Gordon warns vs 'virus of cynicism' towards automated elections

Independent Senator Richard J. Gordon today urged the public to give automated elections a fair chance and not to let the "virus of cynicism" towards it fail in achieving clean, honest and credible elections for the nation.

Gordon, author of Republic Act (RA) 9369 or the amended Automated Elections System Law, pointed out that the automated election would only succeed if the people will shed their cynicism and give election automation a chance to work.

"A healthy skepticism is good for our democracy but let us not be bogged down by the virus of cynicism. Let us not be influenced by the doomsayers whose minds are closed to the idea and thus refuse to give it a try," he said.

"For us to develop as a nation, we should not be afraid of the future. Instead, we should make the future our friend. Automating our elections would be a legacy to the country's future generations since it would be the first national elections that would be fast and fraud-free," he added.

RA 9369 called for the pilot testing of automated elections system prior to its full implementation in a national election - the next being the 2010 elections after it was pilot-tested in the 2008 Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao elections.

Congress has passed the P11.3-billion supplemental budget the Commission on Elections (Comelec) needed to implement the full automation of the 2010 elections as prescribed by the law.

The Comelec has started its preparations, starting with the issuance on March 18 of the terms of reference for the bidding of the automated election machines.

However, some sectors have shown reservations towards automated elections.

Former Comelec Chairman Christian Monsod, who was among those who conceptualized the automated elections in 1996 ARMM elections, has advised the Comelec to be careful in pursuing an automated election since there is no system that is foolproof.

Monsod warned that going to full automation immediately would only bring in "automated cheating" because the process would be easier to rig since the system is centralized.

Gordon conceded that there are close-minded people who refuse to embrace development and try to sway others into their way of thinking.

"This is the story of our country. Kapag may bago na, laging may nanakot na hindi magtatagumpay. It took us four and a half to pass this bill. Ngayong tapos na, ngayon nilalabas na naman yung mga multo na nakakatakot na magdadayaan," he said.

Gordon stressed the need to modernize the country's already-antiquated electoral system to eliminate the wholesale cheating that has often marred the elections in the past.

"Automating our elections is a step towards modernizing our democracy. This will be our legacy to the future generations because the country will hold the first fast and fraud-free elections," he said.