Dean Dela Paz
“Candidates must be chosen through a democratic and consultative process.”
The initial criticism from both sides of the political aisle ranged from ridiculing their chances of winning in 2022 to the lack of incentives for the opposition to coalesce, and to accusations of candidates with selfish agendas.
While weathering the strongest gales yet from the pandemic, whose latent surge is now far worse than what we had started with a year ago, it is convenient and comfortable to hunker down and go without our thinking caps.
Catatonic, staring at walls, fattened on takeout, and surrendering to the government’s “excellent” performance as we wait for the promised vaccines do not compel jumpstarting atrophied brain cells when considering 1Sambayan.
We have allowed ourselves to become so politically polarized that, rather than employing critical thinking in vetting our leadership, we simply reach into pigeonholed personges to install as president, vice president, or legislator.
In a milieu characterized by identity and personality politics where neither platforms, programs of government nor principles and good character matter, the electorate can simply resort to its default vetting criteria — popularity, that single factor mostly driven by imagery. Why bother to think when we can apply bias?
Beholden to local officials who distribute doles, build waiting sheds and multi-purpose halls and bankroll town fiestas and sportsfests, we repay by electing their dynasty to perpetually occupy elective offices. Starstruck with entertainers, we effectively elect their contrived and imaginary persona to the highest offices, dreaming that since they play celluloid heroes on the silver screen, they will likewise be heroic officials.
employable vetting tools. When these replace analysis and discernment, note what constitute commentary to the 1Sambayan launch.
The first is a sudden dive into personality politics where biases comprise criticism. Since some spoke in English, they must be elitist. Since another delivered in poetry, he must be quixotic. Since others represent farmers, they must be Bolsheviks. Since they are opposition, they will lose.
The second is a presumption that the organizers and government critics are automatically candidates. But 1Sambayan has yet to form a ticket.
Lastly, since 1Sambayan seeks competent, patriotic, principled and honest candidates, then the 2016 and 2019 election losses serve as omens. They do not. This is where 1Sambayan’s mathematics enters the equation.
Crunch the numbers. 2016 had six presidential candidates. Divide the number of voters by six and then add one vote. Plurality was all that was needed to win. In 2016, the winning mandate was slightly over 20 percent. If a challenger to the administration’s ticket in 2022 unites under one slate and the incumbent’s chosen successors do not unite, then whoever fails to unite losses. Beware the ides of March. The administration’s real and present threats are its ambitious albeit popular rogue allies. Not 1Sambayan.
Needless to say, candidates must be chosen through a democratic and consultative process. But whatever variables comprise the formula, or whosoever is chosen through 1Sambayan’s method, the important exponent in the equation is unity.
The launch was essentially about those — an appeal for a process and an appeal for a single opposition ticket. There is nothing to fear from the 1Sambayan launch. To be unnerved by it is to see disembodied specters.