SAVE THIS COUNTRY FROM SOCIALISM!

They simply echo the same political mantra: Big Government. They want the government to assume the role of Santa Claus, or a fairy godmother who would provide people’s wishes and needs. All of our politicians promise ‘good governance’, which is one of the undefined and indefinable post-modern creatures of political pragmatism.

Electing political candidates who seek public office is a moral act. We elect according to our evaluation of the facts of reality, specifically political reality, and we choose the ones who deserve our votes according to our value judgment. Our choice affects our lives, our society as a whole, and our future.

It cannot be denied that there are some people who choose to evade responsibility and who refuse to think, blanking out the fact that their right of suffrage is not simply about sending a selected few to political office, but most importantly about ensuring the freedom and liberty of their posterity. Unfortunately, there are those who base their votes on money, while others rely on ‘bahala na’ attitude, as they ‘feel’ that election process is merely a social activity that happens after every three years.

However there are a lot of people who base their political judgment on ideology, and I say that they are the most passionate among all voters.  Unlike in the United States wherein its two-party system divides the American electorate into a number of ideological clusters (e.g. liberals, conservatives, and libertarians), the Philippine political setting is characterized by a mob of various ideological groupings that do not have any specific political ideology. This political trend is due to a constitutional aberration that led to the creation of multi-party and party-list systems.

There are a number of various political parties in the country vying for political dominion. These national political parties include Vetallano Acosta’s Kilusan ng Bagong Lipunan (KBL), Noynoy Aquino’s Liberal Party (LP), John Carlos De Los Reyes’ Ang Kapatiran, Joseph Estrada’s PMP, Richard Gordon’s Bagumbayan, Gilbert Teodoro’s Lakas-Kampi-CMD, Eduardo Eddie Villanueva’s Bangon Pilipinas, and Manuel Villar’s Nacionalista Party.  Both Jamby Madrigal and Nicanor Perlas are running as independents.

It’s no longer surprising that all these parties do not have explicit, clear-cut, unambiguous, objective, and forthright political policies or programs. They simply echo the same political mantra: Big Government. They want the government to assume the role of Santa Claus, or a fairy godmother would provide people’s wishes and needs. All of our politicians promise ‘good governance’, which is one of the undefined and indefinable post-modern creatures of political pragmatism. What do they exactly mean by ‘good governance?’ Reality has it that this pragmatic, anti-concept term, which is a by-product of realpolitik, simply means more government spending, more state regulations in the economy, higher controls on individuals and businesses, and more government powers. These elements are the main characteristics of Big Government, which is a political compromise on basic rational principles and individual rights.

But the country’s political history tells us that most Filipinos love Big Government, although most of them do not clearly understand the idea behind this enormous political monster. Whenever their statist politicians speak of the virtue of ‘good governance’ the people see and think of more public goods and services without even trying to understand how to make these promises possible. This is the reason why I thought that most Filipinos are statists or closet socialists.

There is only one political cluster in the country which consists of voters who believe, albeit subconsciously, in BIG GOVERNMENT. Those who advocate for minimal or limited government are a minority. This political climate can be attributed to our colleges and universities that spread liberal, statist, and collectivist ideals that continue to poison the minds of young people. Almost all universities in the country preach anti-capitalism, anti-reason, and anti-individualism.

Logically, the main beneficiaries of the country’s statist, collectivist, and anti-individualist intellectual climate are none other than the pragmatic, statist politicians who promise to deliver common good, and their socialist counterparts who seek to convert the Philippines to a Maoist-Leninist slave pen through a process or political evolution, instead of bloody communist revolution.

Indeed, this year’s election is very disappointing due to the fact that all of those running for president are statists. All of the top presidential contenders, such as Aquino, Villar, Teodoro, Estrada, Gordon, and Madrigal, promised Big Government. Their political policies have all the trappings of extreme rightist political fascism. On the other hand, the politics and political aspirations of Perlas, De Los Reyes, Villanueva, Acosta have all the signs of extreme leftism and theocracy.

Yes, all the presidential candidates vowed to serve the undefined and indefinable “collective good”, instead of individual liberty. Alas, most Filipino people do not really grasp the politics of “common good” or “collective good.” This only means that liberalism and socialism are winning by default simply because the people have not yet been offered the right, proper, and moral choice: Capitalism.

Most people in this country—professors and intellectuals in particular—do not understand, or refuse to grasp, the true concept of capitalism. Laissez-faire Capitalism is all about minimal or limited government; it demands the separation of economics and the state and protection of individual rights. It is the only political-economic system that can save this country from the politics of liberalism and collectivism that is bringing this country to total disaster or dictatorship.

Perhaps it’s not yet the right time for this country to embrace capitalism and individualism. The problem is not partisan politics but the country’s educational system. But time is running out. We now see the seemingly unstoppable rise of socialism in the country since the creation of the 1987 Constitution, which is a product of the anti-ideologies of egalitarianism, political correctness, and progressiveness.

The only way to save this country from socialism or statism is by voting out socialist politicians who call for our immolation and sacrifice in the name of common good or collective welfare.

When you cast your ballots on May 10, 2010, please make sure that your vote is:

NO TO PHILIPPINE COMMUNISM!