In reading Frank Chodorov’s fantastic article, it dawned upon me that I have been an unwitting 6-year practitioner of Mr. Chodorov’s ‘silent revolution’: I haven’t exercised my rights to suffrage in protest to what I perceive as the current farcical ‘social democracy’ which hallmarks the Philippines’ political system.
Here are some rudimentary reasons how and why election boycotts could be utilized as one avenue to institute political change.
These great excerpts from Mr. Chodorov: (all bold highlights mine):
Why should a self-respecting citizen endorse an institution grounded in thievery? For that is what one does when one votes.
In the quiet of his conscience each citizen pledges himself, to himself, not to give moral support to an unmoral institution, and on election day he remains at home.
the fact that every election is a seizure of power. The balloting system has been defined as a battle between opposing forces, each armed with proposals for the public good, for a grant of power to put these proposals into practice. As far as it goes, this definition is correct; but when the successful contestant acquires the grant of power toward what end does he use it — not theoretically but practically? Does he not, with an eye to the next campaign, and with the citizens' money, go in for purchasing support from pressure groups? Whether it is by catering to a monopoly interest whose campaign contribution is necessary to his purpose, or to a privilege-seeking labor group, or to a hungry army of unemployed or of veterans, the over-the-barrel method of seizing and maintaining political power is standard practice
Remember that the proposal to quit voting is basically revolutionary; it amounts to a shifting of power from one group to another, which is the essence of revolution.
All this would change if we quit voting. Such abstinence would be tantamount to this notice to politicians: since we as individuals have decided to look after our affairs, your services are no longer needed. Having assumed social power we must, as individuals, assume social responsibility — provided, of course, the politicians accept their discharge.
Revolutions starts with the individual.
By refusing to exercise our rights to suffrage we should put notice to the everyone, especially to the power hungry politicians, that we expect genuine “change” by fundamentally allowing individuals to assume greater social power and not some pretentious cycles of ‘personality based welfare-free goodies based politics’.
All it takes is to stay home.
