The family dynasties and monarchies of the world

The current move to dismantle family political dynasties in the Philippines is a wishful aspiration, which is "Kapantay ay Langit". The political will and the determination to achieve that dream is "Bato sa Buhangin". It is not impossible, but given the harsh realities on the ground, the probability of success is nil.

The Philippines is a very rich land with too many poor people because the family dynasties, for more than two centuries, have amassed all the wealth of the nation by controlling political power, and economic resources, including land and industries, and taking exclusive hold of the flow of money and the supply chain. To dismantle political dynasties so as to establish a truly just and humane society is almost an impossible dream.

But the Philippines is not alone. The world is really being held captive by the seemingly-invincible grip of some powerful family dynasties. Any movement to liberate the people requires too much blood to be shed and too many lives to be wasted because the strong, the wealthy, and the powerful are not going to give up control by delivering freedom on a silver platter.

The world is a huge empire with monarchs controlling defined territories. The House of Windsor's centuries of hold on the United Kingdom is not limited to England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, it extends to, among others, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Montserrat, Saint Helena, South Georgia, and the British Virgin Islands. The Commonwealth includes Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, where King Charles III is still recognized as symbolic monarch.

The House of Khalifa, now being ruled by King Hamad bin Issa Al-Khalifa, is the ruling monarchy of the Kingdom of Bahrain, rich in oil and with many Filipino servants and workers. The monarchy of Belgium under King Philippe is one of the wealthiest nations in the EU. Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah is one of the longest-reigning absolute monarchs who controls totally and absolutely the only country in the world with zero foreign debt and with the biggest palace.

The Chakri Dynasty of the Kingdom of Thailand is currently headed by King Vajiralongkorn, one of the richest monarchs in the whole world, whose wealth is many times bigger than that of the Windsors of the UK. The House of Saud in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, now under King Salman bin Abdul Azis Al-Saud, has ruled that exceedingly oil-wealthy nation. There are about a million Filipino workers in Saudi Arabia; more than a hundred thousand of whom are housemaids.

A country where I lived for three years as a diplomat, Kuwait, is tiny in size and small in population with less than five million, but it is a rich nation strategically located in the gulf. It is a kingdom ruled by only one family, the House of Al-Sabah, with King Emir Mishal Al-Ahmad Al Jabeer Al Sabah. The House of Thani has been the ruling monarchy of one of the richest nations in the Middle East, the Kingdom of Qatar, under Emir Tanim bin Hamad Al-Thani.

The United Arab Emirates, which is a federation of seven emirates, is now ruled by President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyah. Jordan is under the rule of the House of Hashim now led by King Abdullah II. Sultan Ibrahim III is the current agong or king of Malaysia from the House of Temenggong of Johore. The House of Al Busaid is the ruling family in the Kingdom of Oman under current monarch, Sultan Haittam bin Tariq.

Other dynasties control Bhutan, Cambodia, Spain, Monaco, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Morocco, Liechtenstein, Netherlands, and Luxembourg, There are even dictators ruling North Korea, Togo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Djibouti, Cambodia, Chad, Azerbaijan, and Turkmenistan. Also, hereditary dictatorships exist in Syria, Democratic Republic of Congo, Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, and Paraguay.

Although the Philippines declares in its Constitution that it is a republican state where sovereignty supposedly resides in the people, only the family dynasties have authentic power. The poor, the voiceless, and the marginalized are being controlled, manipulated, hoodwinked and their election votes are being bought, coerced or cheated, in the name of perpetuating the ruling class.

It will take another century for true democracy to see the light of day, if the people fight for it. I would hasten to add, fight for it within the framework of law.