If you have noticed something inherently unfair about how some countries are rich, their cities are clean and livable while some, including, sadly our own, is in many ways “third world”. The conclusion one might draw simplistically from that observation is that “white” countries somehow managed to master the trick. But then there are several poor white countries, in Eastern Europe, not all white countries are equally rich and more importantly, Asians, including Indians in the West do extremely well. Furthermore, there’s Japan that’s very rich.
But there’s another thing that most analysts are perhaps paid not to notice –corrupt, fascist, nepotist dynasties and the sycophantic ecosystem they spawn infect the third world much more than the rich West. India is not alone. The Philippines, a country many Indians hardly know of, can perhaps be called No. 1 and that’s quite an achievement considering the competition.
Ignoring the lazy intellectual explanation of “BJP too has dynasties” that we hear often, let us make one thing clear– it is not that dynasties, corrupt or otherwise, are inherently bad in a democracy. They have rights to contest too. Moreover, not just dynasts, anyone with a known name and face – be it a boxer, actor, TV anchor, sportsperson, or even a retired military general, instantly gets a head start in politics, whether we like it or not.
What we are specifically referring to is that subsect of the dynast caste – ones with success path carved out, mapped, and a vast, corrupt entrenched ecosystem in place to ensure they and only they can get ahead, even with zero merits. And once in power, they stay there for exactly the same reasons. They can boldly declare that seats will only be given on merits and not get “fact-checked” or mocked.
That’s the one we should be vary of.
It is in this context that developments in Sri Lanka as well as the recent Presidential elections in the Philippines need to be analysed. And it can give us a timely warning, even a sick feeling in the stomach that we too can be the next victim if we don’t watch out. Yes, we are not only not immune, but we are also genetically vulnerable.
Philippines election
Unlike events in SL, we hardly hear about the Philippines in Indian media. So let us look at that first. In the recently concluded elections, Ferdinand Marcos, son of the notorious dictator of the same name, who looted billions, has won a resounding victory. Even though a whole generation has grown up since the 1980s, many are scratching their heads. How can this happen?
Many respectable media outlets are attributing this victory to sustained fake and misleading propaganda on social media about the so-called “golden age of peace and prosperity” during the dictatorship. Naturally, the loot and plunder and tales of thousands of expensive shoes were brushed under the carpet.
We must be very familiar with some of the tricks used by the dynast – using handpicked, filtered statistics to boast about higher growth rates, for one. And the portrayal of a country at peace (they didn’t exactly call it “Idea of Philippines”, perhaps that was copyrighted), focus on growth etc. If you read the propaganda by leftist media and academia in India, you would also think the 60s, 70s and 80s were a golden era. Modi was handed over an India of milk and honey at peace with its neighbours to destroy. That a huge percentage did not even have access to a toilet, school, electricity or roads was brushed off by the brown-nosed media servants (thanks Tharoor) who started counting every pothole in 2014.
And Filipinos were told to judge the junior by his actions and not the sins of his parents. Sounds familiar? He obviously benefited hugely from the empire built in the “golden era” of corruption, fascism and repression. Just that it can be selectively cashed like our “has her grandma’s nose” & “I am Indira’s granddaughter” or disowned and hand-washed (“why blame Rahul for the Emergency?”) depending on the situation. After all, when you control the “fact-checking” frauds and media boot lickers that call themselves “fearless and independent”, you can get away with anything. That’s what Marcos Jr did. The first thing he did was visit his father’s grave. He knows why he won.
Yet another bizarre propaganda lie was that Leni Robredo, the main challenger with a reputation for clean hands, and from a much simpler family background was portrayed as an “elitist” and had to go around defending herself, while the corrupt dynast tried to portray himself as pro-poor! Again, that should sound very familiar to Indians.
By the way, here is some trivia! Marcos Sr did not think too much about his son – he even wrote in his diary that his son was “carefree and lazy”! And he too was sent to London to study!
All this can be debated and discussed till the cows come home. But the reality is that many Filipinos who wanted an end to corruption and were pinning hopes on Robredo woke up to the shocking reality of the return of Marcos! Bankers in Europe must be licking their palms because billions will now start flowing. West loves corruption in the third world.
Yet another aspect that should send a chill down the spines of Indians is that China is very pleased with the developments. Media reports are already talking about his Presidency being a “boon for China”. Naturally, Beijing too prefers corrupt elite dynasts to nationalist, son-of-soil leaders. Given vast and powerful Stalinist left ecosystem in India has made their preferences too very clear, one must worry about the future. Marcos Jr even said, “As a matter of fact, people from the Chinese embassy are my friends”! Sounds familiar?
The key question we should ask ourselves is, can that horror happen in India? What are we going to do to avoid that fate again?
The best answer I can think of is, stay alert to media propaganda by the corrupt ecosystem. Poor Pinoys didn’t. Stay alert to pseudo-intellectuals, leftist rags, elite academicians, rock-star central bankers, “eminent” historians and “concerned” civil servants, that, knowingly or otherwise, act as enablers of dynastic loot.
When you come across any narrative in the media that calls itself “fearlessly independent”, take that as seriously as the “Democratic” label most communist nations add to their names. That’s the “Father not hiding in the barn” statement. Do your own thinking. What do they stand to gain from the return of the “golden era”? Check their track record of “speaking truth” in the UPA era.
The Sri Lanka saga
When it comes to Lanka though, we are not short of “information”. Our “independent” media is flooded with news all carefully curated to make sure no one even by mistake concludes family rule (aka loot) and obedience to Beijing caused the problem in the first place. Retainers are busy on social media attributing the problem to everything they can think of except the obvious. Jairam Ramesh wants to blame “majoritarianism”. Wait for some other leftist intellectual to out-lick him, blaming Brahminical patriarchy!
Ajit Datta had an interesting comment – “Eminent intellectual logic: The Rajapaksas ruined Sri Lanka. And it will happen soon to India too if we don’t bring the Gandhis back”. Sadly, he was not joking. Dynasts and their servants have been predicting, even fervently hoping and praying that India should suffer Lanka’s fate. And their cure?! Bring back dynasty!
But I have a different prediction – Sri Lanka may very well be the first nation in this part of the world to successfully rid itself of corrupt dynasties. Yes, it took a crisis, but they may end up doing it. I wish them well. I would be sad to see business as usual there.
And when they do that, they may realise that building a prosperous country doesn’t take white skin. It just needs a citizenry that is “woke” to dynastic corruption and perpetual rule packaged by its serfs as progressive, liberal, pro-poor, secular or whatever impressive-sounding label they can think of.
