Musa Dimasidsing
Musa Dimasidsing a teacher in impoverished Maguindanao witnessed voting fraud that is common in the poorest areas of our country. He courageously volunteered to speak out against the cheating and he was shortly shot to death.
An overwhelming majority of our government employees are honest and industrious. They make very little money and their options are limited. Our teachers, enlisted soldiers and policemen are extremely underpaid and underappreciated considering the gravity of the responsibility placed on their persons.
So it is with particular dismay that I write this entry because our country appears to have moved on entirely, completely shutting out the sacrifice of one Musa Dimasidsing. Never mind that the election official in that area has admitted that certain certificates of canvass have been lost, and that there well may be reason to call for a failure of elections in that place, we have all come to accept these as never changing realities. What is deeply troubling is our collective resignation to the inevitable slaughter of decent public servants who, like many of us, were simply performing their duties. In any nation with strong institutions, every effort will be taken and every lead will be exhausted to find and punish the killers of Musa Dimasidsing. If the Commission on Elections cannot perform its duty as it expected Musa Dimasidsing to perform his, then there is no reason for them to continue acting to preserve the sanctity of our votes.
11 comments:
i wonder, will it take thousands more killed before greedy, inept politicians realize this?
The fact that crimes like this are rarely solved, if ever, is what discourages most of us. Elections in the Philippines always remind me of OK Corral, where lawlessness is the norm. People get away with murder.
It's obvious we need to strengthen the system of justice back home. But how? When some of those who commit these crimes are the politicians themselves, or their henchmen, it sounds like an impossible job. All we need to do to remind ourselves of this cruel reality is to go back to 1986, when Ninoy Aquino was murdered in cold blood. Twenty one years later, we have come to a dead-end.
Unsolved crimes like this also remind us that after 1946, democracy back home has not matured much. Well, Quezon was on the mark when he was quoted as saying he preferred a government run like hell by Filipinos. Sometimes, it's not wise to wish for something, for it can come, as it certainly did in our case.
r.g. lacsamana: What the old-man-Quezon did not mention is another option --- a Philippines run by Filipinos who know the benevolent, humble, enlightened, sophisticated, erudite and edumacated ways of the USA.... hint.. hint... hint....
I had a chance to read Jim Paredes' blog on the same topic. Giving you guys the heads up.
http://haringliwanag.pansitan.net/
Check the June 13 post.
It seems patently obvious that the way to get out of this is for some legislative reform that invalidates tainted elections. Prima facie what could be more tainted than circumstances such as this?
Thinking past the outrage one feels, the question for each voting person should be "What are my options for contributing to the application of collective pressure on this issue?".
Another reason for me to set aside my plan to go home for good.
ofw: Mark Twain said:
Books are the food of youth, the delight of old age; the ornament of prosperity, the refuge and comfort of adversity; a delight at home, and no hindrance abroad.
Oops, wrong one. Mark Twain said:
Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream.
Raising Awareness thru MyBlogLog Community Exchange
Fraudulent prone electoral exercise in the Philippines has resulted in violence and killed 130 plus people as a blogger and netizens of the world we can make a difference to send a clear message………. END POLITICAL VIOLENCE NOW!
Join the meme started by concerned bloggers to Raise Awareness thru MyBlogLog Community Exchange that has proven effective for bloggers in spreading the message to a wider readership and be socially relevant in a society longing for genuine change. Simple rules simple action go to Pedestrian Observer Blog and copy paste the article and include your blog name/URL and join all the MyBlogLog Communities on the list. If you want your blog included in my list please go to the comment section and write down your blog URL and MyBlogLog Community URL, thank you.
Cyber Istambay
A Jaywalking Cyber Pedestrian Observer
Heck, r.g., surely, MLQ did not expect Filipinos to take his statement literally ...
What quezon really wants to say"I rather see the philippines run like hell by my family and their cronies than run like heaven by the americans".
Can you clear that up Bob? I don't recall Quezon had left a bunch of relatives and cronies ala Marcos, Cory's Kamaganak Inc or Erap's drinking/gambling buddies who all used their political infuence to enrich themselves. Quezon was one of the more decent and capable national leaders we have had who worked for Philippine independence and I think it's unfair to say things about him that are untrue. In comparison with his contemporary presidents, MLQ died poor. Ask his grandson MLQ III.
Post a Comment