Arroyo lawyer’s proposal to postpone polls dangerous — Bayan

News Release
May 5, 2010

“What is the Palace game-plan?”

This was the question raised by the umbrella group Bagong Alyanang Makabayan as the election lawyer of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo proposed the postponement of the May 10 elections for 15 days. The proposal comes in the wake of failed PCOS machines, the huge deployment of soldiers in Metro Manila, and the Palace insistence to appoint the next Supreme Court Chief Justice even before May 17.

“The proposed postponement begs the question, what is the Palace really up to? Are they now testing the waters for failed polls that will help keep Mrs. Arroyo is power? Are they setting the stage for a holdover?” said Bayan secretary general Renato M. Reyes, Jr.

“The Comelec, Smartmatic and the Arroyo regime have put the people between a rock and a hard-place. We are faced with seemingly insurmountable technical and logistical problems in the automated polls this late in the day. Comelec says it can push through with the polls even it can lead to failure. Macalintal says we shouldn’t push through to avoid failure,” Reyes said.

Bayan said that the confluence of events will most likely only benefit the incumbent in Malacanang.

“Whichever way you go, given the unfolding events of a failed automated system, the only beneficiary of this chaos is Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. If the polls fail, or if the polls are not credible, she can take advantage of the chaos to strengthen her hold on power and gain leverage over her rivals,” Reyes said.

Bayan said it was concerned with the overkill deployment of more than 2,300 soldiers in Metro Manila to so-called election hotspots.

“Are the soldiers there to guard the hotspots, or are they on stand-by to thwart any protest action in the event that there is election fraud and failure? Are the soldiers there to pre-empt any people power against Gloria’s hold-over?” Reyes added.

The Palace’ impending appointment of the next Chief Justice, even before May 17, also raises concerns coming at a time when a potential constitutional crisis looms with the failure or postponement of the elections.

“The appointment of the next chief justice, at this crucial time, may also be part of the plans of the regime to legitimize whatever situation that may arise from the failed polls,” Reyes said.

“Whether or not the polls push though on May 10; the Comelec, Smartmatic and the Arroyo government must be held accountable for doing a terrible job at presiding over the country’s first automated polls. We said it before, there can be no credible polls until Arroyo is Malacanang, while the Comelec-Smartmatic tandem is laying the basis for failed automation,” Reyes said. (Bulatlat.com)