Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Malaysia assures continuing support for peace process

From the Manila Bulletin (Feb 9): Malaysia assures continuing support for peace process

BULUAN, Maguindanao – A Malaysian envoy said here on Tuesday his government will continue to support the 17-year Mindanao peace process despite the congressional bypass of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL).

“We will continue to support the initiative of the people and the government of the Philippines in the peace process. That means, even without BBL as long as there is support from the people and the government, we will continue to help search for long lasting peace in Mindanao,” Malaysian Consul General Abdullah Zawawi Tahir said.

Tahir, accompanied by fellow Malaysian diplomats and his family, came here to stand as principal guest and keynote speaker on the grand opening of Maguindanao’s Fifth Sagayan Festival yesterday.

In his speeches at the opening rites for the annual feast and the Maguindanao Trade Expo, a major highlight of the Sagayan Festival, Tahir said Malaysia’s role as third party facilitator in the peace process between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has enhanced diplomatic ties between Kuala Lumpur and Manila.
 
He said the peace process also enriched the foundation of the Brunei-Indonesia- Malaysia-Philippines East Asia Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA), a quadripartite socio-cultural and economic cooperation founded in the early 1990s.

Through the BIMP-EAGA channels, Malaysia has invested more than P5 billion in the Philippine agriculture and tourism industries in 2015 alone, Tahir said.

Much of those investments were poured into ARMM areas, notably Maguindanao – a province which has the major enclaves of the MILF and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), according to ARMM officials.

Because the Mindanao peace process could still provide more benefits to the country and the southern Muslim provinces, Tahir called for the need to sustain the development and peace trend with or without the passage of the BBL under the Aquino government.

The Malaysian envoy was particular about the gains made by Maguindanao from the peace process, saying that in his travels across Mindanao four years ago, he observed the woeful road conditions and slow pace of development in the province.

“This time, wide concrete roads and vast agricultural plantations have been in place at a pace that’s 85 percent complete,” he said.

When asked by local reporters about his government’s stance about the failure of the Aquino administration to legislate the BBL, Tahir said challenge would depend upon the Filipino people.

“Basically, we do not know what’s going to happen next. Only the people of the Philippines will determine the right path for the peace. As far as the Malaysian role, we will continue to support the initiative of the people and the government of the Philippines in the peace process,” Tahir said.

He said at least 200 key stakeholders in the BIMP-EAGA will convene in Davao City on Feb. 24-26 to discuss various concerns including possibly some recommendations for cohesive approaches to peace.

http://www.mb.com.ph/malaysia-assures-continuing-support-for-peace-process/

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