Nur’s MNLF: Mother of all Moro factions

From the Manila Times (Feb 10): Nur’s MNLF: Mother of all Moro factions

The Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) is respected as the “mother of all Moro factions” including the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) that bolted out due to the failure of the Government of the Philippines (GPH) from the time of the Marcos dictatorship until today to fully implement the 1976 Tripoli Agreement and the 1996 Final Peace Agreement.


The other Moro factions, among them the MILF that was headed at that time by Ustadz Salamat Hashim, even rebuffed or accused Prof. Nur Misuari (founder and chairman of the MNLF) of selling out the Bangsamoro national sovereignty and integrity as a nation for talking peace with the government that finally led to the signing of the Final Peace Agreement in Malacanang on September 2, 1996.

Once the Final Peace Agreement between the Philippine Government and the MNLF was forged and signed, the government did immediately implement the most fundamental work it had to do.

It set in motion the passage of laws that would allow the Filipino Muslims to have the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

Screened for qualifications and then trained, former MNLF soldiers were integrated to the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

By and large—despite several items of discontent, such as the provision of adequate funding to the autonomous region and the proper amount of attention to improving the economy of the Moro majority provinces—the Final Peace Agreement between the government and MNLF was working.

The succession of governors and officials of the ARMM have been largely MNLF leaders.

That is why such an important contribution to peace and stability in Mindanao introduced by the MNLF, the Oplan Purging for Peace, has been supported by local governments and coordinated by the MNLF with them and with the Philippine government military and police.

Local government and military actions

Ustadz Murshi said the Oplan Purging, the Operation Purging for Peace, was not only properly coordinated with the local government officials in Sulu, even the masses or the civilians of Sulu have fully supported the move of the MNLF to totally clean the province of the perennial evil of kidnapping.

“The Tausugs of Sulu are now fed up with this criminal acts of kidnapping being perpetrated by the Abu Sayyaf. Enough is enough, it has to be stopped once and for all for the sake of peace in Sulu,” Ustadz Murshi emphasized.

“In Sulu, the PNP, AFP and local government officials and the Moro masses are supportive of the MNLF OPP to wipe out the Abu Sayyaf so that there will be no more kidnapping and peace and development can take off,” he said.

On Friday, Ustadz Murshi met ARMM Police regional director Chief Supt Noel de los Reyes. The MNLF Secretary General briefed the police general on the MNLF action against the Abu Sayyaf. He said the ARMM police chief fully understood the punitive action being done by the MNLF against the Abu Sayyaf.

Ustadz Murshi added that Chief Supt. delos Reyes even advised the MNLF to file appropriate charges in the court of law against the kidnappers.

Chairman Misuari’s meeting with Baker’s family

Meanwhile, according to the MNLF secretary general, Chairman Nur Misuari met the family of the Jordanian hostage Baker Atyani in Cairo, Egypt.

Misuari had just returned to Manila on Saturday (Feb 9) from Khartoum, Sudan after, attending the 8th Conference of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Parliamentary Union.

Atyani’s family reportedly acclaimed and lauded the MNLF’s move to launch the OPP and its daring engagement to rescue the hostages from the “cage” of the kidnappers.

On the other hand, OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu sent words of condolence to the MNLF on the death of eight MNLF soldiers in the fight with the Abu Sayyaf on Sunday.

“The MNLF hates and abhors war; it renounces war as means to attain blessed end, peace, freedom and prosperity. For war is inhuman, catastrophic, destructive, and barbaric,” Ustadz Murshi explained.

MNLF will only use force as the last recourse to help the people and to maintain the integrity of the Moro Ummah, he added.

As to why the MNLF launched the Oplan Purging, he told this Correspondent that the launching was based on the these reasons:

1) There is a clamor, a vociferous cry, of the Moro masses most particularly the underdogs and victims of the spate of kidnappings in Sulu.

2) The appeals, calls, and demands of the peace and human rights advocates in the Philippines and throughout the world to put an end to all forms of criminal acts and crimes against humanity.

3) The MNLF seriously obeys the divine behest, so that from its birth has adopted an anti-kidnapping policy, as evidenced by the active participation of the MNLF in the past, diplomatically and militarily, in securing the release and freedom of hostages and some of them were even Catholic priests.

Finally, Ustadz Murshi said in compliance with Islamic injunctions and as matter of policy, the MNLF despite the bloody encounter that already occurred, the MNLF will continue to uphold its peace advocacy and “Islamic diplomatic persuasion” in dealing with the kidnappers for the safe release and freedom of the hostages.

http://www.manilatimes.net/index.php/news/headlines-mt/41210-nur-s-mnlf-mother-of-all-moro-factions