Automated fools

With so much time wasted on the internal dispute between Smartmatic and Total Information Management, the resolution of their differences seems to indicate that poll automation is back on track as of today. Time is of the essence since I am told it would take many months to put the whole system into place. We’ve been talking about automation for the longest time, and getting it done is something that would put our electoral process into the 21st century. Filipinos have grown so weary of the old process where everything — from casting of ballots to counting to tabulation to the announcement of winners — took weeks (and sometimes months) to finish. And more often than not, the results are questioned because in this country nobody loses. Everyone is always a winner and those who lose always cry “cheating.” 

 In 2004, the whole world watched with a great deal of anticipation when India successfully launched its full automation, with 380 million voters casting their ballots using more than one million easy to operate, illiterate-friendly electronic voting machines. It took only five days to complete the balloting in 700,000 polling precincts with results known (and accepted as credible) within a day after counting commenced. If India can do it, why can’t the Philippines — which for so long has trumpeted itself as the first democracy in Asia?

 We have less than a year to get this going, and we must make sure that automation gets on its way without any more hitches down the road. As Commission on Elections chairman Jose Melo pointed out, poll automation is too crucial to the country and our democracy to allow it to be held hostage by clashing business interests, let alone “greed.”

 When this whole controversy first surfaced, people were naturally outraged especially at the thought that they are being made fools of. In the first place, the bidding process at the onset has been marred by controversies like bribery, lack of transparency, questionable changing of requirements midstream. It’s rather unfortunate that Filipinos have become so cynical that they always perceive something fishy or irregular about government contracts especially something of this magnitude. (Incidentally, we hear there’s another “problem” again concerning the SSS Unified Multipurpose Identification Card or UMID project, with allegations that the whole bidding is being rigged. But that’s another story.)

Though the main issue has been resolved, people continue to question the credibility of the winning partners. People even commented to me that unless and until they see a signed copy of the joint venture agreement between TIM and Smartmatic, they won’t be holding their breath despite the announcement that differences have been ironed out. In fact, there are still concerns — and quite valid we should say, that “irreconcilable differences” could surface again just when the May 2010 elections is within sniffing distance, so to speak.

 I was with Dick Gordon the other night at a wedding and he told me everything is a go with the poll automation — but he intends to call for a Senate Blue Ribbon inquiry tomorrow to find out what really went on and make sure the partnership — and consequently poll automation — will not fail. I told Dick people are extremely interested in this whole inquiry and are waiting to see him give it that “one big fight” since people’s hopes are riding on the automation. He can expect total support from both sides of the spectrum whether they’re green or blue.

The TIM-Smartmatic controversy has raised more questions than answers even with the supposed resolution of issues. People want to know what really happened, and want firm assurances that they will not go through a roller-coaster ride of uncertainty again with the fate of the 2010 polls hanging in the balance. As chair of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, Dick Gordon is in a position to dig beyond the surface and perhaps get into details that have been kept secret even from the Comelec itself.

Filipinos have been hoping for electoral reforms for the longest time, and they have grown extremely weary of the whole tiresome process perceived as lacking in credibility with everybody accusing everyone else of vote buying, padding, shaving and wholesale cheating. The thought of going back to “mano-mano” once again has become totally unacceptable to the majority.

The strong assurances made by the Palace in reaction to US concern about “no-el” has at least toned down anxieties especially of businessmen looking to expand their investments after next year’s elections. Still, those attempts by Cha-cha proponents before 2010 must be tamped down because a “no-el” scenario would be disastrous for this country.

The warning of Senate president Juan Ponce Enrile that “there will be chaos in this country if there’s no election in 2010” is definitely true, and the eruption of that honest-to-goodness social volcano that people have been warning about could get accelerated. Time is running out, especially with more and more people now getting desperate and hungry, and there’s no telling what they could do since they have nothing more to lose.

The elections must be perceived as transparent, honest and credible. People like Senator Enrile and Dick Gordon have the power to do something to ensure that the future of our country and electoral process is not placed in jeopardy, because if there’s one thing people hate, it’s the thought that they have been made out as “automated fools.”

 Which brings to mind what Abraham Lincoln said: “You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.”

* * *

E-mail: [email protected]