EDITORIAL - Vote – and be vigilant

Few Filipinos are expecting dramatic changes in their lives, no matter who wins in today’s elections. The same families and political groupings dominate the nation’s political firmament, backed by the same moneyed supporters.

In this situation, who wins will matter less than how victory is achieved. Filipinos have grown used to so-called guns, goons and gold in every electoral exercise. It is possible, however, for violence to become intolerable and poll fraud to be so brazen that the next administration will never have a moment of rest from political instability.

This could be fatal for our weak republic, whose economy is sputtering along, whose people watch enviously as neighbors that can get their act together streak past on the road to progress. The nation has had a long descent, starting three decades ago when Ferdinand Marcos imposed martial law, then on to the shaky restoration of democracy marred by a series of coup attempts. The past four years have seen many hard-earned national gains dissipated by endless destabilization and political bickering combined with factors beyond our control – terrorism, SARS and a global economic downturn.

Winners in the elections today may not offer hope for dramatic improvements in our lives, but the conduct of the elections will have a great bearing on the nation’s future. We can do our part in shaping that future by getting our votes counted, no matter how disheartening the field of candidates may be, and no matter how difficult poll officials have made it by making a mess of the voting process.

We can also do our part by watching out for anything that is meant to thwart the will of the electorate. This includes reporting harassment by rebels and their sympathizers or by politicians’ private armies. This includes reporting vote buying and the pre-sence of flying voters in our communities. Today it is every citizen’s duty to go out and vote – and be vigilant.