7 steps to turn back the politics of hate

“One death too many!” This phrase perhaps best captures the sentiment felt by men or women in the streets upon hearing about the extrajudicial killing of another “suspect” in the government’s unrelenting “war on drugs.” 

The name “Kian” is no longer just one in a long list of victims; his killing perhaps marks the “tipping point” that has aroused the people’s proverbial patience. It is no longer the number of victims breaching the thousands that have caused outrage; rather, it is the jarring truth that we have been largely silent for far too long.

The resurgent politics of hate and fear

This phenomenon is not confined to the Philippines alone. The emergence of the politics of hate and fear is a widespread sentiment shared by leaders claiming to be “populist” or “nationalists” be it in Turkey or Hungary, or the USA where Donald Trump’s “America First” crusade has mobilized frenzied followers as well as galvanized relentless resistance.

Oddly, this large “tent” embodying the politics of hate and fear also includes individuals and bands of terrorists spawned by the failed states in Afghanistan or Iraq, Syria or Libya, and Yemen or native-born zealots who seek redemption by spreading their message of hate, demonizing those in their target countries. Cannon fodder in this seeming “war unto death” are legitimate immigrants or refugees, dissidents or members of opposition groups now with muted voices and crushed hopes, instead. 

Long history recalled

The politics of hate and fear has a long history. Consider the tragic events that we cannot erase from our memories such as the inhuman slaughter of innocents in the concentration camps of Nazi Germany to the killing fields of Cambodia, the mute testimonies of the villages awash in blood in Rwanda and Burundi, the cries of pain that echoed in the Estadio Nacional (the national stadium) in Pinochet’s Chile converted into an arena for the torture and elimination of political prisoners, and gunfire mowing down children in the shanty towns of Soweto and Crossroads in South Africa’s shameful apartheid period.

What made these killings, most of which have been classified as “crimes against humanity”, possible was the creation of “enemies” that had to be crushed, killed or annihilated because they were “others” who could not be trusted except when they no longer breathed. 

They had become “objects of hate” and subjects for elimination since they were not fit to walk in step together with others presumed to be their “betters” or those of the superior race. In the same way, drug addicts, drug pushers and drug lords had to be destroyed at all costs lest they “contaminate” the others. They had lost their birthright as citizens as well as their claim to humanity; thus, given the logic of the politics of hate and fear, they had to be “neutralized” and put away for good.

Is there a way out?

Is there a way out of this spiral of hate and fear, of this type of politics consisting of “us” and “them,” of this escalating war that has now touched the lives of people from the towns of Bulacan and Pampanga to the city of Marawi that for the last 3 months has become a battlefield sending hundreds of thousands of residents into “refugee camps”, creating hostile hearts as they witness the devastation of their homes and the destruction of their sacred sites.

It is so easy to despair, to turn one’s back and retreat to a shell of indifference and cynicism: “nothing, nothing at all, can be done!” But my experience in comparative conflict situations in different but somehow similar settings tell me that “Yes” – it is possible to turn back things; transform even the most tragic of circumstances and build something even better than the past. 

The politics of hate and fear does not have to paralyze a people; it can be addressed and it can, in fact, catalyze a sense of common purpose, it can unleash both resolve and resistance; it can engender hope that makes change possible.

7 steps to turn back the politics of hate

Start Where You Are.  Reality dictates that we start where we are. We can acknowledge our situation, our strengths and limitations. We can consider our options, the possibilities, and the priorities. We can reflect on what realistically can be done – beginning with one’s self and thinking of working with others.  

Respect Others, At All Times.  At the core of our endeavors is respect for others, at all times. Respect for others demands a capacity to listen and learn, to dialogue and see the other as a worthy dialogue partner whose “truth” I must value. People who have other or even contrarian views are people worth respecting though we may not agree always; in some ways, we may aim to explore common ground and begin to understand that there is more to what unites us than what divides us.

Show Reverence for Life.  In the spectrum of politics there may be one common denominator: reverence for life. We are all created equal, and we share the same humanity. Thus, we can at least demand from each other an unwavering reverence for life; the intention to do no harm; the willingness to bind the wounds of the other and to redress real or perceived grievances.

Take A Stand, Courage is Contagious.  Politics is the art of imperfect creation. There can be wrong or failed policies; there can also be ill-intentioned actions. The imperative then becomes this: take a stand, and remember that courage is contagious. In fact, courage is a verb and requires the capacity to hold and express principled positions, when called for, and to be brave in the practice of politics.   

Transform Risks into Opportunities.  We are often faced by choices, risks or even failure. The challenge is to transform the risks into opportunities and to learn that failure can be a friend. The task then becomes the ability to draw lessons from our mistakes, and retrieve something positive from the negatives that come our way in the field of public or community service, or the political arena.

Begin with Small Steps in a Marathon Journey.  To achieve worthwhile results in politics requires a marathon mentality. One has to be ready to engage for the long-haul, ready to undertake a marathon journey. But one must understand that long journeys often require the first small steps. Thus, we cannot be burdened with envisioned end-goals unless we are willing to take the first few steps. Begin with small steps, such as making a resolve to undertake daily acts of kindness that sets us up on our way.

Conspire to Keep Hope Alive.  To unleash a new kind of politics, we may have to learn to work well with others. We can conspire to keep hope alive, in the first place, and ensure that we will together harness our energies and resources for the work that will be ongoing, and will, at least in our lifetime, become a continual work in progress.

The task to turn back the politics of hate and fear is joined. It will take time, but now that we have reached a turning point, there is no turning back. – Rappler.com

 

Ed Garcia was a framer of the 1987 Constitution, he taught political science at the University of the Philippines and the Ateneo de Manila University. He worked previously at Amnesty International and International Alert where he was engaged in peace efforts in countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America, Europe and the Middle East for over two decades. In post-retirement, he serves as a consultant on formation for scholar-athletes at FEU-Diliman.