President-elect Rodrigo Duterte will likely “do more” in his first 100 days in office to end the communist insurgency than outgoing President Benigno Aquino III who failed to resume peace talks with the communists in his entire six-year term.
The Bagong Alyansang Makabayan said Duterte—who described himself as the first president from the Left —is already moving forward toward a dialogue with the Reds unlike Aquino.
“Duterte has committed to release all political prisoners as a confidence-building measure. In an unprecedented move, he has offered cabinet positions to the Left, more than what was ever given by any post-Edsa regime,” said Bayan secretary-general Renato Reyes.
“In contrast, Aquino continues to avoid any responsibility for his failed handling of the peace talks with the NDF,” he said. “When it comes to the peace process with the NDF, Duterte and the hacendero president are poles apart.”
Duterte, who described himself as being left of the center, had promised to give cabinet positions to progressive individuals and visiting leaders of self-determinist groups to urge them to pursue peace with the government.
“I will go along. If it’s just a matter [of them being] identified with the left, it is not an issue with me,” Duterte had earlier said. “I will speak with the left because I want a peaceful country.”
Reyes noted that Duterte has already promised the left at least two seats in his Cabinet and even offered more if CPP founder Jose Maria Sison comes home in July.
The communist umbrella National Democratic Front had already submitted a list of nominees to the Duterte administration and Duterte publicly said he was impressed and was inclined to accept the nominations.
Among the names submitted by the NDF were former Bayan Muna Rep. Teddy Casiño for Department of Environment and Natural Resources, former University of the Philippines professor Judy Taguiwalo for the Department of Social Welfare and Development and former Anakpawis Rep. Rafael Mariano for the Department of Agrarian Reform.
Duterte had earlier promised to give the Department of Labor and Employment as well but he later announced the designation of 1-BAP Rep. Silvestre Bello, a nomination that the NDF did not protest.
Reyes said Duterte’s moves has shown his sincerity and showed a great contrast to the Aquino administration which rejected the NDF’s proposal to draft a new Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees list after the original one, stored in a very old floppy diskette, got corrupted and could no longer be retrieved.
“Even in his last days in office, ‘Boy Sisi’ [Aquino] continues to blame everyone but himself,” Reyes said. “He fails to understand the importance in the peace talks of upholding previously signed agreements such as the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees.”
“Noynoy excelled in violating the JASIG and the agreement on respect for human rights, and thus accumulated so many political prisoners, 18 of whom are NDF consultants. He was not serious at all in talking peace, which explains why even back-channel efforts failed,” he added.
Formal peace negotiations with the communist movement was stalled in 2004 after the NDF withdrew from the negotiating table on account of the renewed inclusion of CPP Founding Chairperson Jose Maria Sison and his organization in the US terrorist list.
The government conducted several rounds of informal talks through the facilitation of the Royal Norwegian Government in an attempt to revive the negotiations, but the talks still failed.
President Aquino, however, said that it was the NDF that walked out of the peace talks.
“How do we proceed with the peace process if we go back to the long dragged out and no-compromising position?” Aquino said.
In various interviews, Duterte stressed that if he “can talk smoothly” and CPP founder Jose Maria Sison will come home in July, he’s ready to give progressives positions in his cabinet.
Fidel Agcaoili, NDF chief negotiator in an interview, said that the Duterte administration is already preparing for the resumption of the peace negotiations “towards the attainment of a just and lasting peace.”
“Peace talks will resume as soon as possible after his proclamation as president,” he said in a television interview.
http://thestandard.com.ph/news/-main-stories/top-stories/206803/rody-s-peace-overtures-hailed.html
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.