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| Southeast Asia |
| One Decade On, Peace Deal Has Yielded Little, Experts |
| 2006-08-29 |
| Manila, 29 August (AKI) - Ten years after a peace deal was reached between the Philippines government and the then secessionist rebel group the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), Manila said that "notable gains" have been achieved. But that interpretation is challenged by some Muslim groups who have told Adnkronos International (AKI) that the accord has brought neither peace nor prosperity to the region. The final peace agreement was signed was signed in Jakarta (Indonesia) on September 2, 1996. The Moro National Liberation Front first appeared in the Philippines, a mainly Catholic country, in the early 1970s, fighting for an independent Moro nation in the south of the country. The Moro refer to the followers of Islam. The peace deal signed in 1996 created the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) in the west of the island. MNLF leaders have been installed as governors in the region, but some 450 breakaway factions of MNLF members have continued to attack army troops. The chairman of the office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process, Jesus Dureza, told AKI that the implementation of the final accord was "on track" despite certain constraints brought about by the economic crisis and the resurgence of other armed conflicts in southern Philippines. "Notable gains were achieved particularly the successful conclusion of Phase I of the accord, including the integration of 5,750 MNLF fighters to the military and 1,500 others to the police,” he said. But Fatmawati Salapuddin, secretary general of the Bangsamoro Women’s Solidarity Forum, a civil society organization, said the implementation of the peace agreement was not successful since it did not address the root cause of the problem, which is the wish for self-determination of the Bangsamoro, as the Muslims in Mindanao are collectively called. "To some extent, we feel that we are being sold so that Muslim countries will support the Philippines,” she told AKI. She noted that militarisation continued in Mindanao, particularly in the island province of Sulu, from where she hails. Sulu is dominated by the military, allegedly intent on fighting the local militant group, Abu Sayyaf who is believed to have links with Jemaah Islamiyah, a regional terror group. "The people in Sulu are already tired of military bomber planes hovering above them,” she added. Amina Rasul-Bernardo, lead convener of the Philippine Council for Islam and Democracy, agreed that there is failure in the implementation of the peace pact. “There is truth on the assertion of the MNLF that there have been violations of some of the terms of the agreement due to acts of Congress,” she told AKI. The MNLF has been questioning the “unilateral” passage of laws by the Congress, who – according to the peace agreement - was required to consult with the Bangsamoro people. In particular, the former rebels have questioned the passage of the Republic Act 9054 or the New Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Organic Act in 2001. The creation of ARMM was one of the major enticements by the government for the MNLF to sign a peace accord. “All of the indicators point to a final peace agreement that has not been very successfully implemented,” Rasul-Bernardo said, noting that poverty incidence in most areas covered by ARMM is still high. "If there’s a change, it seems to be for the worse," she added. Salapuddin and Rasul-Bernardo said that the very first step the government should do to correct the “mistakes and false steps” with the MNLF is to free Nur Misuari, the Moro leader, who signed the accord on behalf of the group, but who has been detained for almost five years now after being accused of leading an uprising. Supporters of Misuari, who was the founder of the MNLF, launched a series of attacks on army troops in Jolo, the largest of the Sulu islands in 2005. Jesus Dureza will spearhead the commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the peace deal on 2 September. Despite having a peace accord with the MNLF, the government is currently negotiating another peace pact with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, a breakaway group of the MNLF, which has been pushing for independence in the Muslim-dominated Southern Philippines. |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #1 What can I say? Peace through superior fire power! |
| Posted by: twobyfour 2006-08-29 09:58 |