O diba?
May 2008 Archives
Yesterday and today's Inquirer editorials have focused on the possible breakdown of talks between our government and the MILF in Mindanao, and the possibility that Malaysia, a partner in the peace talks, might pull out. My column for today looks at what Malaysia's interest in the peace process is.
A very interesting explanation of the issues confronting government and MILF negotiators, and which goes a long way in explaining the genesis of the tensions between Muslims and Christians in Mindanao, is a paper that was published on line last year. It's by Atty. Zainudin S. Malang and is titled, Examining the Nexus Between Philippine Constitutionism and the Mindanao Conflict. If you want a crash course in the issues, this paper's a good place to start.
When our nation-building resumed in 1935, Muslim leaders were brought into national politics and until the 1950s, seemed fairly succesfully integrated. But in the 1960s, things started breaking down -and at a rapid pace. Malang explains why:
Up until the 1950s, the state had adopted numerous land distribution laws and enforced resettlement policies that dramatically changed the demographics of Mindanao. But by the 1960s, the demographic reengineering program assumed a far more sinister form. Through military support for a para-military movement of settlers known as the Ilagas, land dispossession in Central, Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Western Mindanao was achieved through outright forcible land-grabbing.
It was this land-grabbing that precipitated the formation of the Bangsa Moro Liberation Organization which, together with the original Moro National Liberation Front that spawned the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, launched the modern armed day struggle for re-assertion of Moro identity and right to the homeland
In addition, there are many online resources for those who want to take a deeper look into the issues raised. Political analyst Mon Casiple, in his blog entry, says that tensions have increased because the peace process' own issues have been joined by tensions over the forthcoming ARMM elections.
Additional background's provided in a paper, The GRP-MILF Peace Talks: Quo Vadis?, by Rizal Buendia and another paper of his, a comparative study, The Secessionist Movement and the Peace Process in the Philippines and Indonesia: The Case of Mindanao and Aceh, may also interest you. The Asia Foundation blog early this year discussed Critical Challenges in Asia: Violent Conflict and Fragile States (including the Philippines) and also pointed to a book about succesful peace-building efforts in Mindanao: see Conflict in Mindanao.
