Nene: Malaysia bad choice as mediator in MILF talks

From the Business Mirror (Mar 25): Nene: Malaysia bad choice as mediator in MILF talks

FORMER Sen. Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel Jr., said Malaysia should not have been chosen as mediator in the peace talks between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

“Malaysia should not have been a mediator because of our standing claim over Sabah and because it had also supported the Muslim rebellion in Mindanao,” Pimentel said.

He added that Malaysia is also interested in developing the Liguasan Marsh because of its potential as a source of hydrocarbons.

If he had his way, Pimentel would want Indonesia to be the mediator in the peace talks because, despite having the largest concentration of Muslims in Asia, “Indonesia had never meddled in the conflict between the government and the Muslim rebels.”

When asked who should decide if Malaysia should be taken off the list as mediator, and replaced with another, Sen. Chiz Escudero said it should be the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (Opapp).

“Only Opapp can change Malaysia as mediator if they decide to do so,” Escudero said.

Malacañang continues to push through a final agreement with the MILF, hoping to have it signed before the end of this year, despite the massacre of 44 police commandos by MILF gunmen in Maguindanao on January 25. 

However, the Senate said it wanted to know more about the complete report of the National Police’s Board of Inquiry that was created in the wake of the carnage before committing itself to the peace agreement.

“There are so many unanswered questions about the Mamasapano incident, there is no way that the peace talks can proceed until we know all the answers,” Escudero added.

The Liguasan Marsh holds a huge reservoir of natural gas worth hundreds of billions of dollars, according to Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) Chairman Nur Misuari.

Misuari said the Bangsamoro people could become one of the richest people if this area is placed under the control of the MNLF.

Misuari based his statement from an American oil engineer who told him about the abundance of natural gas in the Liguasan Marsh, the country’s largest  wetland.

The Americans estimated total earnings from the natural gas of Liguasan, once explored, will amount to $580 billion, Misuari said.

On the other hand, the Philippines continues to maintain diplomatic relations with Malaysia after it promised to hold in abeyance its claims to North Borneo.

The Philippines, presenting itself as the successor state of the Sultanate of Sulu, retains a “dormant claim” on Sabah on the basis that the territory was only leased to the British North Borneo Co. in 1878, with the sovereignty of the Sultanate (and subsequently the Republic of the Philippines) over the territory that was never relinquished either by the Sultanate or the government.

However, Malaysia considers this dispute as a “non-issue” as it interprets the 1878 agreement as that of cession and that it deems that the residents of Sabah had exercised their right to self-determination when they joined to form the Malaysian federation in 1963.

Malaysia, however, continues to pay annual dues to the Sultanate for occupying Sabah.

 http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/nene-malaysia-bad-choice-as-mediator-in-milf-talks/