Reforming the political party system

Undoubtedly, our politics revolves around personalities. It is politics without principles. Voters choose candidates who are able to shake their hands, visit their place, drink with them, attend wakes, distribute relief goods, build basketball courts, put up billboards for improvement projects supposedly undertaken by them but using with taxpayers’ money. During the campaign, they have the most photogenic faces in attractive campaign posters and fascinating TV ads. They project themselves through constant media exposure, innumerable campaign posters and frequent TV ads, to improve their chances of winning. Naturally, when campaigning, they present their best profile but once the votes are in and they win, they do not care much if their real self comes out. Meantime the regretful voters just grin and bear it until next election when they commit the same mistake because of short memory made shorter by more irresistible enticements from the same candidates already ensconced in power. This is the sad fact of life in our politics.

Voters fail to look beyond the superficial and cosmetics-laden facet of the candidates’ personalities particularly their political philosophies and principles in life and their platforms and programs of government. They run under the banner of certain political parties but everybody knows that these parties are merely formed by alignment of members loyal to a particularly personality or leader rather than to solid and concrete platforms and principles. The existence of the Team Unity (TU) of the administration and the Genuine Opposition (GO) of the anti-administration is as impermanent and fleeting as the fickle minds of their candidates who once belong to opposite camps but are now sleeping on the same bed for purely personal and selfish interest of gaining or retaining power. Every election time there is a realignment of political forces in this country swirling around whoever holds the reins of power. Our party system is therefore all in shambles.

Fortunately, a group of ever hopeful, patriotic Filipinos decided to do something about it instead of simply sitting on the sidelines and leading a quiet, peaceful life of ease and comfort. They thought that they could not just fold their arms and watch the political situation deteriorate further, so they formed what could be the only genuine and authentic political party with concrete and solid platform based on their Christian beliefs and principles. This is the "Ang Kapatiran Party" or the Alliance for the Common Good. It is a duly registered, bona fide national political party accredited by the Comelec. It provides an honest to goodness alternative to the lesser of two evils presented by GO and TU. Ang Kapatiran and its candidates for Senators, Adrian Sison, Martin Bautista and Zosimo Paredes, the three "Kontra Trapo" musketeers, certainly deserve the support of all Filipinos fed up with the existing party system of politics centered on personalities than principles. It is encouraging to see that at this stage they are already giving the moneyed politicos a good run for their massive funds and well-oiled machineries.

The entry of Ang Kapatiran into the political scene augurs well for the renaissance of a genuine and strong party system geared towards new politics of principles and good governance. This renaissance entails a reformation of the political parties in the mold of Ang Kapatiran that has fixed and definite platforms, ideologies and programs of government as well as members unwaveringly adhering thereto.

Under the reformed political party system, the electorate votes only for candidates fielded by the parties. Their choices depend more on the desirability and viability of the parties’ platforms and programs of government that the candidates vow to implement. The election contest is mainly a choice of party philosophies and tenets that the voters believe will best serve public interest and promote the common good. Political parties with varying ideologies "sell" to the people their ideas, beliefs and ideologies that are not contrary to law, public policy, morals and good customs. It is a system more in keeping with the essence of democracy.

Of course, the political parties will be primarily responsible in choosing the best and most qualified candidates who would faithfully adhere to their principles and carry out their programs. The burden is on the parties themselves to present to the voters the best and the brightest candidates pursuant to a nomination process they may adopt like the party conventions of the past. The idea is to eliminate or minimize the more tedious process of educating millions of voters regarding the qualifications and character of the candidates. By adopting and strictly observing high standards in selecting or nominating their candidates, the parties assure the voters that they are choosing only the best among the bests.

The political parties alone defray all the campaign expenses of their candidates. Candidates will not spend their own money in their political barnstorming, in putting up campaign posters, and in airing or publishing campaign ads. The government shall subsidize the parties and their campaign expenses. There are enough sources for such fund. The P22 billion pork barrel fund alone is more than adequate for this purpose. Of course only political parties duly accredited by a body created by law and pursuant to certain criteria laid down therein, shall be entitled to government subsidy.

These proposals for reforming and strengthening the party system are worth looking into more seriously. They are certainly much better than the existing multi-party system that fosters political dynasties, celebrity politics and politics of personalities. They will also dispense with the necessity for party list representation. Furthermore, election spending is kept within the limits of the amount of government subsidy. In addition, it also eliminates one of the main causes of graft and corruption because candidates do not incur expenses at all and thus will not be tempted to steal from government coffers to recover their expenses. Most importantly, if we want a parliamentary form of government, we need strong political parties.

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