Analysis and Opinion

By Joe America

Although I agree that any successful political candidate must be able to connect with voters, I'm struggling with the idea that one ought not criticize voters for electing Trumps and Dutertes. Rather, you should respect their choices, made sincerely given the condition of their condition.

Isn't that seeing voters as nothing better than subjects of the realm with no accountability for their choices? It fits the Philippine model where voters are there to be captured by the loudest voice, not the best, and then they spend six years shrugging as lousy leaders make off with the loot.

"Not my fault."

In otherwords, there is no "ownership" of the nation by voters.

That to me seems to be exactly the problem. President Aquino tried to correct it by calling citizens his 'boss', but citizens didn't want the job. They didn't want any accountability for decisions he made that they disagreed with.

And today voters believe they had no hand in thousands of police killings, China in Philippine seas, or 25,000 covid deaths.

That's wrong.

Voters should be held to account.

"They did it!"

Then maybe they'll be able to grasp what being a democratic nation means. And choose better.

To get there, Filipino voters need to get over the childish view that a President has to be perfect so they don't have to explain themselves when he gets it wrong. When they can explain, and accept, a president's disagreeable decisions, they'll be better able to figure out which candidate will give them the most good decisions, and the fewest "bad" ones.

And they will feel a sense of nationhood that today is completely missing. The nation "I helped build".

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Photo source: Rappler