Friday, May 15, 2009

SHOULD WE FULLY TRUST POLL AUTOMATION?



My answer to the question above is: I wanted to, fully, completely, no ifs and buts, hook line and sinker.

I am a believer. I am a dreamer. I see possibilities.

But maintaining that state of mind is one thing. The reality staring at me face to face makes me wary and scared of what lies ahead.

What's ahead is not just bumpy. It's frightening. We may be in for the greatest poll disaster in the history of this country that could eclipse even the previous two elections of 2007 and 2004. How scary could that be?

For sure we all wanted to experience a remarkable change in the conduct of our elections and the logical step is to certainly go the way from manual to automated. Automation is the only way to go. It's about time.

90% of the Filipino people wanted automation and the law mandates that the next election be fully automated. This is something that we should not only aim to do, but something we ought to do--the right way.

But with the shadow of doubt cast on the the road to automation beginning from the bidding process itself, projected as irregular and anomalous, how can we even trust automation, if and when it comes on election day?

The "Garcis" are out in the COMELEC, right? Why do we remain suspicious?

Maybe because even without the "Garcis" we see problems inside and outside of the poll body that may just tamper anew the very sacred political act of a supposedly democratic nation.

It doesn't help that COMELEC Chairman Jose Melo while begging everyone to trust the automation, "Magkaroon sila ng kumpiyansiya sa automation," that's what he said in one interview, also pictures a scenario of a no-election come 2010 pointing the possibility of a legal maneuver of critics of automation and from the ranks of the loosing bidders that could reach the highest court of the land.

This is how Melo puts the NO-EL scenario in plain and simple words:"We will not have time to go manual. Di gulo. Di rebolusyon," that's how Melo sees the possibilities ahead.

By Monday, the lowest bidder among the four recalled, will do an actual demonstration of their machine. Then if there's a technical problem, then the second lowest bidder will also be given the opportunity to demonstrate their machine, then the third and the fourth.

But as in any other bidding process in the country---there will always be those who will cry foul!

Actually, from the four recalled, INDRA SISTEMAS, Strategic Alliance Holdings Inc., Smartmatic International/Total Information Management Corporation, AMA Group Holdings Corporatuon Election Software and Intel. Inc. and Gilat Satellite Network Ltd./F.F. Cruz and Co., Inc/Filipinas Systems Incorporated, only three will continue on with the process of bidding, even on a Saturday, as per my sources in the COMELEC.

ES&S is out of the bidding race I was told. Of the remaining three, Smartmatic's system was already tried in the ARMM Elections. However, it's Gilat who is getting the headlines and the attention because of the YOU TUBE video that showed F.F. Cruz signing documents inside one of the comfort rooms in the COMELEC Building itself.

Could those be documents related to the bidding? Does the uploaded YOU TUBE video gives us all a clue as to what company will grab the contract to automate the country's 2010 elections that is worth P11.3 Billion Pesos?

The process is still in progress. Whether this YOU TUBE video has any bearing on the final decision of the Bids and Awards Committee of the COMELEC remains to be seen and determined with very convincing proofs.

But you know what, as a journalist who has covered elections, both local and national beginning from 1992, this much I know, for a determined cheater, it's not about the system, manual or automated, it's about the stakes being the same.

There will always be human intervention and there will always be people controlling the system, manual or automated, from all channels of the electoral process, there will always be that window of opportunity to influence, coerce, sway, and yes---corrupt people who are in control to change the results of the elections in favor of those who are the most desperate of all to hold power.

We all know how dirty elections are in the country under a manual system. Dirty is not even the right word to describe what we all experienced in previous elections. It's not even rotten. It's almost evil! But like everything else evil, it will have it's end. It's the natural course, the only ending in this cycle of life. That much I believe.

Henrietta De Villa of NAMFREL and PPCRV also gave her reaction to the NO-El scenario and very firmly and with conviction she said, "Di puwede ang NO-EL". We will never allow NO-EL, she said. And while she says that there's no perfect system and that cheating could still be done under an automated system, she appealed to everyone to "try automation" to "try another system" pointing out that election cheating in the past was "very terrible".

In Filipino she said, "Lumalalim ang pagkasira ng ating kultura habang nananatili ang pagbili ng boto at ang pagbebenta ng boto." Indeed vote buying and vote selling has become part of our culture that it seemed almost impossible and unimaginable to untangle many of our people from the chains of that corrupt practice.

There's always the opposite of the words impossible and unimaginable. And these words I believe: possible and imaginable.

While we remain pragmatic about the automation of the polls, we remain hopeful and we continue to think positive that political change in this country could happen.

We should start somewhere. Take the step now. All great changes in any country involve the highest amount of risks.

However, vigilance should never be thrown out of the window. It's our call---everyone's call to remain watchful of everything that's happening. For all we know, there could be something else more frightening than the NO-EL scenario alarm raised by Melo.

But least I sound like a broken record, let's take the road to change the country's electoral system. Go the way to automation but do our part in maintaining the highest form of citizen's vigilance.

With the number of young voters ruling the electorate, there's enough reason to hope that we can and we shall all experience a new dawn in the country's electoral history: peaceful, honest and credible.

I dream and I believe---that road is just awaiting for the Filipino people to take.(end)

1 comment:

  1. Fully trust poll automation?
    When pigs fly, Arlyn!
    If only the alternative weren't worse...

    ReplyDelete