Political Parties Must Get Back to the Basics

How can political parties survive, even thrive, in the “new normal” brought about by the pandemic?

This was the key question that a distinguished panel of political leaders and experts addressed in a recent online forum held on 1 December 2021, organized by the Council of Asian Liberal and Democrats (CALD), a regional network of liberal and democratic political parties in Asia.

“(The) task of making political parties relevant in democratic decision-making is difficult as it is, but the COVID-19 pandemic has made things more challenging”, said CALD Chairperson and Philippine Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan. “The restrictions on mobility, social distancing protocols, overreliance on social media, and consequently, the proliferation of fake news, would mean that we need to work harder and be more innovative in getting our message across to our constituents and in connecting with them.”

While the pandemic has certainly made it more difficult for political parties to perform their roles, it needs to be recognized that the decline of political parties and liberal democracy has been happening even before COVID-19 struck. Former Prime Minister of Thailand Abhisit Vejjajiva, in his opening keynote address, explained that this decline has been emanating from the “process of disruption” caused by globalization and its attendant technology, resulting in the loss of trust in the political establishment. “If we want political parties not just to survive but to thrive in this new environment, we must recognize the causes as well as (get) back to the basics of what political parties are supposed to do.”

Birgitta Ohlsson, director of political parties in the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, proposed some solutions on what political parties can do to navigate this difficult environment.  Among her recommendations include winning with democratic allies, with delivery, with integrity and accountability, and with inclusivity.  Moreover, she argued that when it comes to political parties’ internal structure and processes, “culture beats strategy” – if a political party’s culture is toxic and authoritarian, strategies do not matter at all.  She beautifully summed up how political parties should behave in these words: “Win with integrity, lead with dignity and lose with grace.”

International IDEA’s Alberto Fernandez Gibaja elaborated on what political parties can do to navigate the new normal and increase public trust.  His recommendations include: (1) develop firm and continuous policy positions; (2) embed democratic principles as party principles; (3) practice transparency: ‘sunlight is the best disinfectant’; (4) innovate by looking into new forms of membership, collaterals, internal election, internal participation, etc.; (5) push for legislative reforms that foster fair competition (political finance, campaign rules, etc.); and (6) support the (real) media.

These recommendations could be useful for Philippine political parties, which have been described as weak, incoherent and nothing more but convenient vehicles of patronage. In the presentation of Julio C. Teehankee, professor in De la Salle University of the Philippines, he hinted that this nature of political parties in the country make them prone to “authoritarian contamination”, which he defined as “personality or personalities closely identified with a fallen authoritarian regime infecting or contaminating democratic parties – parties that struggled against authoritarianism or were founded in the aftermath of the dictatorship to consolidate democratic gains.”

Hakima el Haite, president of Liberal International, brought the forum into a close by emphasizing the widespread effects of the pandemic on democracy and human rights. “During this health crisis… in over 80 countries, governments have responded by engaging in abuses of power, silencing of critics, and weakening and shutting down of important institutions.” She argued: “To give the right, democratic and sustainable solutions (to global problems, including the pandemic), we need stronger, democratic, transparent parties.”

The online forum was organized in cooperation with the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, which was represented in the forum by its regional director, Moritz Kleine-Brockhoff. John Nery, Rappler editorial consultant, moderated the event.