Robredo says inclusivity is key against populist leaders
Vice President Leni Robredo said on Monday, May 24, that to fight off populist leaders in the next year’s elections, the opposition must “create a more inclusive and more welcoming political system.”
She mentioned during the question-and-answer portion after her speech before the students of the University of Cambridge’s MPhil in Public Policy Class of 2021 that populism was born because people felt left out.
“A lot of people feel left behind in economics and social progress. That is why they claimed to (welcome) ideas like disinformation in social media because it reinforces their feelings. It reinforces their beliefs,” Robredo said.
“And perhaps, this is what experts are telling us that to halt the rise of populism, we need to create more inclusive and more welcoming political systems not just in the Philippines, but around the world,” she added.
Robredo cited that the victory of United States President Joseph Biden over former President Donald Trump may be one signal that the world is turning away from populist regimes, noting that the worst-performing countries in terms of their COVID-19 response are helmed by populist leaders.
READ: https://mb.com.ph/2020/11/14/biden-wins-white-house-with-306-electoral-votes/
Yet, it is also important to recognize what contributed to the rise of populism all over the world.
“How social media, how the proliferation of disinformation has contributed to the rise of populism, how the traditional sources of information have taken a backseat and that has led to the amplification of emotional reaction of ordinary people,” Robredo said.
“And, you know, how the increasing pace of liberal democratic ideas in the world has led many people to feel left out, many people you know becoming, you know the yearning for more traditional values has returned because of the feeling of being excluded,” she added.
President Duterte has become one of the most popular and charismatic leaders the country has seen in recent years.
He run under the platform of “change is coming” when he won the presidency in Malacañang, the premise being that he is against oligarchs and will work for the common people.
Over the years, the Chief Executive managed to close down ABS-CBN, the country’s biggest media network owned by one of the richest families, the Lopez clan.
For the opposition to defeat someone as popular as Duterte, Robredo said it must not only have a common candidate, but it must agree “to the manner by which, you know, we fight off populism.”
1Sambayan, a united opposition group convened by the President’s arch-nemesis, retired Supreme Court associate justice Antonio Carpio, has been vocal about considering the vice president to be its standard-bearer for the 2022 polls.
Robredo has remained mum about her political plans, and even hinted at running for a gubernatorial post in her hometown of Camarines Sur.
“I would have to admit that this pandemic has not made things easier in the sense that most of our energies now are really focused on our many of initiatives as far as COVID response is concerned that there has not been much thought on the elections which is just around the corner," she added.