Three days ago, text
messages started circulating about a supposed plan by Moro National Liberation
Front commander Ustadz Habier Malik, the man leading the Zamboanga City
The text messages
indicate that Malik will mount his final offensive after prayers on Friday,
September 27. The warnings remain unconfirmed. But they're not surprising.
After all, Malik has repeatedly said he's ready to die for his cause. READ: Habier Malik: We're ready to die
The repercussions of
these messages were one of the concerns brought up in a roundtable discussion
organized by the Philippine Center for Islam and Democracy (PCID) Thursday,
September 26, as the Zamboanga standoff reached Day 18.
"The worst possible
scenario for us is if Ustadz Habier Malik dies a martyr's death," said
PCID Director Amina Rasul Bernardo.
Should Malik die in the
event of a "final battle," Prof Alih S. Aiyub said his followers
could play up his death as a form of martyrdom to garner sympathy from younger,
more radical Muslims.
"We want to
condition the mind of the people that we don't want this to happen and we have
to prevent this because they can re-package the message," said Aiyub, who
is also the secretary general of the National Ulama Conference of the Philippines
"In Moro culture,
this will give others the inspiration to continue the fight. If this happens,
it could escalate into other areas. And we can't discount the fact that other
groups, young radical people, could make this their battlecry," Aiyub
added.
Despite the negative
publicity surrounding the Zamboanga siege, Malik, as well as the Misuari-led
MNLF faction, continues to gain a considerable following in parts of Mindanao , according to Rommel Banlaoi, executive director
of the Philippine Institute for Peace, Violence and Terrorism.
"My point is Habier
Malik is now being mystified and his mystification can generate a new type of
movement, coming from what happened as a result of the Zamboanga siege,"
Banlaoi said.
The military also knows
this all too well.
On Day
12 of the Zamboanga siege, security forces said Malik's troops were down to
about 30 and 40 men.
But instead of launching
a full military assault, the government has chosen to reach out to Malik and
his followers in areas where they are believed to be hiding by playing Tausug
music interspersed with an appeal from an ulama for the fighters to lay down
their arms.
Lt Col Harold Cabunoc
said the military is not at war with its own people.
"Hindi po namin
hangad na talagang patayin si Ustadz Habier Malik. Ika nga, kapatid
natin. Bibigyan siya ng pagkakataon na magpaliwanag." (We do not
intend to kill Ustadz Habier Malik. As they say, he is our brother, let's give
him a chance to explain.)
Safe passage?
Is there time for an
alternative approach?
Aiyub said the
government must keep its mind open to taking a humanitarian approach even as
the military operations in the city draw to a close. One option could be to
provide a safe passage to Malik and his troops.
"Release the
hostages first so there is good gesture on the part of Malik. Give them a
chance for safe passage then let the government file a case against him. The
military can then chase him in Sulu, if they wish, but in the mountains where
civilians are not affected," Aiyub said.
It was the same
mechanism that ended the Cabatangan siege in 2001. Aiyub has been proposing
this option to the government since the first week of the Zamboanga standoff.
But Zamboanga City Mayor
Isabelle "Beng" Climaco's position is clear: Zamboanga does not want
a repeat of the Cabatangan siege and the way it ended.
Isn't it too late for a
humanitarian intervention?
"From the military
point of view, it's too late," Aiyub said. "But when you consider the
psychological effect, the repercussions, the backlash, that's something that we
should think about."
Banlaoi cites how
different the MNLF "peace rallies" in Davao
"[Davao ]
Mayor [Rodrigo] Duterte said, 'I don't mind the MNLF proclaiming Davao City
"In Zamboanga city,
the mindset is different. If it's Nur Misuari, 'I'm threatened by any kind of
activity, political, social, we're threatened.' So perception matters,"
Banlaoi said.
Former Marine General
Benjamin Dolorfino, who was also held hostage by Malik's group in 2007, said
the government made the mistake of taking the military option right away before
exhausting peaceful means to end it.
"If it was a simple
hostage situation, the first step in resolving it would be to contain the area
so the hostage taker would not be able to escape then negotiation would
follow," Dolorfino said. "But the approach in Zamboanga should have
been different. There should have been a negotiation first so that there will
be a peaceful way out. Hindi yung attack agad, calibrated
approach."
'Continue
tripartite review'
In a situation where
people on the ground are questioning the relevance of the ongoing peace
processes of government with the MNLF and its rival group, Moro Islamic
Liberation Front, lawyer Benedicto Bacani said the government must be open to
the idea of expanding the tripartite review with the MNLF beyond just tackling
the technicalities of amending the 1996 peace pact.
Expand the
tripartite and really look at the welfare of these people," said Bacani,
executive director of the Institute for Autonomy and Governance. "They're
saying the Zamboanga siege should not affect the peace process. But people are
asking: 'When will the peace process have an effect in my life?"
In an earlier interivew,
Undersecretary Joe Lorena of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process said
the next round of the tripartite review between the Organization of Islamic
Cooperation, the government and the MNLF is expected to be held in November.
Lorena said the talks
will continue because the Misuari faction is only one group in the MNLF, and
the government cannot discount the other members.
http://www.rappler.com/nation/39954-habier-malik-resolution-zamboanga-siege
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.