Party-building

The Genuine Opposition was unable to mount their rallies last week. The campaign manager and spokesman of that group attributed the fiasco to "security concerns."

The fact was, the sorties were horribly organized. Logistical support did not reach the organizers on the ground. The candidates thought that all they had to do was show themselves and the people would come.

The embarrassing collapse of the opposition rallies scheduled last week might not be the last. The senatorial slate represents a loose and unwieldy alliance of individual campaigns hurriedly pasted together in the nick of time before the campaign period began. There is no real party organization forming the core of this gossamer grouping.

By contrast, the pro-administration Team Unity represents an alliance of major political parties with their respective organizational capacities. The core of this alliance is the Lakas-CMD, the political party formed in 1992 and assiduously cultivated since then — principally by House Speaker Jose de Venecia.

The Lakas party, through four election seasons, has ensured nearly 100 percent candidate presence. It claims an overwhelming majority of local elective posts and is the majority party at the House of Representatives and the largest represented at the Senate.

The organizational capacity of the Lakas-CMD is an often understated asset benefiting the candidates endorsed by this party. Affiliation with the Christian Democratic International has given this party unmatched international prestige and an extensive global network.

Not surprisingly, the Lakas-CMD is the most recognizable party nationwide. A survey undertaken by the SWS and commissioned by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation was recently completed. The survey comprehensively measures popular perceptions of the political parties as well as voter attitudes towards party politics.

I was privileged to be allowed to review the results of this survey, which was reserved for internal party use.

Lakas-CMD ranks first in pubic awareness. It also ranks first among respondents asked to name the party "that truly promotes your welfare." The party likewise ranks first when respondents were asked whether they leaned towards a particular party.

Lakas is seen by voters as a party that chooses competent and honorable leaders to be candidates. The party’s trust rating understandably dipped soon after the 1997 Asian financial crisis. But it has been gradually recovering over the past few years.

That Lakas rates preeminently among all the political parties is hardly surprising. Although the party’s standard-bearer lost in the 1998 elections, it has dominated local elections consistently and has been closely associated with two of the last three presidencies.

There are a few surprises in this survey, however.

When asked why they might be interested to join a political party, a large plurality of voters replied that they wanted to be educated on the issues. The second largest number of respondents said they would want to be able to participate in the choice of candidates to be fielded. Only a small number said that they wanted to join a political party to be close to politicians.

As expected, the biggest number of respondents still indicated they would vote on the basis of personality rather than on the basis of party. A small minority said they would vote on the basis of party affiliation. Close to half of all the respondents, however, said the candidate and the party were equally important in making their electoral choices.

The responses suggest there is much headroom for political parties to institutionalize a broad membership base, sustain party activities in between elections and clarify a program of government members may adhere to.

At any rate, with its overwhelming presence in the congressional districts and local governments, Lakas-CMD is uniquely positioned to lead the way in introducing a modern concept of political party affiliation in our civic culture. It is, after all, the only party that can reasonably aspire to decisively influencing the outcomes of the vital 2010 presidential elections.

Lakas-CMD should begin sharpening the party’s branding. It should go beyond the traditional role of parties in Philippine politics: which is merely that being a tool for delivering logistical support to candidates during campaigns.

The dominant party may justly claim credit for all the modernizing economic reforms of the past few years. It may, likewise, justly represent itself as the party of continuity and political stability in our instability-prone politics. It may cite its most effective local government executives and most forward-looking legislators as evidence that this is the party that could lead the nation to the future.

There is much going for the Lakas-CMD. But the party has been remiss in its branding effort. Its leaders must understand that by marketing the party, it will deliver equity to its candidates in the form of prestige and credibility. That, in the evolving nature of Filipino elections, might have greater premium than whatever logistical support the party may be able to muster for its members during election seasons.

This campaign period presents an unmatched opportunity for Lakas to market the party as a thing of value not only for the candidates but also for the nation. This will help enhance the role of political parties in our elections — and raise the premium for affiliation with the dominant party.

In which case, Lakas will be something more than just the dominant party. It will be the unequaled pioneer in finally pushing our electoral culture to the age of party politics. It will then be the vehicle for new politics.