COTABATO CITY – An official of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) on Thursday urged local candidates and the electorate in Parang, Maguindanao to reject “money politics” in choosing leaders.
Speaking during the peace covenant signing of candidates for mayor, vice mayor and town councilors of Parang, Maguindanao, Minister Naguib Sinarimbo of the Ministry of the Interior and Local Government (MILG-BARMM) said politics of money would destroy democracy.
“I urged the candidates as well as the voters to reject the politics of money as it is destroying the very ends of democracy,” Sinarimbo said.
“This practice is birthing a lot of societal ills as when candidates who are supposedly seeking an office so they can serve the people spend millions of money, far beyond the total amount of the salary they will earn in occupying that posts. Do we honestly believe that they will not steal public funds to recover what they spent?” Sinarimbo asked the local candidates.
Sinarimbo said the electorate has lost their trust on many leaders and “they demand money from candidates as they feel this is the only season where they can partake of the public money because when people get elected, they tend to forget the promises they made to the people.”
He then urged the political leaders and the voters to help put an end to this cycle “if we are to ever progress as a region.”
“Let us all instead demand good governance and vote on the basis of the platform of government and the track record of candidates,” Sinarimbo told local aspirants here who swore before the holy Quran they would not resort to violence and corruption.
Military and election officials across the region have been gathering the candidates, make them sign peace covenants and swear before the holy book to work for peaceful elections.
Sinarimbo said he foresees peaceful elections in the new Bangsamoro region. / gsg