Bu-lat-lat (boo-lat-lat) verb: to search, probe, investigate, inquire; to unearth facts Issue No. 25 August 5-11, 2001 Quezon City, Philippines |
The
“Betrayal” of Nur Misuari
For the first time since the group
led by Salamat Hashim bolted the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) more than
20 years ago to form the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), there seems to be
a unification of the two fronts. That, at least, is what a faction of the MNLF,
a faction of the MILF, and the government would want the public to believe. What has been coming out into the open,
however, is the result of a gambit by the government to sideline MNLF Chair Nur
Misuari whom the faction called the Council of 15 “stripped” of the
front’s leadership. This plot against Misuari involves
forming the Council of 15 faction, persuading the MILF to “unite” with the
MNLF, and asking the Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC) to recognize the
coalition, not just the MNLF. Whether these developments in the Moro
revolutionary movements are good remains to be seen. What is certain is that the
Arroyo administration has scored some points by orchestrating these upheavals in
the Moro revolutionary movements. As far as Misuari is concerned,
however, this supposed solution to the problem won’t do the trick because it
is a classic case of divide-and-rule. And where would the Bangsamoro people be
when the smoke is cleared? Misuari did not say but his statements in the
following interview last week with a group of reporters from Davao City,
including Bulatlat.com, provides a clue. There is the observation that the government’s hand is all over the place in the plot to unseat you from the MNLF. There are signs that some elements of
the Arroyo Cabinet are doing this act of divide and rule, and I am not surprised
at all. I have always told the government that their position always tends to
remind us about this policy of divide and rule. I said if only you can stop this
thing because it’s very un-sportsman-like – you want partnership with us but
at the same time you want to undermine us? How can we accept this? Are you referring to (Presidential Assistant for Special Concerns) Norberto Gonzales? Gonzales and his cahoots (sic). (Editor’s note: The MNLF has
accused Gonzales of initiating the formation of the Council of 15. Gonzales
allegedly even spent for the airfare of those who attended a council meeting in
Manila last April. What do you think is the underlying reason for this plot to undermine the MNLF? They just want to destroy the peace
agreement and destroy the MNLF from within. Why? Well, that is the nature of a
government that wants to solve the problem all by itself. We thought that this
should be done through a democratic way. In fact, we have signed three peace
agreements with them, which is already quite unusual. But I think they are still
insisting on solving the problem all by themselves. There seems to be an emerging pattern here. On the one hand, the government is pushing for the amendment of the Organic Act, which the MNLF is objecting to. On the other hand, there’s this plot against you. That’s why I was telling (President
Arroyo), “We cannot understand, madam, why you are so warmhearted toward us,
as we could see, but it is very, very dismaying on our part to see that some
elements in the Cabinet are trying to do something which is contrary to the
pledges of the government.” Because the President has been telling us time and
again that she is going to stick to the peace agreement, that she is going to
implement it in letter and spirit. To divide us is not one of the methods of
implementing the peace agreement. In fact, I often insisted that as soon as the
peace agreement was signed, everyone should ride on that and allow all problems
of Mindanao to be subsumed to that. Instead of coming to terms with us and
with another small group, she will end up creating too many problems at one
time. As a matter of fact, there are some loud voices now that say that while
President Arroyo is trying to unite the two (MNLF and MILF), may be in good
faith, she is succeeding only in creating four enemies: dividing the MNLF and,
I’m afraid, even dividing the MILF. If they are not careful, the MILF may play
into this policy of divide and rule. But the MILF, I’m sure, will learn from
our lessons. And I don’t think my brother Salamat Hashim will play into that. The scenario (the government) is trying
now is to get a splinter group from us and a splinter group from the MILF, bring
them together and let the OIC (Organization of Islamic Conference) recognize
them. Is that the way to solve this problem? Can they solve the problem without
Nur Misauri and company? Can they solve the problem without Salamat Hashim and
the others? I don’t think so, especially at this point. I told them, “You
are spending billions on your intelligence department. Why don’t you send –
I was daring them –the best intelligence outfit to Mindanao and find out
