If you desire to become not only a successful but an enduring politician as well in this country, you only need to learn and master these basic workable guidelines – long proven and effective in the political history of the Philippines.
The senator, governor, or mayor that you so revere, have the uncanny ability to hold on to their positions, and better still, the amazing power to turn over (or share) their positions to their spouses, children, and relatives – and you could not help but be awed and inspired by them. What enviable gift do these veritable icons possibly possess? You might be surprised if I tell you that there is none. What they have are valuable habits deeply embedded in their character – very much evident in their actions. Personal qualifications are factors that are only most secondary to these habits. But once you reach the topmost level in your political climb, and by consistently applying the seven habits, you now acquire the power to cling to power. You and your family now have the free rein: if your term as Mayor expires, you have the option to become the Congressman and your son to become Mayor. You can practically choose whatever government position you want for your spouse, your friend, or your children. I tell you, however – it is very difficult to get hold of and develop these habits. It takes time and the process may be a bit distressing. But don’t be discouraged. These seven habits are very simple to understand and you should be able to learn the necessary skills and eventually master these habits by heart – and realize your dream of becoming a successful and enduring politician. First it is important that you understand the essence of politics (Philippine style). Politics is both art and business. As an art, it takes conscious arrangement of strategies coupled with the superb ability to convert these strategies into action that yield to desired results. Politics is a business – as such it is important that one is able to appraise the value of his political capital and is well acquainted with strategic means of ensuring respectable returns. Like any other business, an enduring politician knows the price for longevity. He understands the wisdom of expansion. He learns to adapt to emerging political trends. He knows when to jump ship in order to survive. He definitely knows how to swim among the sharks. Perhaps the single most important insight to be gained by my cursory study of the inspiring success stories of Filipino politicians and political families in the Philippines is the power of what I call as “Paradigm Non-Shift”. (My apologies to Stephen Covey) This paradigm is commonly known as “traditional politics”. My theory is simple – why shift to a different paradigm when the traditional concept has proved to be very effective for decades? It is vital for every aspiring politician to understand the principles (or should I say, absence of it) fervently adhered to by the enduring and successful politicians of today. Logically put, the principle adhered to by an enduring politician is to adhere to no principle at all. Sounds confusing? Not really at least to these politicians who have already mastered these seven habits: Habit 1 – Be Adaptive Habit 1 – Be Adaptive “The Great Tergiversator”
Politicians like JDV call such stance as pro-active but it is not – actually, at least not in the context defined by Stephen Covey. The more apt term would be “adaptive” or the ability to adapt. These took great precedence after the EDSA revolution in 1986 where “turncoatism” was the order of the day. This is one important political stratagem that would best exemplify the first habit. In another context, an enduring politician knows how to capitalize on the major publicized issues by riding on it in such manner that would effectively advance his political agenda irregardless of which side of the political fence he is standing on. If for example, Senator Cruz proclaims to be part of the opposition, it would be imperative that he gets the needed media mileage and name-recall enough to carry him through the next election. Of course he should only take on the popular side of the issue, otherwise it would just defeat the purpose; unless he joins the administration.
On the other hand, if he is part of the administration - no matter how unpopular the position he’s supporting gets, he should strive to get the same level of media exposure and in addition – use his unwavering support as a leveraging tool to guarantee a slot in the administration slate. Habit 2 – Begin with the Elections in Mind
It’s all about winning the next election. The key to a prolonged political existence is to plan the best moves today that would more or less ensure a win in the next election. It is also vital to raise sufficient revenues to fund the next campaign. Do not mind the ridiculously low salaries of government officials; you should be creative and resourceful enough to make out where the money is. This point is expounded in a future article entitled “Learning the Craft in Graft”. Habit 3 – Put First Things Last
Crucial to winning an election is the ability to put first things last. Putting off essential projects like road works, irrigation, water, electricity, etc. at the beginning of the term only to be commenced towards the end of the term when the election period is in the offing, is a proven formula. It is very much easier to sway voters into voting for the incumbent upon seeing that important projects are already begun; the fear that the projects might not be finished if somebody else is elected is definitely held by many of the voters concerned. (…. To be continued) x x x
No this is not written as an anti-thesis to Stephen Covey’s philosophy. His is just a lot of bull when it comes to Philippine politics. Otherwise, Salonga, or Roco would have been elected president of this country.
(Source reference: The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey and Personal Learnings of a Fence-sitter Atop the Political Fence by the Shoe)
Habit 2 – Begin with the Elections in Mind
Habit 3 – Put First Things Last
Habit 4 – Think Win All
Habit 5 – Seek first to Understand, Then to be Misunderstood
Habit 6 – Synergize
Habit 7 – Sharpen the Claw
There’s a lot to be said about the Philippine politics and politicians. The degree of knowledge, education, and experience in the public sector used to be the criterion on who we pick to best govern the city or the nation as a whole, at least as I remember it. I am not suggesting that you have to have a PhD or an LL.B to be an effective leader but at least you ought to have a general knowledge of the laws and its formulation. Today, none of these matters anymore. You can be the famous movie star, athlete, or the dumb kin of a prominent politician and be elected in office. Media exposure has made it all possible and it has become a factor in most electoral politics, particularly in the Philippines. I bet that if Manny Pacquiao runs for office in his city, he would be elected hands down. No offense to a great boxer nor I am underestimating his level of competency in running for office, but I am merely stressing out a point. But let us be blunt here, to those aspiring “unqualified wannabees”, save the country by not running. If you’re running to honestly make a difference, there’s a lot of ways to do that without having a title.
Posted by richard at December 31, 2006, 11:46 amEarl, I have good friends who are politicians - most of them I consider as non-traditional politicians. This piece, of course (for those who might not possibly get it) is meant as a satire. This is not an indictment of all or specific Filipino politicians, but simply a generalization of what we already know and see as traditional politicians, who unfortunately still dominate our politics.
Chard, the state of politics in this country seemed to have deteriorated dont ya think? We have actors for senators and an ex-president. You are right we are not in a position to judge their level of competency. In fact this admits of exceptions - in the case of Senator Orly Mercado. he was a celebrity but he was a very outstanding senator and a very effective Secretary of Defense. You hit the mark when you said that "winnable" wannabes who are not really qualified should spare the country any more of this kind of politics.
I wish more of these politicians do not have the habits outlined in this article.
All comments are moderated. Your comments will not appear here unless approved by the blog owner. Thank you.
I guess you pretty much sum up the stuff politicians in this country is made of.
Posted by earl at December 24, 2006, 8:16 pm