Does the People Power Reflect the General Will of All?

Generally we say that societies exist as the product of social contract. As we talk about social contract, we refer it as an agreement for the preservation of either life alone or properties. But, if there would exist internal conflict between the trustee and its people, does a revolution known as the people power reflect the general will? Before discussing it, we should define first reflect. What do we mean by saying that people power reflects the general will? In simple sense, I would like to define reflect as to carry the will and consequently talks about it. So, does people power reflects the general will?

People power whether part of human right or not does not necessarily hold or carry the general will. It is in a strict sense that the will we are referring cannot be carried or passed from one person to another. As Rousseau said, ‘power can be transferred but not the will’. Therefore, no one even if it is a right can hold the general will and pass it; it is the will which holds the people. Societies exist because of the will; the will gives someone the name citizen and unite them as the people. People power, therefore does not necessarily hold nor reflect the general will, for there is no one who is given the authority to hold the will. The general will is within the society separate from the interest of the people except with their interest to remain as one; separate from any external force which may cause annihilation of the state. Unless the government threatens the existence of its state and as long as the people speaks for the social contract and not the will of all nor a particular will, people power reflects the general will of all. It is only in such case where people power is valid, for it is in that case where the obligation of the people to protect the general will is seen to maintain the society.

People power having been decided by the people sovereign or not does not necessarily reflect the general will. Though sovereignty is the exercise of the general will, it is not necessarily the sovereignty of the public body or whatsoever which determines the validity of a revolution. It is not the authority which counts; rather, it is the submission of the government and the sovereign to the social contract. Submission in common term is the obedience to the contract which is abiding the objective of the state which is the preservation of life and equality. If in any case, the trustee has not attained the preservation of life, then a revolution can be administered. Then, we say that in such case people power reflects the general will for it is in the general will that life should be preserved.

But, I would like to emphasize that people power should only be administered by the people as their last resort. They should only decide it if the conditions of the social contract have not been sustained. Unless the existence of the state is at risk there should not have any form of people power as this would eventually lead to dissolution of the state which is far from the purpose of people power which is to stability within the state.

In more concrete sense, we can only say that people power reflects the general will if for any case it is for the general will. The people power should be based on the general will, talks about the general will and eventually uphold the general will. As long as the people power would resolve for stability of the state we account it as beneficial. If the people power was based on influence of a particular body, then, it does not reflect the general will, in such case we can expect greater instability for there would exist private interest that would drastically scarce public resources and therefore killing the state.