BARMM Grand Mufti issues fatwa vs vote-buying, selling
COTABATO CITY—The Bangsamoro Darul Ifta (Islamic advisory council) headed by the Grand Mufti has issued a fatwa (Islamic ruling) against vote-selling and vote-buying in the midterm polls in May and the first Bangsamoro Parliament election (BPE) in October this year.
Sheikh Abdulrauf Guialani, the Grand Mufti, backed by seven Islamic jurists in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), issued the Islamic ruling on Feb. 22, after some regional officials and citizens clamored for their guidance in choosing leaders amid the prevalence of buying and selling votes that accompany Philippine electoral processes.
A fatwa is a legal ruling on a point of Islamic law (Shariah) given by a qualified Islamic jurist (faqih).
The ruling stressed that buying electoral votes is forbidden by Shariah (religious law).
“We warn against a candidate buying votes to win the election,” Guialani wrote in the decree. “The ruling of the Shariah on this act combines three descriptions: bribery, betrayal and false testimony.”
Malicious behavior
He said it is bribery when the candidate pays money or a benefit with monetary value to the voter “to present him over others who may be more qualified and better than him.”
Guialani likened vote-buying and vote-selling as a betrayal by both parties; especially the voter when he gives his recommendation in the wrong place like a false testimony about the candidate.
“If bribery in ordinary matters is forbidden and prohibited, then in elections it is more serious and more sinful because it [allows] the incompetent [to] reach parliament or any position in the government without right,” Guialani said.
He added: “Such people will not be trustworthy in setting the legislation and regulations that they issue to manage the government.”
These days when candidates seek to win elections, some unfortunately use bribery to gain votes, said the Grand Mufti. “This is a malicious behavior, a great sin, a national crime and a moral corruption that must be confronted with decisiveness and firmness to end the plague, epidemic and danger to the future and security of the country,” said the decree.
He added that whoever buys votes will find it easy to sell his country, and he will also seek to compensate for the money he spent by all means. “So how can we be safe in a council that includes people like these?” he asked.
Guialani also reminded all the registered voters in the BARMM to be responsible voters.
“We say that voting in elections is a testimony, a recommendation and trust,” he said. “We regret that election time is often a thriving market for evils such as bribery, vote-buying, backbiting, tracking people’s faults and swearing, which is asking a person to swear that he will take money in return for his vote,” he said.
He said the same edict applies during the BPE set in October this year.
Stable transition
The BPE, originally set simultaneously with the May 12 midterm polls, was moved to Oct. 13 under Republic Act No. 12123 signed last week by President Marcos.
Under the law, aspirants who filed their certificates of candidacy (COC) in November last year will be automatically considered as candidates and nominees in the BARMM elections on Oct. 13. New filings for COCs will not be entertained while the substitution of candidates and nominees will not be allowed except in cases of death or disqualification.
Bangsamoro Interim Parliament Chief Minister Ahod Ebrahim thanked national leaders and the Bangsamoro people for the signing of RA 12123, saying the extension supports a more stable transition.
“We remain committed to upholding democratic principles, fostering meaningful political participation, and maximizing the transition period to establish a more stable and effective government for the Bangsamoro,” he said in a statement on Saturday.
“As we move forward, we call on everyone to remain engaged, vigilant, and united in shaping the future of the region,” he added. —WITH A REPORT FROM DEXTER CABALZA
