An electoral exercise is a process of the changing and evolving function of the state, of local and national governments as key actors -- politicians and political parties -- articulate their vision or lack of it, of where government should focus its roles and function.
Such evolution of state and governments, like markets, is
often for the better, towards the rule of law and equality before the law. But
sometimes it is a change for the worse, towards the rule of men, unequal application
of the law and dictatorship.
Among the leading presidential candidates, Davao City
Mayor Rodrigo “Digong” Duterte is the odd-man-out. While the three other
leading candidates -- Sen. Grace Poe, VP Jojo Binay, and Sec. Mar Roxas --
promise plenty of subsidies and new welfare programs, or expansion of existing
ones, Mayor Duterte is focused on a single issue, fighting criminals, drug
pushers and corrupt officials.
One of the three “social contract” theoreticians of why
government was invented was Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679), an English philosopher
best known for his book Leviathan (1651). He described early human situation
under a “state of nature” as one of endless societal conflict, impossibility of
peace, and the need to invent a Commonwealth where certain human freedoms are
surrendered and curtailed by a supreme ruler in exchange for peace and order in
society.
Hobbes wrote in the Leviathan:
Whatsoever therefore is consequent to a time of Warre,
where every man is Enemy to every man; the same is consequent to the time,
wherein men live without other security, than what their own strength, and
their own invention shall furnish them withall. In such condition, there is no
place for Industry;... and which is worst of all, continuall feare, and danger
of violent death; And the life of man, solitary, poore, nasty, brutish, and
short.
-- Chapter 13, “Of the Naturall Condition of Mankind”
The Fundamental Law Of Nature... “That every man, ought
to endeavour Peace, as farre as he has hope of obtaining it; and when he cannot
obtain it, that he may seek, and use, all helps, and advantages of Warre.”
The Second Law Of Nature... “That a man be willing, when
others are so too, as farre-forth, as for Peace, and defence of himselfe he
shall think it necessary, to lay down this right to all things; and be
contented with so much liberty against other men, as he would allow other men
against himselfe.”
-- Chapter 14, “Of the First and Second Naturall Lawes,
and of Contracts”
This is what Mayor Duterte has been hammering regularly,
consciously and unconsciously. That Philippine society is rolling back somehow
to a “state of nature”, a pre-government state where individuals’ actions are
bound only by their own desires and restraints, where criminals and brutes rule
and can victimize anyone anywhere. Hence, a need for a “social contract” and
install an absolute sovereign, a strong central government with the power of
the biblical Leviathan (a sea monster) and protect people from their own
selfishness, protect the weak from the brutes.
During the third and final presidential debate last April
24, host Karen Davila asked Mayor Duterte, “Sabi niyo po, ‘You cannot be a
President if you cannot kill. Papatay ba kayo kung kayo’y Pangulo?” (Will you
really kill if you become President?) and Duterte replied, “No, it’s not the
actual -- takot ka mamatay, takot kang pumatay, wag kang mag Presidente.” (If
you’re afraid to die, afraid to kill, don’t run for President).
And there’s a follow up when Ms. Davila asked him, “Anong
gagawin niyo sakaling malaman po ninyo na isa sa mga anak niyo ay gumagamit ng
ilegal na droga?” (What will you do if you know that one of your children is
using illegal drugs?) The Mayor quickly answered, “Patayin mo.” (Kill him/her)
Killing and murder, individually or by the thousands, are
his “default” answer to questions related to enforcing the law. In one
interview, he promised to kill 100,000 more criminals and drug pushers
nationwide if he wins the Presidency.
Saul Alinsky (1909-1972), a Jewish American community
organizer and writer, became famous worldwide as the founder of modern
community organizing through his famous book, Rules for Radicals (1971).
There are 13 key rules in that book that proved to be
generally effective in organizing successful mass movement and collective
action. Five of those rules seem to work for Mayor Duterte:
3. “Whenever possible, go outside the expertise of the
enemy.” The other Presidential candidates promise endless welfarism and
subsidies, controlling and killing many criminals is beyond their expertise.
5. “Ridicule is man’s most potent weapon.” Constant use
of cusswords “P--- ina”, “bayot/bakla”, “go to hell” are powerful ridicules
that decent politicians and statesmen and women are less prepared to deal with.
6. “A good tactic is one your people enjoy.” Again,
frequent use of cusswords, gutter politics, sexist jokes, even making fun of
rape-murder Australian victim three decades ago.
7. “A tactic that drags on too long becomes a drag.” He
keeps producing new attacks, new antics that his political competitors can only
raise their eyebrows in disbelief. Like his plan to go to the Spratly islands
on a jetski, plant the Philippine flag and let the Chinese Navy to kill him if
they like.
9. “The threat is usually more terrifying than the thing
itself.” Saying that he killed 1,700 criminals in Davao City alone, and promise
to kill 100,000 more criminals if he becomes President, make people wonder
whether he is joking but his followers take him seriously, impatient about
rampant criminality in many parts of the country, whether real or imagined.
One important revelation of this campaign period is that
the masa after all, are not so enamored with more welfarism, subsidies
populism, and more environmentalism. Rather, they are more concerned with peace
and order, physical annihilation of criminals and the corrupt.
Duterte has shifted the debate on the “raison d’etre” or
reason for existence of government: Not welfarism and populism, but protection
of the people’s 3 freedoms: freedom of private property, freedom from
aggression and bullies, and freedom of expression. Somehow this is good.
He has played out this hunger by the public. The
welfarists including the UN, foreign aid bodies and their consultants are wrong
to persist in welfarism to “fight inequality” as an important election issue.
People, even the poor, can live with inequality. What they cannot tolerate is
more criminality, more stealing, legal or illegal/outright robbery.
And by riding on this public hunger to control
criminality, Duterte is promising more criminality, of state-sponsored murders
to achieve that goal. Duterte in effect will be violating the people’s three
freedoms without realizing it.
Duterte is a dangerous candidate. He should not win. The
problem is that the other leading presidential candidates are showing little
capacity to snatch the lead. One practical but seemingly improbable scenario is
a consolidation of votes of two least-opposing candidates, that of Sen. Poe and
Sec. Roxas. But it seems that the probability of a Duterte victory is higher
than the probability of this consolidation of forces.
Bienvenido S. Oplas, Jr. is the head of Minimal
Government Thinkers, a Fellow of SEANET and member of the Economic Freedom
Network (EFN) Asia.
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See also:
BWorld 49, John Locke and Jovito Salonga, March 18, 2016
BWorld 53, Population and growth projections, April 09, 2016
BWorld 54, Rice farming, trading, smuggling and electioneering, April 15, 2016
BWorld 55, FIT-All, renewables and elections 2016, April 23, 2016
Election 18, On Duterte's killing field of 1,700 murders, December 09, 2015
