive focus on the interests of capital and big business.
Peaceful as it will reject violence, effect change within the existing legal framework, and refuse to reciprocate the violence that will most likely come from deeply entrenched vested interest opposition groups. (No oppressor in history has ever voluntarily given up and shared power with the oppressed.)
Of late, I actually tried founding such a party. It, however, didn’t take long for me to see that the task was too daunting and I had no business starting anything I couldn’t finish. The idea floundered until I read “Unfree Speech” by Joshua Wong.
Joshua convinced me the youth should form that party. Their future is at stake whereas mine is already here. Also I have to admit I am a computer idiot whereas the youth are most conversant in, for instance, crowdsourcing on the internet or social media.
Joshua was a fourteen-year-old high school student when he led a movement (of students first but later joined also by adults) to demand that Hong-Kong nationals retain the democratic right to elect their government officials as assured, but questionably complied with, by the heavily authoritarian Communist Central Government’s “two systems, one country” policy.
Later, before he was even twenty, he founded a pro-democracy political party, Demosisto, that to this day fights for Hong Kong’s retention of its democratic system. Through smart use of available modern communications technology ( Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, etc.) Demosisto has galvanized Hong-Kong nationals into a pro-democracy force that communist China cannot possibly repress without losing face in the world community.
I bumped into Joshua Wong around the time President Duterte observed he could not see anybody capable of taking over from him. I couldn’t agree more with him. In any case, the adults I see preening for high positions in government in 2022 will assuredly not waste time restoring the “democracy” Duterte has allegedly brushed aside.
However, as after Edsa what Cory restored was elitist democracy, what will be restored after Duterte will be unfree elections that decide which jerks will plunder the country this time around.
The youth must take steps to own and shape their future. One big step is to form a genuine pro-democracy party. Otherwise, sweet-talking, well- mannered plundering jerks will just take turns screwing that future.