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There are several theories and opinions on the role of
government in society and the citizens. This column takes the classic liberal
philosophy that the main function of government, its raison d'etre or reason
for existence, is to promulgate the rule of law. The law against murder and
aggression, the law against stealing and destruction of property, the law
protecting individual liberty and freedom of expression.
When people get more private security to protect
themselves, their houses and offices, schools and shops, from aggressors and
killers, thieves and vandals, then there is clear and widespread government
failure. This article
discusses that more people now in the Philippines are hiring private security
guards in their homes.
Securing peace and order in society is supposedly a
government function and responsibility, especially in dealing with organized
and armed criminals, or sophisticated ponzi schemes that rob hundreds or
thousands of people big time. That is why there is a huge phalanx of armed
policemen, investigators and soldiers. But how come that peace and order is
mainly implemented by private security agencies? That peace and order has
been implicitly privatized when the budget and personnel of those armed
agencies keep rising?
The bigger the number of private security agencies, the bigger is the distrust of the people in government to ensure law and order in society. The bigger the government failure.
The bigger the number of private security agencies, the bigger is the distrust of the people in government to ensure law and order in society. The bigger the government failure.
If there is widespread government failure in maintaining
peace and order, in protecting lives and private properties, why has government
expanded into many non-core, non-essential functions? Like running banks and
casinos, universities and specialty hospitals, monopolizing pension and social
security, extending forever, no timetable welfare and subsidies.
Government failure in its core function should not be exacerbated by another government failure in its non-core functions. The corruption and plunder scandals in various agencies from various administrations are additional proof to this government failure in its non-core functions.
Government failure in its core function should not be exacerbated by another government failure in its non-core functions. The corruption and plunder scandals in various agencies from various administrations are additional proof to this government failure in its non-core functions.
If people spend more on hiring private security agencies,
then they are over-taxed. They pay various taxes and fees that sustain the huge
bureaucracies at DILG-PNP, DND-AFP, DOJ-NBI, LGUs-barangay tanods. Then they
pay extra to hire private security agencies as these guards are not
cheap.
The government should be terribly ashamed of this situation, especially when people have to hire private guards to protect their homes, on top of having private guards protecting the village gates. By extension, the NGOs and civil society leaders, media people, foreign aid, etc. who demand ever-expanding government bureaucracies, subsidies and taxes when there is clear and explicit government failure in promulgating the rule of law, should rethink their advocacies.
The government should be terribly ashamed of this situation, especially when people have to hire private guards to protect their homes, on top of having private guards protecting the village gates. By extension, the NGOs and civil society leaders, media people, foreign aid, etc. who demand ever-expanding government bureaucracies, subsidies and taxes when there is clear and explicit government failure in promulgating the rule of law, should rethink their advocacies.
Of what value to the poor that they get endless, forever,
no timetable subsidies in healthcare, education, agriculture credit and seeds,
condoms, etc., but their kids can be abducted and even raped easily, their
small investments like a cow or tractor or tricycle can be stolen somewhere,
their small plot of land can be land grabbed by some politically influential
people?
Where there is peace and order, where the government is truly doing its work in protecting the citizens' right to life, right to private property, right to liberty, enforcing contracts, people will become productive. They can work from morning till midnight if they want, knowing that their family and house are secure. Where people are hard working and have peace of mind that their business contracts, big or small, are respected and enforced, plus civil society support, they can get out of poverty on their own.
Where there is peace and order, where the government is truly doing its work in protecting the citizens' right to life, right to private property, right to liberty, enforcing contracts, people will become productive. They can work from morning till midnight if they want, knowing that their family and house are secure. Where people are hard working and have peace of mind that their business contracts, big or small, are respected and enforced, plus civil society support, they can get out of poverty on their own.
A friend, Steve
Cutler, suggested that since private guards and drivers and so on are
dirt cheap in the Philippines for many rich people, the affluent acquire them
as a way of ensuring people know how important and rich they are. There may
well be some kind of "threat" but it can also be a fashion accessory.
That angle is highly possible. But having private guards
in many shops, schools, cash collections by gas stations, convenience stores,
etc. transported by armed vans, speaks of something, that there is grave
government failure in tracking and going after the real criminals in
society, if not suspicion that some members of government armed forces
themselves are actively involved in criminality, like protecting drug lords and
organized hold uppers.
Another friend posted this quote from Benjamin Constant
(1767-1830), Swiss-born French politician and writer who argued that liberty
was essential to moral development.
"Every time
the government attempts to handle our affairs, it costs more and the results
are worse than if we had handled them ourselves."
This belief is widespread among liberty-oriented people especially the anarchists. Minarchists give government some favor by recognizing certain role for it, ike enforcing the rule of law and contracts between and among people through the justice system, the police and a few other agencies. When government becomes inefficient and wasteful in almost anything it dips its hands on, government credibility as an institution to protect law and order keeps dipping.
Steve Cutler made
another comment, that “the guards that work in the vast majority of
establishments give a false sense of security, which is an unrecognized issue.
They are there only to open doors, clean tables, and so on. Or to raise a bar
to allow vehicles to pass through. But they will not really protect people.
You're on your own if shots start to fly. Protecting you is not part of the
contract. They are there only/only to protect the property of the contracting
party...the guy who pays the contract. Unless that's you, don't expect any help
from a guard.”
The private guards function somehow as deterrent to petty
criminals like shoplifters who may have guns to use when cornered. Such
deterrence function helps reduce the possibility of shots flying inside malls.
The guards with long firearms in vans are deterrent to organized criminals.
These criminals, petty or organized, can be tracked down
at the barangay or street levels, if the LGUs and the police are doing their
work seriously, and if government is not distracted from providing so many
non-core functions.
See also:
Pol. Ideology 48: Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau and Social Contract Theory, September 09, 2013
Pol. Ideology 49: Machiavelli, The Prince, Liberality and Meanness, September 11, 2013
Pol. Ideology 50: Plato, The Republic and Pork Barrel, September 14, 2013
Pol. Ideology 51: Liberalism is Not Welfarism, September 17, 2013
Business 360 12: Optimum Size of Government, October 13, 2013
IDEAS 5: Who is a Liberal? What is Limited Government?, October 15, 2013
Inequality 16: Inclusive Growth and Central Planning, October 21, 2013
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