Uprooting corruption, planting seeds of systemic change

Is corruption to be understood as part of the system and not the exception? Corruption is not simply the misconduct of individuals, but a necessary consequence of the logic of the decades-long tradition of family clans, interdependencies, and—not least—of capital, which seeks influence everywhere to secure profits.

When corrupt politicians or corporations circumvent environmental regulations, or politicians accept payments from the private sector, in my view, this is not just an “outlier,” but Philippine “normality”—or, in scientific terms, inherent in the system.

Family interests and politics show how political power is intertwined with economic power. Corruption increases inequality: the rich buy influence, while the majority can barely assert their interests. Debates about “dynasties vs. democracy” or about oligarchs can be analyzed well academically. Ideology and concealment go hand in hand.

The politicians in question say they are patriots and are doing everything for the people. This is of course, nonsense; they are doing it for their own pocketbooks. Who from abroad would want to invest in a country like this?

Corruption often remains hidden. Politicians try to conceal their true power interests with ideologies (“we act in the name of progress,” “free markets benefit everyone”). Political PR and lobbying often make power interests appear to be a “factual necessity”—precisely what political scientists have long warned against.

Lesson for today: Instead of viewing corruption only in moral terms (evil politicians), I encourage us to analyze the structural causes. In other words, to get to the roots and not just look at the surface. What economic conditions make corruption almost inevitable?

We need impetus for systemic reforms and innovations (e.g., transparency, limiting lobbying, democratization of economic power), not just for “more penalties.” You have to change the system to change corruption. You have to pull out the roots and plant new seeds—that’s how a new political generation grows.

This generation should learn from the mistakes of the older generation. Of course, we all make mistakes, and the new political generation will too, but remember, nobody is perfect. We’re only human.

“Man will set himself the goal of becoming master of his own feelings, of raising his instincts to the height of consciousness, of making them transparent, of laying the wires of his will into the subliminal and subterranean, and thus of climbing to a new level—of creating a higher social-biological type, a—if you will—superman. – Übermensch.” (Friedrich Nietzsche)

Don’t be ashamed of being Filipino, just be ashamed of the corrupt politicians who call themselves Filipino.