"Dynasties are simply symptomatic of an inherent weakness in our political system."
"Dynasties are simply symptomatic of an inherent weakness in our political system."
The introduction of American-style democracy marked the beginning of political parties in the Philippines, starting with the pro-US Partido Federalista, with the aim of enhancing political participation, as the country prepared for eventual independence.
More than a hundred years following the creation of the first political party in the country, much is still to be desired in our political party system. Unfortunately, political parties have become nothing but vote-generating machineries, mostly driven by political families and their parochial political interests, bereft of any ideology or long-term program.
But political dynasties are as old as Philippine politics itself. From the ancient “datu” and “maharlika” of pre-Hispanic times to the Spanish era “principalia” to American-time oligarchs, political power, for most part, has been contained within select families.
This proves one thing though. Political dynasties are not the problem. Neither is imposing term limits, the solution. The truth of the matter is that political dynasties are simply symptomatic of an inherent weakness in our political system. Our weak political party system – that is the real crux of our country’s politics.
Political dynasties are simply indicative of the many institutional deficiencies and historical shortcomings of Philippine democracy. Political reform must be achieved, therefore, not by correcting the symptoms, but rather by introducing systemic institutional change in order to shape a more positive political behavior. Therefore, for our politics to mature into a truly democratic and participatory system, the first step is to strengthen our political parties.
There is an urgent need to reinforce the role that political parties play in our political system. Three critical factors are imperative: Recognizing political parties as public institutions, institutionalizing political party financing, and strengthening political participation through party membership.
The first step is to reaffirm the character of political parties as public institutions, and as the primary stakeholders in the political system. Members who are elected to public office, as a result, become accountable not only to the electorate, but to the party as well.
Having a two- or multi-party system is not the question. What is more important is how political parties can develop into democratic public institutions, beginning with party registration and operations. This includes imposing a membership quota, wherein a minimum percentage of the voters within a particular constituency is required for a party to be registered and to nominate candidates for elections.
Political parties must be required to introduce democratic mechanisms for internal decision-making, allowing the fullest participation of all party members, including observing democratic processes in the nomination and selection of party officials and candidates for public office, such as through party conventions. This will allow political parties the opportunity to enrich its ideological principles, expand its policy platform and accordingly train future candidates who by their collective conviction espouse the same principles and policies.
Second, government financing for political parties will not only provide the minimum resources for party-building, but more importantly, it will instill public accountability among political parties, improve transparency in sourcing and spending party funds, and exact discipline over party members.
By receiving subsidies from the government, for example, political parties will now be required to open their accounts and declare all funds and donations. It also means all their receipts, expenses and revenues will be open to government audit and public scrutiny.
This will also effectively reduce a party’s dependence on donors and allow a political party a significant degree of autonomy from external influence. Reducing the time and effort needed to raise funds and to solicit support, a political party can now focus on its growth and operations. Subsidies for political parties can be pegged on the number of votes received in an election, thereby instilling cohesion loyalty among party members, even when said party finds itself in the minority.
Third, Filipinos need to understand and appreciate that membership in a political party is an indispensable form of political participation. One does not need to be the candidate or be content with being an ordinary voter. Membership in a political party is a concrete way of shaping our country’s political present – and future.
By widening political participation through party membership, political parties can serve as platforms for political engagement, inculcating ordinary Filipinos with democratic values, knowledge and practices. As part of constituency building, parties can perform an integral function in civic education and voter education activities, including voter education and civic literacy programs.
To emphasize the importance of party membership, individual voters should be required to declare their party affiliation before the election officer and such information must be indicated in their voter registration. Consequently, political parties shall be required to have an official registry of party members, that can be double-checked with the official registry of voters. This will put a higher premium on party membership.
This also means if a Filipino is interested to run for political office, one must first apply for party membership – and must submit oneself to an internal nomination process, supervised by election authorities. This will also put an end to the absurd practices of candidate accepting nominations from more than one registered political party.
Furthermore, a candidate, who after winning an election, transfers to another political party, must automatically forfeit and lose the position. If one wishes to resign from the party for a personal or political reason, the only option is to turn independent. But that would require a higher nomination quota once he decides to run for re-election. Furthermore, a person who transfers to another political party shall be required to return all subsidies provided to him.
The absence of a strong political party system has led to the emergence of personality politics and political dynasties. Political alignments have been largely based on expediency and convenience rather than a sound political agenda, resulting in candidates with unclear political or ideological stances, and fully dependent on political patronage.
Why do political dynasties thrive? First, by force of legal circumstance. With term limits in place, politicians are forced to turn over their position to a family member – if only to ensure continuity of service at best, or to perpetuate their hold on power, at worst.
Second, financing. Political dynasties do not only favor the principals, it favors their allies as well. Political dynasties provide a stable source of campaign funding, wherein loyalty to a political dynasty assures one of financial support during elections. In turn, the allies pledge their fealty to the dynasts, thus ensuring a political dynasty of continued hold to power.
Third, there is no concrete incentive to party membership. There is nothing to lose, more than there is to gain by switching political party affiliations. There is no requirement for parties to submit membership rolls, and neither is continued party membership a requirement for a person seeking nomination for an elected office.
Strengthening political parties is the surest way to reform our political system.
Not banning political dynasties. A process that intends to be fully inclusive and truly democratic cannot presuppose the exclusion of certain individuals simply because a family member is already in public office. Banning political dynasties run counter to the inherent principles of democracy. But with strong political parties, even family members of incumbent officials must submit themselves to the same selection and nomination process within the party.
Not imposing term limits. Political leadership requires varying degrees of maturation, one that often require long years of public service and political exposure. The Senate, for example, should allow members to remain in office, for as long as the voters would keep reelecting them. By reason of their age and wisdom without being distracted by ambitions for higher office, experienced senators would have a more mature and less parochial perspective of our political realities. Thus, the reason why it is called the Senate, from the Latin word, “senex” – old men.
Political dynasties thrive because they fill the void left by a weak political party system.
A strong political party system will make political dynasties irrelevant. It will make term limits unnecessary. Ultimately, it will deepen the quality of Philippine democracy, allowing not the advancement of political candidates on the basis of merit and competence but empowering the electorate through more meaningful political participation.