Carvajal: Branches of the same tree

Strictly speaking, a political turncoat is one that dumps the socio-economic and political beliefs of her/his party to join another party that swears by a different ideology. Our political parties, however, are essentially factions of one Extreme Right Party.Strictly speaking, therefore, party-jumping legislators are not turncoats but mere opportunists. Much like monkeys that instinctively hop on to the tree-branch with the ripest fruits to pick, politicians instinctively hop on to the faction that offers the most immediate political and economic advantage.This ghost of a mother party subscribes to neo-liberal capitalist economics and politics. It represents the interests of the land-and-business-owning class, Philippine society’s elite that have exclusive access to the political power that maintains their favored economic system.Thus, regardless of which faction is in power, programs are legislated out of political and economic expediency, not from any motive of ensuring that all citizens get their rightful fair share of the country’s resources. Dole-outs to marginalized citizens are meant to temper dissent, appease complaints and, during elections, attract votes so they can stay in control.This is why poverty in the country remains at a high level. The neo-liberal capitalist economics and politics of all factions have absolutely no solution to the poverty of the masses.In a genuine party system, a party is accredited to represent a socio-economic and political theory. But in the Philippines only one party exists that has many factions. There is no Labor Party to voice the aspirations and promote the interests of the working class. There is not even a Centrist Party that balances the needs of the lower and upper classes.(There is an Extreme Left Party, the Communist Party, but this has been conveniently outlawed by the controlling Extreme Right Party, forcing the former to resort to armed revolution to promote proletarian interests.)That being the case, elections become a time for people to choose between staying in the frying pan or jumping to the fire. For regardless of which faction of the Extreme Right Party wins, the country’s economy will always be steered in the direction the owning class wants it to go.Until voiceless workers gain political power through a party of their own, they will continue to get trickles from the system dictated to them by surrogate politicians of the country’s business-and-land-owning class.Because our political parties are branches of one and the same tree, no law can prevent politicians from joining the faction (the one in power or the most likely strong opposition) that advances best their families’ political and economic aspirations. After all, they are in politics for that very purpose. Their favored economic system must stay. The rest of the nation can suffer for all they care.