By Wilhelmina S. Orozco
The authoritarian mind still lurks around the world, now concentrated in Libya. The acts of Ghadafy to the Libyans reflect that mind that has gone berserk ready to use all annihilating forces and means just to be able to hold on to power.
We have had our share of authoritarian minds way back in the 80’s and well into
The irrational obsession with maintaining political power at all costs means the individual possesses an authoritarian mind. Our colonial history of Spanish and American colonization show how the foreign forces used all kinds of manipulation and strangulation devices in order to make the revolutionaries surrender and to instill blind obedience to their rules. Worse yet, the Spanish conquerors connived with the Americans to continue our being under colonial rule for US $200 million dollars in 1998.
However, time changes everything so much so that some benevolent governors and foreign rulers were sent here to be kinder to the people, and eventually, we were freed from one colonial rule to the other. But the kind of democracy that the Americans handed down to the people was not strong enough to counter all forms of authoritarian minds. From 1946 when the American flag was brought down and the Philippine flag was raised up, to 1972, or 26 years after, we were back to a lowly state, with the imposition of Marcos dictatorial rule.
And Marcos indeed showed three glaring characteristics of that authoritarian mind: a hankering for omnipotence – making his face and the faces of his family ubiquitous in every corner of our life, from children’s elementary books to T-shirts, newspapers and other media; and using militaristic force to make the people toe all of his self- and subalterns-written presidential decrees. And to counter his powers, the people resorted to all kinds of propaganda – mimeographed papers slid secretly into homes and offices, lightning rallies, shooting incognito and using Church resources to distribute films and other critical writings, as well as using pseudonyms just so we could make the people see the other side of life – that of breathing freedom and exercising our fullest potentials in thinking, speaking out and acting on our lot.
What is obvious in the authoritarian mind is that hierarchical structure which feeds the control powers. By having underlings ready to bow and kowtow to every whim and caprice, the authoritarian is able to maintain power no matter how undemocratic. Just look at the countries in revolt now in Africa and the Middle East. Seating powers have been there for decades and the desire of their peoples for changes is meeting all kinds of obstacles from the use of tear gas to outright bombing, which means annihilation of life. Obviously, an authoritarian mind cannot exist on its own. It is also bred by a fearful people whose fears freeze their minds and bodies to act as human beings. They become puppets and robots to the machinations of the authoritarian. However, once they remove their fears, the people could always overturn the forces of oppression and bring about a new life for themselves as our history of People Power in 1986 not and never the Edsa Dos, had shown.
Another trait of the authoritarian is that need to manipulate people and events for his or her own selfish ends. Any reaction to that is dealt with severely, either by reduction of budgetary allocations, abolition of institutions or structures that nurture democratic inclinations such as the complete takeover of media during the first years of martial rule in the Philippines, or eventually, the use of violent forces to arrest, jail, murder secretly, or to exile the so-called “recalcitrant” person or group. No corner of the land is free from its tentacles to hold on to power permanently.
Unspeakable cruelty
The third and possibly the worst trait of the authoritarian mind is unspeakable cruelty. It shows no mercy to its victims, as it is ready to use all tools and devices to show that it is in control and in power, that the people have to follow every step it commands to be done, and for everyone to align and subsume all thoughts to how it thinks. Just imagine how Hitler created concentration camps during WWII in order to obliterate the Jews and to uphold the Aryan race. Do we remember how GMA used the budget to feed the rapacious appetites of the military that propped her up through all of her 9 years in power, despite the protests against her fake ascension to power and the moves to impeach her twice in the legislature? The current investigations of the generals who had pasalubong and pabaon during term of office are now unearthing those acts of her.
This kind of ruthlessness of the authoritarian can be more easily gleaned from the way it uses resources. It puts a premium on military budgets rather than for those that will promote the well-being of the people, like education, health and social welfare. (To show its adherence to democratic rule, I hope that within the year, the Department of Social Welfare will have had a permanent policy and program for dealing with vagrants in all the MetroManila cities. Allowing them to roam and sleep at any corner while government officials travel in first class vehicles is a blot to the record of any ruling democratic party.)
Maybe in our case, a part of the Third World, authoritarians who passed our political scenes were able to do their will is because the gap between the educated and the uneducated was too big. More people were pragmatic rather than idealistic – living for that idea of freedom. And so, Marcos was able to harness the government resources to create a huge number of followers who could readily be united– loyalist urban poor –to march for him, ride buses and show up at his rallies to show later on in media that he enjoys popularity among the people.
Are authoritarians beyond change? Or maybe we should just start educating the public on how to spot an authoritarian and correct him or her right away. Our elementary and high schools must encourage the creation of student councils and student newspapers so that the youth are able to practice on and exercise democratic methods and social responsibility right away. In the larger society, the rules for candidacies from local—the barangay - up to the national elections by the Commission on Elections should ensure democratic treatment of every candidate. The Comelec should be transparent and provide rational and legal reasons for denial of candidacies. I know for a fact that certain partylist groups shelled out large sums in order to be able to gain candidacies. Then, professional organizations must not allow corrupt practices such as manipulation of the election of officers within so as to perpetuate the rule of some vested interest-groups.
In conclusion, a permanent solution to preventing the occurrence of authoritarian minds in our midst is by having an educated and alert citizenry ready to act against any form of manipulation and domination, and skilled in assessing any person using a situation for garnering unbridled power.
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