Commentary

Soldiers in Elections: From Pawns to Knights?

Military intelligence operatives can be tapped to monitor or conduct  “demolition jobs” against opposition candidates or worse, to stage violent activities in areas where the opposition is strong in order to frighten voters not to go to the polling precincts. Violent actions can also be used to effect a failure of elections in areas where the administration is losing.

By Rene Jarque*
Contributed to Bulatlat.com

The next three months toward election will be a period of uncertainty and disorder. As ambiguity grows and insecurity intensifies, the role of the Armed Forces in politics once again becomes an intriguing prospect. In fact, some sectors are now proposing that the AFP should take over government and provide stability and leadership.

Past elections tell us that cheating is to be expected. Greed and fear will impel politicians to ensure victory and cheating--in the form of flying voters, dagdag-bawas (literally, add-deduct), ballot switching--is a guarantee to victory. For the administration party, drawing from their humiliating Estrada vs Jose de Venecia experience in 1998, the key is to find a way to narrow the gap between Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (GMA) and Fernando Poe, Jr. (FPJ). And electoral fraud is a major option.

A major element of this effort would be the mobilization of the Armed Forces. Command of the AFP is a distinct advantage of the incumbent and all the senior commanders today are GMA appointees.

The pronouncement of the AFP Chief of Staff , General Antonio Abaya, that the armed forces will be apolitical and that soldiers will not be used as election deputies is commendable. But it is not an assurance that the AFP will be uninvolved.

Indeed, how serious is General Abaya and how far will he go to ensure a clean and honest election? How can he stop or chastise the partisan activities of officials of the Department National Defense (DND) and the AFP?  For example, Secretary of National Defense Eduardo Ermita has been designated as chairman of GMA’s campaign committee. How can Abaya tell his boss that AFP resources and facilities should not or cannot be used for election-related activities? On Ermita’s part, how can he effectively manage his department if he is too busy with the elections?  The pronouncements that cabinet members will not use their positions to benefit the administration in the election is incredulous and very difficult to believe.

How AFP is involved

Thus the question is not whether the DND-AFP will be used for the elections or not; it will be undoubtedly used. The question is how will it be used? Previous elections show how the military can be employed: 

1) The DND-AFP can provide financial support through diversion and conversion of the budget (CAFGU funds, emergency and calamity allocations, confidential funds not subject to government accounting procedures) or from AFP financial institutions and businesses (i.e., RSBS, AFPSLAI, golf courses).

2) The AFP can provide logistical support. For instance, the printing facilities of the Civil Relations Service in Camp Aguinaldo can be used to produce leaflets and posters.  The AFP can supply transport for favored candidates like in 1998 when AFP-RSBS furnished a helicopter to administration presidential candidate Joe de Venecia, according to the probe of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee. 

3) With the manual vote counting, ballot switching or snatching can occur with military trucks used to transport the ballots; or the ballots are “safeguarded” inside military camps.

4) In remote areas, soldiers can be used for campaigning or to pressure constituents to vote for certain candidates.

5) Military intelligence operatives can be tapped to monitor or conduct   “demolition jobs” against opposition candidates or worse, to stage violent activities in areas where the opposition is strong in order to frighten voters not to go to the polling stations. Violent actions can also be used to effect a failure of elections in areas where the administration is losing. This scenario is especially chilling for Mindanao where many bombings have occurred and where the opposition is perceived to be strong among the Muslim population. 

The outlook for the election looks bleak and it would be wishful thinking to ask our soldiers to perform their role as “defenders and protectors of the people” by ensuring a clean and honest election, indeed, to transform themselves from mere pawns to become the knights of a society in turmoil.

Commitment

Nonetheless, the soldiers can do a great service to the nation if the AFP, through the senior commanders, declare and commit that: 

1) The AFP is for the people and not for any party or politician;

2)  The AFP will ensure that the election will be clean and honest;

3) The AFP will not allow its resources or funds to be used by any party, including the administration’s;

4)  The AFP will not tolerate electoral fraud and candidates caught cheating shall be dealt with according to the law;

5)  All organizations inside military camps which are election-related or making political statements shall be ejected;  

6)   Military officers who provide partisan support to politicians or parties shall be relieved and court-martialed;

7)   Politicians should get their act together or by the mandate of the people, the AFP will initiate revolutionary changes                

In fact, GMA as the President and Commander in Chief should be declaring these, that is, if she was not running. Can you imagine if the President is campaigning, not for herself, but for a peaceful, clean and honest election and ordering the AFP to ensure it? Can you imagine if the President herself, using the powerful resources of her office, is going around the countryside exhorting politicians not to cheat and educating voters to vote for the right candidate but not endorsing anyone?  Perhaps then we can really say then that there is hope for our country.  Bulatlat.com

*Rene Jarque is a former Army Officer who worked as Special Assistant to the Secretary of National Defense and Chief of Strategic Research of the Office of Strategic and Special Studies, AFP. 

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