Published: June 29, 2007,
ONCE again we witnessed the nasty politics of violence and flood of allegations of vote rigging in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. What has been largely ignored is the region’s prevailing poverty, political and socioecomic inequalities where electoral fraud and violence are rooted.
The region consistently occupy the “Bottom 10 (2003)” of the Philippine Human Development Report 2005 in terms of: Most Poor Provinces; Human Development Index (where Basilan, Maguindanao, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi are in the lowest rank); Per Capita Income (except Lanao del Sur); Basic Enrollment (except Tawi-Tawi), and; Gender Development Index (except Lanao del Sur). As regards life expectancy, they placed at the lowest with Tawi-Tawi at 51.2 years. These inequalities result to 1.8 million migrants all over the country in search of opportunities.
The region’s socioeconomic inequalities had given birth to political slavery where political dynasty gestated and, in exceptional cases, political warlordism evolved. Free election is supplanted by a process of selection among members of dynasties. It is based on ones’ influence in the family rather than platform of government.
Qualification, competency and character play no role. Public accountability succumbs to bloodline loyalty. Owing to the absence of choices within the region, politicians are not motivated by power and prestige but a control of the limited wealth in the local units or districts—the Internal Revenue Allotment or Pork Barrel Fund.
A victory in election will secure a three-year uninterrupted flow of millions of money. Their drive to ensure victory and the sense of losing increase political tensions and, at times, result to bloodshed.
Patronage politics thrives because of the political symbiotic dependency between the politicians and the poverty-stricken majority. The former provides for basic human subsistence in exchange of the latter’s continued patronage.
Supporters will be in a three year payroll that would somehow satisfy basic human needs for job, food and health. Being of limited choice, one has no sufficient freedom to break the bond. Freedom and liberty are elusive to men with empty stomach whose faculties are too infirm to exercise freewill.
A different scenario, however, exists in the case of political warlord where fear and reign of terror is employed to assure political submission; the leverage of money-politics plays a minimal role. The will of the people is snatched by the barrel of the gun.
When job, health care, education, food and water, and physical security are wanting, people choices are shut off. The hapless marginalized people become vulnerable and exposed to exploitation aggravated by government’s impotence to guarantee human security.
Nobel laureate W.A. Lewis in his Theory of Economics pointed out that increase in per capita income “gives a man greater control of his environment, and thereby increases his freedom.” But in the region is deprived of an condition where human development and security can be realized; where people choices and opportunities are much wider and where they could have greater control of their environment.
It is disturbing that the region gets that extraordinary interest only when there is blood-letting during election and armed conflict. In this election, Moro Problem and inequalities have been hardly taken seriously. What was underscored is who will control Congress rather than what Congress can do to the failing region.
Today’s politics however is not that encouraging: it is built on a high wall of intense and uncompromising political antagonism where constructive political cooperation is jettisoned. It is Congress’ constitutional duty to dismantle dynasty but conflict of interest exist as Congress itself is ruled by different species of political dynasties.
Legislative measures to make IRA and Pork Barrel spending more accountable and transparent are far from its agenda. It is disturbing on how the visible political warlords exist in a society claiming to be governed by rule of law. It will not require a legislation to disarm private armies, with the military might of the State it is sufficient to destroy their existence. With this bleak scenario, electoral violence and fraud in the region would still persist.
