Mayhem on May 10 knocking on the door; workers to guard vs. Arroyo, US maneuver

Reports on the failure of counting machines and wrong configuration of memory cards point to no other than mayhem on May 10, confirming widespread fears of  elections failure to retain Gloria Arroyo in power, labor center Kilusang Mayo Uno said today.

“With just a few days before the first automated elections, it would only be a miracle if the Commission on Elections irons out the poll automation glitches,” KMU chairperson Elmer “Bong” Labog said.

“This is Mayhem on May 10 staring us right at our faces. And we have all the reasons to blame Comelec, Smartmatic and the Arroyo regime for bringing the country to this mess.

“We cannot trust assurances of a succesful election made by the Arroyo regime through the poll body and Smartmatic at this point. For the longest time, they have brushed off the poll automation dangers being cited by various organizations. Now, these technical glitches are coming into full view one after another,” he added.

KMU also noted that the Comelec changed the ballot layout at the last minute, causing the incorrect reading of votes by

the precint count optical scan (PCOS) machines during the recent mock polls.

“The government cannot say that certain groups are taking advantage of the situation to sow unrest. It is the government, not any group, that is inciting people to act and rebel,” Labog said.

The labor leader said Anakpawis Partylist and KMU will be mobilizing the various federations, unions and organizations under its wing to keep a close watch on the conduct of the elections on Monday, noting that a political crisis may unfold anytime from the opening of voting precints onwards.

“Workers will guard not only their votes but the entire electoral process itself. We will be on vigilant standby mode against devious schemes by Arroyo to sabotage the automated polls to fulfill a RAFAEL (Retain Arroyo through Failure of Elections) scenario,” Labog said.

“We will also closely monitor any move by the United States to intervene in the electoral process in reaction to a failed elections. Historically, Uncle Sam has always blatantly displayed its control whenever it smells unrest in the country, to protect its political and economic interests,” he added.

KMU said hundreds of thousands of workers along with various sectors will not hesitate to flood the streets on Monday and succeeding days if  it becomes clear that the Arroyo regime is undermining the electoral process to retain itself in power. #