Drawing lessons from the crisis in Russia

In my previous column, I touched on several consultation meetings I've taken part in, all highlighting the human rights situation in our country. Whenever I spoke, I always urged for strengthening our institutions as a key strategy to address human rights abuses.

Despite the seemingly gentler approach of the Marcos Jr. administration towards critics --especially where human rights are concerned-- violations and unchecked abuses continue. Endemic corruption and a deep-rooted culture of patronage that permeate our political, economic, and social institutions are the cause.

Given these thoughts, I'd like to touch on a topic that may seem far away from local issues but has real lessons for us. I'm talking about the recent turmoil in Russia. A mutiny there laid bare Russian President Vladimir Putin’s vulnerability and revealed the paradox of a seemingly powerful yet fundamentally weak Russian state.

I’m a firm believer in institutions and the critical role that they play in a country’s socio-political and economic progress. As they say, people come and go but institutions endure. During President Noynoy Aquino's term, we had a real chance to bolster our institutions. Regrettably, six years fell short to mend our broken institutions, especially given the administration's political aloofness and lack of skill in deftly navigating our country's complex political scene. These missteps opened the door for leaders like President Duterte, entrenched in patronage and marked by an authoritarian bent, to rise to power with the support of a vast network of troll propaganda army.

The crisis that unfolded in Russia provides us with a stark warning of the dangers of relying on strongman politics over institutional integrity. Russian leader Putin has nurtured a unique and highly-personalized political system where rivalry among his subordinates is promoted as a method of clinging on to power. One of these subordinates, Yevgeny Prigozhin, a former convict turned businessman, has recently launched and halted a startling rebellion that has rocked Putin's 23-year grip on power.

Prigozhin evolved his small security unit into the private military company called Wagner. Once known as Putin’s chef or Kremlin’s chief caterer, Prigozhin soon emerged as a forceful personality, following Putin's ill-advised move to invade Ukraine last year. As Wagner grew in strength and audacity, it began to challenge the state's monopoly on force, leading to friction with the Russian Defense Ministry.

The conflict points to the danger when institutions are circumvented in favor of networks of power centered around charismatic or strong personalities. Prigozhin's rise is a case of a monster created by Putin himself due to the latter’s inability to view Russian institutions beyond his own authority. This monster is now exposing Putin as a weak leader and the Russian state as having an “almost-feudal political system”.

Bringing the lesson back home, the narrative from Russia is a reminder of the importance of building strong institutions under the rule of law and justice. Sadly, we have a tendency to be drawn to the allure of strongman leadership. We often endow our presidency with vast powers and influence, sidelining the necessary checks and balances in the process. We do this under the assumption that such concentration of power can promptly address our problems.

When will we learn that this approach is shortsighted? We need only look as far as the previous administration's war against illegal drugs to see the dire consequences. Robust democratic institutions --characterized by transparency, accountability, and effective checks and balances-- remain the cornerstone of a stable and progressive society. Russia’s disastrous war in Ukraine and the internal turmoil in Russia itself serve as clear reminders of this fact.