Pedestrian Observer GB: Maguindanao Poll Fraud Witness Shot Dead

It’s that time of the year again when we Filipinos celebrate our independence from our former colonial masters. The significance seems to have passed us in the way the nation retrogressed to its lowest ebb especially in an election season marred by violence and fraud.

Musa Dimasidsing a Maguindanao schools district supervisor who was reportedly a witness to the fraudulent conduct in the last election became another statistics fatally shot in the chest and face. He was one of those who helped expose the election irregularities in Pagalungan town, Maguindanao killed outside the madrasah (Islamic school) last Saturday of June 9, 2007.

Dead man tell no tales, silenced forever to prevent executing the much touted “affidavit required” by the likes of “promoted” LINTANG BEDOL and his commissioner bosses in the comelec led by Abalos and “sickly” Sarmiento.

Before Dimasidsing killings he has reportedly filed a complaint against several members of the Board of Election Inspectors after accusing them of committing irregularities in the canvassing of results in Pagalungan.

His fate was sealed as soon as he confirmed the teacher witnesses testifying on harassment and intimidation by local political operators said to be those behind the irregularities in the town’s election.

The education supervisor also reported to authorities that four ballot boxes were snatched by armed men believed working for a politician in Pagalungan during the May 14 elections.

Meanwhile Pagalungan vice Mayor Norodin Matalam contesting his loss to administration candidate Uto Montawal in the mayoral race says that the killing of the education supervisor has something to do with the May 14 election. According to Matalam the victim along with other of the Board of Election Inspectors (BEI), was being forced to sign a petition stating that there were no poll irregularities and atrocities during the elections.

Dimasidsing refusal to sign the petition may have caused him his life. This is what happens when one stands up against irregularities and the situation is aggravated when people in authority are inept, ignorant or arrogant devious conniving cheaters that insidiously perpetrate this kind of violence. It does not help the situation and only put witness at risk when they seem to cast a blind eye or in denial which I doubt since these people are in this profession for quite some time to not see how dirty our electoral process are.

Their insistence on the witness to come forward with their “allegations” is an open invitation for assassins to silence them forever when these arrogant authorities are suspected in connivance with these criminal elements of the political operator kind. The promotion of team Garci and the desperate zarzuela played by Abalos et al to make them look good in the public eye is nothing but an insult to the people’s intelligence. They should be made criminally liable for their failure to protect the witness against their own people who maybe behind these dastardly acts of cowardice.