FRUSTRATIONS over the slow fulfillment of the promise for reforms may have resulted in what is called democracy fatigue.
The first bloodless revolution that even shook the walls of socialist regimes in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union promised sweeping reforms for the Philippines which was on the brink of bankruptcy because of 20 years of violent Marcos dictatorship.
For more than three decades, the same democracy reestablished in that bloodless revolution in 1986 is threatened by the comeback of the same malevolent regime that brought the country to its knees. This is backed by a systematic effort at revising history to paint the dark years of our history as some glory days and make the people believe in false narratives? A campaign that flaunts stolen wealth.
In a speech before Mindanawon supporters of Vice President Leni Robredo, Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Oca Moreno shared his reflections resulting in having the vice president as his choice to be the next president.
“Marcos? He has plenty of money, no doubt. He has the solid north, no question about it. He may be the most popular presidentiable at this time. But what does he bring to the country that you and I love? What does he bring to the only country we have? What? You tell me. What lessons have we learned from him? You tell me what? The opposite of which is exactly true,” Mayor Oca asked.
He explained that is his 24 years in public service, he has learned a lot and would want to leave a legacy for the future generation.
“Leni is the one who can truly unify the country. We have been polarized for far too long already. Luoy na kaayo atong mga bata, they will learn how damaging politics is. Ang ilang natun-an: Grabe kaayo ning politika hugaw. Mao na ang natun-an sa atong mga kabataan, ang kahugaw sa politika. I don’t know if they will be able to learn the nobility of public service. Where the issue that is brought to the table is public service… Public service is a public trust,” Mayor Oca said explaining his choice that surprised even his close political allies.
Unlike populist politicians, Mayor Oca always follows a narrative, a proposition to the people. And then he works out solutions that eventually people appreciate the persecution he is getting.
If there is one thing common to Mayor Oca and the vice president Leni, it is the trolling and online bashing they are getting. VP Leni has been called names, she just brushes these off like tangled hair and work. Mayor Oca has been accused of all things, unperturbed, he performs and gets affirmation from the people.
We do need leaders who perform. We do need leaders who have a plan. We need leaders who listen to the people and make governance an instrument of redistribution of power and wealth. Leaders who would defend democracy,
Baby boomer generations are stepping up the plate now as they see the 2022 elections as their last fight. Their last stand for democracy.
Of late, democracy, the bedrock of our society has been tarnished, tried, threatened. Failure or slow delivery of reforms has resulted in democracy fatigue. And popular democracy which offered the balm to calm the people had always failed to deliver.
Data journalist Martin Armstrong writes in Statista.Com that, “The rise of democracy has been one of the greatest collective human achievements of the last century, allowing large shares of the world's population to live in relative freedom and have the ability to alter the politics and society of their country.”
Data however showed that in the last century, the share of global population living in a democracy people living in a democracy peaked at 52 percent in 2000, only to dip to 32% in 2020.
Has this expansion already peaked? Asked Armstrong.
Last December 10, we commemorated the 73rd anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Human rights are the core of democracy. For me, two of the most important aspects of human rights are freedom from fear and freedom from want.
Thus, fewer and fewer people living in a democracy means: More and more people are living in insecure societies, and more and more people living with scarce resources.
