‘MILF or MNLF will not save the Bangsamoro’

From the Manila Times (Sep 10): ‘MILF or MNLF will not save the Bangsamoro’

“The fate of the Bangsamoro lies in the hands of the Bangsamoro, not in the hands of the MNLF or MILF or these two combined which do constitute even .5 percent of the 16 million Moros [Filipino Muslims] and definitely not in the hands of one man,” the Sultan of Lanao del Sur told The Manila Times in an exclusive interview on Thursday.

The MNLF (Moro National Liberation Front) and the MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front) both claim to be fighting for an independent Islamic homeland in Mindanao.

Dr. Firdausi I. Y. Abbas said unless all stakeholders participate, there “can never be a viable solution” to the political and military conflict in southern Philippines, home to the country’s Muslim minority.

The man he was referring to is Nur Misuari, founder of the MNLF, whose followers lorded it over tripartite talks among the Government of the Philippines (GPH), the MNLF and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) held last September 7-9 at the New World Hotel in Makati City (Metro Manila).

Misuari is wanted by the Philippine government for a failed uprising in Mindanao a few years ago.

Abbas said the recent tripartite talks in Makati City were delayed by discussions among the MNLF group on who should sit as delegates.

The general legal counsel of the MNLF and one of the delegates to the 2007 tripartite conference in Jeddah said, during the talks, the OIC insisted that only the delegates to the 2007 tripartite meeting in Saudi Arabia be allowed inside the conference room because they are the delegates recognized by the OIC under an agreement known as the Jeddah formula.

According to Abbas, delegates of Misuari insisted that the list of the MNLF founder be followed.

The argument ended with the Jeddah formula implemented and other delegates named by Misuari were added to the roster.

The apparent concessions given to the MNLF, in Abbas’ view, showed how even more factionalized and fragmented the group has become.

He pointed out in the conference that “nothing will come out of the talks because there is already the Bangsamoro Basic Law [BBL] and it appears that two canoes are paddled on the same river.”

Abbas explained that in the BBL, all the agreements between the MNLF and the GPH are included, that is why it is called comprehensive and its enactment and approval in a plebiscite would repeal all previous Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao organic acts–Republic Act 6734 and RA 9054.

”The GPH-MNLF talks [at present] are on amendments to RA 9054. Once it is repealed, there is nothing to amend. Furthermore, the subjects being discussed in the [recent] talks are all provided already in the BBL. The government will not agree to negotiate again with the MNLF and will not agree to revive RA 9054, which will not be legally feasible,” he said.

Abbas took time to hit at the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

“The OIC continues on these talks because it is the only agreement it got signed and [it had] failed in all its other mediation endeavors. [It] has done very little for the Bangsamoro and is even ignorant of the real concerns of the Moros. Even its status as an organization has been reduced to mere cooperation,” he said.

According to him, Buhay party-list Rep. Lito Atienza and Rep. Jonathan de la Cruz of Abakada party-list who questioned before the Supreme Court the constitutionality of the BBL, including the GPH and MILF peace negotiators, may even question trips of Philippine delegations to tripartite meetings in Jeddah that, he said, were just senseless expenditures and junkets and a waste of the taxpayers’ money.

He sits as permanent delegate of the MNLF to tripartite meetings by resolve of the OIC.

Abbas headed an MNLF delegation to Jakarta and met with Indonesian Vice President Yusuf Kalla, paving the way for resumption of derailed tripartite talks.

Meanwhile, he also told The Manila Times that Moro children are dying of malnutrition and women are dying in their pregnancy because of the absence of basic services.

Abbas said the economic uplift of the South and development of the Moros are a constitutional mandate and not dependent on any agreement with the MNLF or the MILF.

http://www.manilatimes.net/milf-or-mnlf-will-not-save-the-bangsamoro/218037/