Tuesday, April 03, 2007 Moro partylist, MILF don't see fair elections By Ben O. Tesiorna
TWO Moro organizations, including a party-list group participating in the elections, expect this year’s election to be wracked with violence and cheating just like in the past.
The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) said election in the Philippines has always been fraudulent and that they do not expect any changes this time around.
The Suara Bangsamoro Party-list meanwhile expressed its concern for the teachers who will be deputized by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) as election officers this May 2007 polls.
The group believes that the May 2007 elections "could be the bloodiest election ever in the Philippines."
Indications to this, the Suara said, are the latest cases of election-related killings all over the country since electoral campaigns started last February 12.
In a statement, Suara national chair Zaynab Ampatuan said they will not be surprised "if all of these back-to-back word wars of political opponents with each other will turn to bloody clash wreaking lives of civilians.”
Ampatuan said they are worried though that the teachers will be the ones who would fall victims to all the possible election-related violence.
“Just like what happened during the May 2004 election where a certain teacher in Basilan was abducted along with the ballot box that she was carrying,” he said.
“In some Maguindanao provinces teachers were harassed and threatened by not only politicians but also by some military men from the AFP,” Ampatuan added.
She said a total of 47 individuals died in 82 reported incidents of ambushes, raids, abductions and warrantless arrests, summary killings, strafing, physical harm and grave threat last May 2004 election.
Of the 82 reported incidents, she said, 47 were killings attributed by the witnesses and victims to the armed forces and the administration party.
“Most cases of election-related violence last May 2004, were documented in Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Armm), making most Armm areas as election hotspot areas,” Ampatuan said.
A ranking MILF official meanwhile said: "Cheating is all what it takes for many if not most of candidates to win in elections in the Philippines.”
In their official website luwaran.com, the official said "cheating takes many forms, ranging from effecting multiple registrations for supporters, hauling of flying voters, padding of list of voters, buying voters, wrong entry in the counting of votes, changing the number of votes in the election returns, to forced proclamation by the Comelec, among others.”
He said that oftentimes, intimidation is used against the voters either through the cooperation of goons, policemen, or even soldiers commissioned to make the elections clean and peaceful.
The MILF official lamented that despite the higher literacy in the Philippines and the presence of so many competent and qualified people, the Filipinos still resort to the lose-lose formula in choosing their leaders.
He said there are actually no winners in an election that is fraudulent.
“Winners and losers in elections are all losers. The biggest loser though is the people, because winners will get their money spent for elections through dubious means," he said.
