No transparency, no honesty EDITORIAL 05/27/2010

No transparency, no honesty

EDITORIAL Click to enlarge 05/27/2010 Poll body officials are clearly irked over the many allegations of automated electoral fraud along with the many pieces of evidence being presented by various losing candidates. But instead of giving their replies as well as explanations on how this massive electronic fraud came about while continuing to defend Smartmatic to the hilt, poll officials focus their ire at the whistleblowers who have come forward to testify to the irregularities in the electronic data transmitted and even at the whistleblowers within the Commission on Elections (Comelec) who blew apart the overpriced bid projects. The Comelec officials complain that these whistleblowers should not go to the media with their stories and instead come to them to complain. But that is the problem. They do come to the Comelec first to complain, yet the poll officials never bother to heed any of their complaints. Instead, they threaten to file criminal charges against those who have in their possession evidence of electronic fraud. For the others, such as the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) representative and a resigned lawyer of the Comelec in the office of poll Chairman Jose Melo, when they are invited to “shed light” on the irregularities, the commissioners — specifically Commissioner Nicodemo Ferrer — starts shouting at them and pressing his finger on their face, screaming that they are liars. And of naturally, comes the threat to file charges again. Given such a situation, why should anyone bother to go to the Comelec first, especially when the officials ignore their complaints, and when these are bared by the media, the poll commissioners cry foul, and even give the whistleblowers a dressing-down. What the Comelec commissioners really want is to keep all these irregularities hush-hush and when these blow up, all they do is to claim that these allegations are all intended to destroy the “credibility and integrity” of the Comelec, which is really a laugh, considering that the Comelec den is filled up with crooks of the first order.... MORE   Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100527com1.html

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