Kakistocracy

Kakistocracy
The Rule of the Unprincipled, Unethical and Unqualified
(click here for abstract and image)

BLURB
James Wesberry
Chief of Party, Philippine Integrity Project (iPro)

Ronnie Amorado’s second major book stands apart for more reasons than its eye-catching title, Kakistocracy – a government by the unprincipled, unethical and unqualified. An anatomical dissection of betrayal of public trust, the theme throughout the book, is accompanied by spine tingling fictionalized but very real cases of political and ethical apostasy, deception, dishonesty, double-crossing, double-dealing, duplicity, false witnessing, legerdemain, tergiversation, perfidy, prevarication, sell-out, treachery, trickery and unfaithfulness to persons, parties, principles, and the people as a whole.

If that were not enough the book also provides a wealth of short diagnostics including origin and often historical background of all sorts of topics relating them to trust and integrity, for example such public speakers’ treasures as the Peter Principle, Murphy’s law, Parkinson’s Law, the Pareto Rule, among others. Many quotes permeate the volume; some are familiar to the seasoned corruption fighter but many little known ones are excavated from works over the centuries such as the Latin axiom: Quis se excusa, se acusat! (He who excuses himself, accuses himself).  My favorite is from Confucius which I condense here: To put the world…the nation… the family…in order…we must first set our hearts right!

Based on over ten years of researching corruption’s mega-breach of faith and giving scores of anti-corruption seminars, Ronnie Amorado believes that, “Without integrity, intelligence is impunity. Without intelligence, integrity is mediocrity. Thus to be trusted – one must gain intelligence and integrity, one must cultivate character and competence.” He says that the betrayal of trust by those who are in power is “a form of subjection and subjugation.” He finds forms of kakistocracy everywhere and says they are all related – in government, in business, in religion, in not-for-profit organizations, even in the family. And he wraps it all up by proffering “a concept of citizenship as a countervailing power to offset and reduce kakistocratic behavior that breeds corruption and acts of betrayal.” Ronnie Amorado is riding a shooting star across the Philippines and among the Filipinos whose hopes and prayers for the future depend on transforming kakistocracy into a genuine democracy – one that is founded on leadership by example and nurtured by character with competence – on ending the historical betrayal of their trust.