A lot of things are bothering me about this May elections.
The general consensus is that the cheating for this coming elections will be minimal. Yet, there are several facts that trouble me. One, the Comelec had ordered extra 1 million ballots printed. Second, the Comelec has purged the voters list; around a million names were removed. So what’s the use of the extra ballots?
Third, the administration is not bothered by the strong showing of the opposition in the senatorial race. Heck, it was even nonchalant when reacting to surveys. However, when a survey result showing that the voters will vote opposition in the local polls was released, the administration almost went ballistic.
Fourth, the administration hacks keep on harping about machinery delivering Team Unity to victory; one drunk hack even predicted a 12-0 sweep by the administration, survey results to the contrary notwithstanding. What machinery they are talking about? Is the Maguindanao governor’s enticement part of that machinery?
Fifth, the Comelec refuses to disclose the nominees of the party lists participating in this year’s elections. The Comelec did so in 2001 and in 2004, why can’t they do that this year? Is it because of the accusations that some party list groups are just administration fronts?
Taking all of these into consideration, and the fact that the people is now aware of the cheating mechanisms available, the question now is this: will there be cheating? And if yes, in what form?
I think it will help if we know what is the goal of the administration for this year’s elections. It is actually very simple, and very obvious. It has been their goal since 2004 – the survival of Gloria Arroyo’s hold in the Fortress by the Pasig.
So the goal this year is to prevent the opposition from gaining enough seats in the House of Representatives. The goal is to make another impeachment impossible.
Knowing the goal, we can now answer some questions. Will there be cheating this year? Probably. In what form? In a way that is localized in nature.
Let me explain. It seems that the administration has already conceded the senatorial race; all those things that administration hacks were saying are all bravado. Cheating on this level will be too obvious. (It is still possible, in order to insert a candidate or two, but that’s the most they can do.)
The administration has placed its bets on the local races. There are races where administration candidates are running unopposed, so scratch those. What to watch out for are the races that are perceived to be close or where the opposition is strong.
If there will be cheating, it will in the local polls. This is where the administration cannot afford to lose.
The way the administration pushes for a 12-0 is just disgusting. It’s been said before, and I’ll say it again: the world’s most effective senates draw from the balance of opposition-administration. Have it any other way and we’re just watching orchestrated senate “hearings”. It can only get more evil when the executive is also in the same side. The utmost evil is when our respective local governments are yet still, in the same side. Then again I still do not feel that there is anyone out there qualified to oust Arroyo (no, not de Castro, please). It’s almost a necessary evil.
*-her existence up there is almost a necessary evil, I meant to say
I believe that evil exists so that we will know what is good. Whether there is someone better than her or not, it is up to us to look for that. It is not enough an excuse to let her be just because there is no better. That’s a cop out, IMO. There is someone out there.
As for De Castro: he is voted by the people (unless, of course, he cheated too), and as such we have to respect the will of the majority. Who knows?
I think there are other viable candidates that have a shot a winning in 2010. Mar Roxas is one name that comes to mind. Hopefully, more options will emerge over the next three years.