Suffrage plus democracy equals POVERTY!

**oliver1013** · March 9th, 2007 09:17 AM

By Tony Lopez

Two recent speeches struck me. The first was delivered by management guru Washington SyCip before the Management Association of the Philippines last January 23. The second was made by Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno before the Philippine Constitution (Philconsa) on February 8, Constitution Day.

SyCip raised troubling questions. Can a western democracy solve the economic problems of a poor nation with a per capita income of about $1,500? Can the country be unified?

Puno, on the other hand, reminded his Philconsa audience of mostly jurists and lawyers that the Filipinos have enjoyed 100 years of suffrage from the first general elections of 1907 for the first Philippine assembly. He noted that “the elite has ruled our elections, even if on paper the masses are sovereign.”

The Chief Justice added: “The local elites successfully organized their political campaigns around extended family and patron-client networks. They invented the political machines to churn out votes. These well-oiled machines are run by politically skilled leaders of elite families and by ‘new men’ from less wealthy and less known families who have the necessary savvy for the age of mass electoral politics.”

After hearing or reading these two speeches, one cannot but conclude that democracy and suffrage have not been good for the country. Fifty years ago, according to SyCip, “we were the most promising nation in East Asia.” Yet, he concludes, “we have miserably failed compared to our neighbors.” The Philippines failed to reduce poverty, improve education, and provide decent health care and housing for most of the people.

Today, according to the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the Philippines, once ahead of its neighbors, is the slowest growing economy in Asia, per capita. The UNDP data also suggests the country is also the slowest growing in the world in terms of per capita income growth.

From 1975 to 2004, a period of 30 years, the Philippines registered per capita income growth of exactly zero! This implies that whatever growth the country was registering was being wiped out by population growth. If you grow say by 2.3 percent per year and the population rises also by 2.3 percent per year, the effect, per capita, is zero.

In contrast, during 1975 to 2004, China posted per capita income growth of 8.4 percent, Vietnam 5.6 percent, Thailand 5 percent, Singapore 4.7 percent, Malaysia 4.1 percent, and Indonesia 4.1 percent. The Philippines? Zero.

SyCip sees a connection between Western-style democracy and poor growth. “We are behind Taiwan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand, all of whom had not blindly followed the western model of development which puts its emphasis on political freedom,” he notes, adding that “Vietnam, certainly not a western democracy, may pass us this year. Indonesia’s per capita income has declined after three weak presidents elected under a democracy praised by the West.”

Chief Justice Puno sees flawed elections as the culprit. Elite families are able to manipulate them. SyCip points to another culprit—high population growth. “A slowdown in the population growth is urgently needed,” he asserts.

The SGV founder asks: “Can the many good deeds of the Catholic Church be offset by their refusal to face the population problem squarely?” He laments that “the influence of the Church on elections prevents the politicians to speak openly on this issue—although privately, they agree on the urgency of the problem.”

The evidence is strong that authoritarian rule promotes growth. During 1974 the second year of Ferdinand Marcos’s smiling martial law, the Philippines achieved 9.8 percent economic growth—the highest in the country’s history.

Yet, the strongman Marcos was pressured by the West to call many elections. The last one, in February 1986, resulted in People Power and in his ouster.

**boybi** · March 9th, 2007 09:50 AM

halos kapareho din ng sinabi ni Lee Kuan Yew, the phils. have too much democracy.

**Altis6453** · March 9th, 2007 10:26 AM

Good point.

But it raises a couple of other questions:

1. Can an authoritarian regime fare any better than a Western style democracy? The Marcos regime was undoubtedly authoritarian yet thirty years after, we are still paying for its excesses.

2. Can we really rely on the Catholic Church to help usher in better economic conditions for the country? If you will recall, they are very much opposed (since time immemorial) to population control as well as constitutional changes which would ease ownership restrictions over land, foreign equity in mining, media, etc. At the same time, you don't see them doing anything about the homeless and jobless whose numbers increase exponentialy.

3. Are we ready to change our mindset to put the nation's interests first rather than our own? Hmmm...now that's the REAL QUESTION.

**uls** · March 9th, 2007 11:05 AM

Know what the masses lack? EDUCATION. i dont mean going thru all those years of school just to get a diploma. i mean being educated about the way of things.

Like being able to understand the world around u... ung hindi ka mang mang... di ka maloloko... di ka magugulangan...

Sadly, the masses are ignorant and gullible. It's easy to figure them out. it's easy to make them do what u want.

the media, advertisers, product/service marketers, politicians know that all too well.

If only the masses are able to discern trickery from truth, discern opportunists from people who sincerely want to serve... mas gaganda ang situation dito sa Pinas. People who dont deserve to get elected wont be elected.

Diba wala maloloko kung wala magpapaloko?

**oliver1013** · March 9th, 2007 11:15 AM

Originally Posted by Altis6453

Good point.

But it raises a couple of other questions:

1. Can an authoritarian regime fare any better than a Western style democracy? The Marcos regime was undoubtedly authoritarian yet thirty years after, we are still paying for its excesses.

2. Can we really rely on the Catholic Church to help usher in better economic conditions for the country? If you will recall, they are very much opposed (since time immemorial) to population control as well as constitutional changes which would ease ownership restrictions over land, foreign equity in mining, media, etc. At the same time, you don't see them doing anything about the homeless and jobless whose numbers increase exponentialy.

3. Are we ready to change our mindset to put the nation's interests first rather than our own? Hmmm...now that's the REAL QUESTION.

Another question!! So pano na nga??

**uls** · March 9th, 2007 11:23 AM

the Catholic church is only good for weddings.

the Catholic church cant help the economy or the people.

**Altis6453** · March 9th, 2007 11:38 AM

I guess a good starting point (not the solution, mind you), would be to:

1. Dismantle all political dynasties by prohibiting relatives of incumbent and immediate past politicians from being appointed or elected for a period of four (4) years.

2. Imposition of summary dismissals from service for those public officials who fail to account for or answer inquiries as to the use of public funds, regardless of the nature.

3. Include population control education for secondary education levels in private and public schools. Also, give incentives for those who have smaller families.

4. Make all biddings and deliberations for government contracts public (including military procurement).

5. Put fixed, non-extendible terms for the AFP and PNP Chief. Prohibit fraternization by politicians with enlisted officers and men.

6. Finally, get rid of ALL public utility buses and jeeps 10 years and older. Make expansion of mass transport systems (like trains) a priority.

7. Find trading partners other than the US. China and Eastern European Countries would be a good bet.

8. Simplify the taxation scheme for businesses and individuals alike. For employed individuals, I'd do away with the withholding tax on income and just impose a higher consumption tax (vat or sales tax). For businesses, I'd impose a larger withholding tax so that they'll have lesser opportunity to cheat.

9. Summary forfeiture of property and funds of those found guilty of graft and corruption (bloody crocodiles can always appeal but the government should already have possession of their property). Not to mention, I'd clap them all in jail without bail pending the outcome of hearings on their case.

10. I know this would be controversial, but, I'd tax the members of the clergy everytime they organize and conduct public protests. I don't mind ordinary citizens who exercise their right to free speech, but at least these people pay their taxes in one form or the other.

**badkuk** · March 9th, 2007 11:49 AM

we want all the freedom that a democracy provides, but we don't any of the responsibility that comes with it. we're not really using our freedom wisely.