An Appeal For Rationality (In a Political World full of Drama)

I've said before that personality politics is the curse of the Philippine Political System. This curse has grown more powerful and may have become more like a plague. What is sad is how we have failed and continue to fail in taking steps towards the right direction in terms of developing an electorate that can decide based on merits over personality. The clear first step is for each and everyone of us to be rational.

Personality politics is all about the drama. Meritocracy, on the other hand, appeals for rationality. It pleads for us to utilize reason and not to be fixated with drama.

Personality politics is the fundamental flaw in the Philippine Political System. This flaw originates from all of us. This flaw is fueled by an electorate that do not understand governance, democracy and the basic principle of institution-building. What is more painful though is that understanding how governance must work is not rocket science. The intricacies of governance can often times reveal itself in all clarity by simply following the sheer dictates of common sense. Believe me, using reason is not hard to do; the willingness to utilize it is the question.

Common sense, particularly in the Philippine Electorate, is not common.

As such, this is an appeal to all of you to please stop being fixated by the drama and start using reason.

Most of us, except for a few, would treat political leaders in the same way we would treat rock stars, sport teams, soap operas or to be specific, like twilight. You are either for Crispa or Toyota, for the bida or the contra-bida, for team-vampire or team werewolf. In such instances, the clouded decision is often tolerable, because of the make-believe nature of that world.

However, this type of blind admiration or blind following absent of any semblance of rationality is likewise prevalent in our political space. Majority of us are fixated with the drama and it seems that this fixation can immediately paralyze the cerebral faculty of most men.

I never supported GMA as a person. What has she ever done to me? I did, however, support a number of her policies. Among her high achievements are her failures. Her administration often times disappointed me yet using reason, I also highly appreciate her achievements. I did not allow the noise and confusion to cloud my judgment. I neither love or hate her but I did love a number of her policies and hated some of them.

The point here is simple: If GMA says jump, I'll ask why.

I've said this before (during GMA's presidency), if you think she did anything illegal then reason will dictate for you to please file a case and let the courts decide. Now that she is no longer the president and she already actually have a case against her, then rationality will again dictate for us to wait for the courts to decide. Any stand outside of this is pure drama, utter non-sense and completely useless.

I did not vote for Noynoy in May 2010. I made my decision based on reason and that reason still stands. If the elections were to be held tomorrow, my decision shall stay the same. Not voting for Noynoy, however, does not mean that I hate the guy. I have so much to do in a day that I do not have time to hate someone I have never met and I have never spoken to. Not voting for Noynoy simply means that I did not see him as the best candidate for the presidency. Nothing more, nothing less, no drama.

It is, in utmost and purest sincerity, my earnest hope that I was wrong when I said Noynoy will not be an effective president. Because if he achieves everything he said he would and if he could work on reporting over 7% GDP year-on-year growth for the next 5 years, then all us, myself included, can look forward to a better future.

I will support Noynoy's sound policies and reject wrong ones. Just as I did GMA's.

How is he faring so far?

Majority of you will say, he's doing great.

Majority of you will even make excuses for his shortcomings in his first year in office. It is pathetic how most of you will copy, verbatim, the excuses coming out of Malacanang for some of the mishaps that have already occurred. It is like listening to computer-coded robots.

Majority of you will be happy to follow the crowd.

Majority of you are blind followers.

If Noynoy says jump, you'll ask how high?

Acting as such does not help our country. Not one bit.

Reason clearly dictates that I will have to reserve my opinion until he's had enough time to show us what he can actually do. Perhaps we can have a mid-term analysis of his accomplishments in 2013 and another end-of-term discussion when he steps down in 2016. Until that time, I cannot make a fair analysis because I do not allow drama to cloud my decisions. My opinions are always grounded based on facts and not based on what everybody else thinks. Come 2016, we shall let the numbers do the talking, not the hype, not the emotions, not the drama.

I have always been consistent with my political positions. I have always felt genuine pleasure from being unpopular and outnumbered. I will always be proud of my political beliefs because they are always sound. These beliefs are rarely wrong not because I am a genius but because I base these beliefs on common sense, on facts, on reason. I will always be happy to debate with anyone anytime provided of course that I have nothing better to do.

Note however that debate, which is among the pillars of effective democracy, requires two men, with conflicting opinions, to think and act rationally. Without the use of reason, debate is senseless. In other words, there are no arguments between Lions and Men.

With the prevalence of personality politics, it is hard to see how genuine modern leaders can ever be elected to office.