So-called “activists” decry the “stagnation” and even the regression of Philippine democracy to states supposedly not seen since the “Martial Law Years”. What they conveniently leave out of this tiresome scare narrative is that they embrace, as part of their “Laban”, the Cold War Era sloganeering of that other scourge of the 20th Century — communism.
What seems to fly above the pointed heads of these shrill professional rallyists is that communism is an obsolete relic of an ideology that failed under the weight of its own totalitarian ideals. Its command-and-control approach to governance and economic management runs counter to any notion of that “freedom” that peppers the rhetoric of the Philippine Opposition today.
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Why then does the Opposition led by the Liberal Party (a.k.a. the Yellowtards) continue to sleep with the communists? Simple. Because they share a common goal to overthrow any incumbent Philippine government through dishonest means. In the case of the communists, it is that all-too-familiar method of violent revolution that aims to install a “dictatorship of the proletariat”. In the case of the Yellowtards it is to mount a “people power revolution” to beat the incumbent leadership in a screeching match.
One uses guns and young expendable blood and the other uses romantic narratives channeled through oligarch-owned Big Corporate Media. Both are after the same office in that palace by the river.
Filipinos need to challenge the Opposition with the really hard questions — like what it is they really stand for. If it is freedom and democracy, why do they count amongst their ranks a group with a long track record of running horrific dictatorships and maintaining a terrorist arm to effect their mission? If they are after a cause to “fight” for, why do they fly the colour long associated with cowardice? If they are out to exact reparations for the “victims” of the “Martial Law Years”, why haven’t they in the last 30 years thrown in prison its surviving top lieutenants?
In just these handful of questions, Filipinos can force their “Opposition” leaders to cough up answers that will reveal what they are really up to. Even better, their lack of answers may reveal even more interesting things about them.
The Filipino owes it to herself to step up and regard her politics with an intelligent and critical mind. The reason idiocy has ruled for so long is because Filipinos have allowed it to. It takes only a bit of work on the part of ordinary Filipinos to take back the narrative, make it their own, and be accountable for what they get out of their politics.
It’s time to be a real democracy. Not the pretend democracy the Yellowtards shaped to their insidious ends and not the non-democracy Filipino communists are sneakily trying to build from the rotten core of their so-called “revolution”.
benign0 is the Webmaster of GetRealPhilippines.com.
@benign0: I think you’re overlooking a few pertinent features of the Filipino character.
The most important one is his tendency to seek out the lose-lose scenario. This is something I’ve seen nowhere else on the planet (and I’ve been to a lot of places), but I’ve seen it so often here I have absolutely no doubt that it’s part the cultural landscape.
What the Filipino wants most, in any interaction, is to cause harm to his opponent. It doesn’t matter if he, himself, comes out with a less-than-optimal deal. It doesn’t even matter if he comes out worse off than he was before. If his opponent receives the maximum possible harm, then the deal has been a “successful” one. Thus a party that promises harm to a perceived enemy in government will gain a lot of support.
Then: Filipinos are incredibly gullible. You can tell them the most outrageous lies and they’ll believe it (telling them the truth, on the other hand, is usually a losing proposition). Perhaps they’re so used to lying to others as a matter of routine that they lose track of the distinction between truth and falsehood. Noticed the success of “savings” scams, which are repeated over and over again in the same form but always attract a crowd of willing idiots? Political parties can promise all sorts of stupid things because they’ll never have to deliver; by the time they get into power, most of the great unwashed will have forgotten why they voted for them anyway.
Finally, the Filipino’s dream job is … no job at all. To do nothing all day except look important and play with Facebook, while other people give him nice stuff and money. The Communist philosophy (that the proletariat should be allowed to sit and do nothing while a capable few are goaded with whips and chains to provide for them) is incredibly appealing. Every Filipino thinks he’s going to be the guy wielding the whips and chains, because he’s SPECIAL. It doesn’t occur to him that he’s a complete waste of space, who will most likely be thrown in a shallow grave because he’s not even good for forced labor in the gulag.
And therein that “specialness” is another one of those unsubstantiated ideas Filipinos cling on to. Baffling to say the least.
Filipinos are addicted to rallying and to EDSAs overthrow of government. It seems our skull are too thick, to learn from previous EDSAs. We never learn.
Instead of offering alternative programs , or sensible political platforms ,for the country. All these misfits do is to shout and rally. We don’t even know what they are rallying for, and why they are against anything in the government. They just want Power.
It is like the Trililing Trillanes, the “kudeta addict”. Or, Alejano, the “alegagago”. What do they want ? What alternative can they offer, to better our lives ?
ACTUALLY … IN REALITY … THE COMMUNISTS IN THE PHILIPPINES ARE IRRELEVANT … FILIPINOS THINK THEY EXIST IN THEIR MIDST … B-E-C-A-U-S-E :
1. Communism is rite-of-passage in public-funded socialized-tuition “under-privilege” UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES students …
2. The PHILIPPINE FAKE NEWS and its FAKE JOURNALISTS and OP-Ed COLUMNISTS that are addicted and hired-wired to political science are graduates from U.P.
3. These fake outfits cover their colleagues to promote communism …
… AND WHAT FILIPINOS GET? THEY THINK COMMUNISM EXIST !!!
On the other hand why I want communism to succeed BECAUSE under communism the very first victim of their rule IS FREEDOM OF THE PRESS … they will be hunted down like animals … I WOULD BE THE FIRST CLAPPITY-CLAP-CLAP AND LOLing to no end.
BISTADO! Sila ang utak ng CPP-NPA na ilang dekada ng nangugulo sa Bansang Pilipinas. Ang isa diyan bayani pa ang tingin ng mga Dilawan at may utang daw ang mga Pilipino sa kanya.
President Apo lakay marcos had jailed JOMa SISON, WHEN PEOPLES POWER EDSA1 OF LATE CORYKOT LANTARANG PANGUGURAKOT GRAB THE Presidency, she immediately release communist leader Joma sison, this is true marcial bonifacio aka ninoy aquino the madbomber of plaza miranda is the founder of CPP/npa thirty five years ago, they even change the name of Manila international airport into fake hero ninoy aquino airport, which is now under question because of the procedure of changing names of a government property, before you can change a name, it has to be 10 years pass, so this procedure was violated by the aquino/couangco oligarchs clan
Democracy is the name we give the people whenever we need them.
The question is that why is the Communist of JOMA SISON Contintue to exist after thirty five years of marcial bonifacio aka ninoy aquino madbomber founder CPP/NPA/ndf and madpnoy abnoy bribed bacon barrel pdaf of senatongs and tongressman ??