“We are calling the MNLF to set aside their personal interests and focus on the common goal of the people in Mindanao,” Ustadz Jamal S. Muni, deputy spokesperson of the Darul Ifta.
Muni said this has been their observation that the struggle to alleviate the status of the Bangsamoro people is taking a toll as leaders within the MNLF are putting more emphasis on their self-interests rather than the welfare of the Bangsamoro people.
The MNLF has broken into several factions after senior leaders were dismayed on Nur Misuari, the founding chairperson, as he failed to bring the collective position of the organization and the Bangsamoro people.
After the signing of the Final Peace Agreement in 1996, Misuari simultaneously governed the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and the Southern Philippines Council for Peace and Development for six years. However, during his reign, the Muslim region made a slow progress, if not totally stunt its economic growth with dearth opportunities.
Misuari then demanded for his term to be extended but failed to get the backing of the constituencies and the national government, which prompted him to led two deadly attacks in Jolo, the capital town of Sulu, and in Zamboanga city in 2001, where dozens of Moros were killed.
As a fugitive, Misuari took refuge in Malaysia, but was eventually caught and turned over by the Malaysia to the Philippine government and charged with rebellion. Misuari was freed in 2009, and ran for succeeding polls as either governor of Sulu – his home province - or as governor in the ARMM but failed to get substantial votes.
In recent years, Misuari has again ranted after the national government rejected his demand to be appointed as the regional governor of ARMM after the congress decided to temporarily suspend the regional election to synchronize it with the national polls. He then started to take the six-year Tripartite Review Process of the 1996 Final Peace Agreement as hostage by rejecting the collective results of the review process to be implemented.
The conclusions, which were supposed to be implemented, are the 42-consensus points that will amend the Republic Act 9054 or the law, which created the ARMM; the implementations of Bangsamoro Development Assistance Funds; and the creation of the Tripartite Implementation Monitoring Committee.
The review process did not progress, as Misuari demanded another three issues, which are outside the agenda of the process. His demands are to conduct a plebiscite on territory, provisional government, and sharing on strategic minerals.
The government has earlier explained in details that these issues have been fully resolved. It said Misuari could no longer demand for another round of plebiscite since it was already done in August 2001. The government also clarified that the 1996 Final Peace Agreement does not provide any provisional government, however it stated for the establishment of a “transitional implementing structure and mechanism,” which was fulfilled through the creation of the Southern Philippines Council for Peace and Development to which Misuari chaired while being the regional governor of ARMM.
The sharing on strategic minerals has also been resolved as reflected in the joint statement of the 1st Formal Meeting of the Ad Hoc High Level Group in Solo, Indonesia June 20-22, 2011.
It is this line that the government with the support of the Indonesia, the chair of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation- Peace Committee on Southern Philippines, has proposed for the completion of the review process and bring the government-MNLF engagements into another level, which is in the implementation phase of the review process.
However, Misuari misunderstood it as an abrogation of the Final Peace Agreement, and launched a series of misinformation on the ground while trying to create an independent Bangsamoro Republik, claiming to have a backing of a United Nations official, which turned out to be fake and was arrested late November in Cagayan de Oro City.
The misinformation led Misuari to dupe his followers to launch rally in this city eventually turned into a siege on September 9. The three-week crisis has left more than 200 individuals killed and displaced 120, 000 residents, who are mostly Moros.
MNLF commanders, who were earlier arrested, said that they were promised monetary rewards of P10, 000 to join the rally.
Several groups have called that the real struggle is the Bangsamoro people and does not stop on a single person.
“Our loyalty is to the Bangsamoro people neither with the MNLF nor the MILF. Therefore, the Bangsamoro people are advocating for a peaceful resolution in Mindanao,” Muni said.
“As Bangsamoro people, we support the peace. With the signing of the power sharing, we can see the light at the end of the tunnel,” Muni said, referring to the recent developments in the negotiations between the government and the MILF.
Recently, the MNLF-Misuari faction has again threatened to wage another “war” as the southern peace talks progressed between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
“I don’t believe they have the clout anymore after the Zamboanga City incident. People know already and cannot be fooled second time around including the MNLF themselves by Misuari,” Alih S. Aiyub, secretary-general of the Bishop-Ulama Conference in Zamboanga, Basilan,Sulu and Tawi-Tawi, said.
Even former MNLF combatants, who were successfully integrated into the military and police, supported the ongoing peace talks between the government and the MILF.
“As the spokesman of the 5,750 MNLF integrees, I welcomed with great hope and prayer the signed and agreed power-sharing agreement,” former rebel and now Army Major Abdurasad Sirajan, said.
“For me, all the annexes of the GPH-MILF envisioned comprehensive agreement, the power-sharing is the most crucial one. It is the backbone and the soul of the agreement that will determine the future Bangsamoro Ministerial government. In short, the power of the future political autonomy lies in this power sharing agreement,” he added.
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