Monitors vow no nonsense

Press, 6 February 1986, Page 8

Monitors vow no nonsense

NZPA-Reuter Manila Poll observers from 19 countries said yesterday they had the means to detect widespread fraud in the Philippines’ elections tomorrow and promised to expose cheating without hesitation. As the last hours for campaigning in the bitterly fought election ticked away, the 44-strong observer delegation warned supporters of the President, Mr Ferdinand Marcos, and his opponent, Corazon Aquino, that they would brook no nonsense in scrutiny of polling in key areas. “Malpractice can be detected, especially that which is attempted or perpetrated on a wholesale basis,” it said. “We hope that this will not occur but we will not hesitate to expose it if it does.” The delegation, sponsored by the United States

Republican and Democratic parties, is one of two invited by Mr Marcos to monitor balloting. The other, a 20-strong official United States group led by Richard Lugar, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was en route to Manila. Mr Lugar has already said he doubts whether the elections can be free and fair. Other American officials have voiced fears that the 68-year-old President, battling for a new six-year term after 20 years in power, will win by fraud. The international team includes 27 Americans. It is led jointly by a former Colombian President, Misael Pastrana, and John Hume, a member of the British and European Parliaments and leader of Northern Ireland’s Social Democratic and Labour Party. It will send nine teams

across the country to watch polling in areas listed as potential troublespots by the military and the Government Under Philippines law the observers are banned from going within 50 metres of any of the more than 85,000 polling-booths. Mr Hume said the teams would look for irregularities in registration, voting, counting, and bribery. Based on his experience in Northern Ireland, he said, “I know exactly what I’m looking for.” Campaigning officially ended at midnight last night Expenses for the delegation, sponsored by the institutes for international affairs of the Republican and Democratic parties, were expected to run to SUSI2O,OOO ($229,200), said Brian Atwood, director of the Democratic institute. He said 20 per cent had

come from private donations, 40 per cent from the United States Agency for International Development, and 40 per cent from the National Endowment for Democracy, an independent agency set up by Congress with a grant None of the money was from the Central Intelligence Agency, he said. ® The “Manila Times,” closed when Mr Marcos declared martial law 14 years ago, resumed publication yesterday under the same family ownership. Widely respected as one of Asia’s top independent newspapers after World War 2, the “Manila Times” printed Volume 28, Issue No 1 yesterday. The restored newspaper is published by Ramon Roces, who has been running a successful printing and magazine publishing business.