whether these people (the Council of 15) can deliver at all? I assure you that
they cannot produce even five percent of the total MNLF forces -- and the MNLF
has increased tremendously in strength.” But they don’t believe me. Of
course, it is good for us if they don’t believe me, so that they deceive
themselves. Are you seeing a reunification of you and Hashim? I told the OIC ambassadors in Manila
that if it’s your decision that we be united, why not? Go and talk to my
brother. I don’t like to deal with people below him or under him because they
cannot definitely speak for him. If they want to join us for autonomy, okay, why
not? But if they were not in a position to convince him -- because Hashim has
been saying that he’d rather go to his grave than compromise his doctrinaire
principle in fighting for the independence of Mindanao and my people –if you
are not in a position to convince him, I was kidding the OIC ambassadors, why
don’t you exert every effort to convince Nur Misuari to join Salamat Hashim so
we fight for independence together? If you like, with your support! (Laughs) It’s a simple dilemma that the
government is facing. But they are putting themselves in a very, very absurd
position that they do not know how to solve. In short, I think the government is
ill-advised. It doesn’t have the people who have enough wisdom to give it the
right solution to the problems in Mindanao. What is the manifestation of the government’s efforts to divide the MILF? They invited my brother (MILF vice
chairman for military affairs and MILF chief negotiator) Al Haj Murad Ibrahim
and he negotiated with another group from us. See? I don’t know if he
succeeded in unifying even themselves. I was told that not every one in the MILF
leadership is convinced of compromising their demand for independence. Have you had some victory in opposing this divide-and-rule strategy? This has been the seventh time that a
coup was plotted against me. Every time, I always prevail. I mean, the MNLF
always prevails. Seven times, since Marcos. You cannot divide the MNLF anymore. If
they can do it and get all our people behind them, it will be okay with me but,
at present, they got only about 1 percent of the MNLF. You ask them to tell you
honestly, “How many forces these people can deliver nowadays?” Ask them to
produce the cadre officers? Ask them to produce the ulama, if they can produce?
I challenge them! Ask them to produce the members of the Central Committee who
are with them? There are more than 120 members – there are only four or five
of them now in that group. And how many of them can deliver anything to the
government? What sort of enticement has the group of Gonzales been dangling before the MNLF members? These are politicians from within us.
They ran for governor, for mayor, for vice mayor, and so on and so forth. And
they needed money. They tried to apologize in dealing with this man (Gonzales),
because they needed the money from him. I said, “That is not the right way.
You don’t sell yourselves down the drain. You must maintain your dignity and
your honor. This money will not ascertain you of your victory. What will happen
if you lose?” I told them don’t drag the name of the MNLF. We don’t want
to destroy the credibility and image of the MNLF as a revolutionary movement
because we have not yet achieved our goal. We are still in transition. Apparently, you don’t feel intimidated by all this… Do you think Misuari can be
intimidated? Only my wives can intimidate me. (Laughs) Has there been any demoralization within the MNLF ranks? I am not boasting but we have become
masters in this kind of thing. We know how to handle this kind of problem. This
is a small thing. Look, when these people left us, cadre officers and well-known
warriors are also coming back to the surface and rejoining us, so our forces
have been augmented by the thousands everywhere. And then those cadre officers
who were operating with them have decided to return to us, so they our now with
our cadre officers. You ask them if they can produce a significant number of
cadre officers. What are the chances of the Council of 15 going back to the fold? Well, my brother here has returned
(pointing to Datu Dima Ambil, the chairman of the MNLF’s Kutawato
Revolutionary State, who had been one of the Council of 15 members). There are
also some of them who are there because they have been misled. But what can 15
people do? We can see thousands of leaders in the MNLF. Can the government
afford to put the future or to anchor the future on the empty promises of these
15 people? I don’t think a wise government can afford to do that. In the first
place, they should send the best intelligence outfit first to find out who is
Abdul Sahrin, for instance. How many forces can he deliver? Hatimil Hassan? He
lost in a small municipality in the last elections. Uttoh Salem Cutan? He ran
for governor and lost, miserably. Even his first cousin who handled his security
has left him and is now back to us. Parouk Hussin? He lives in exile in
Stockholm. He has been living there and he is not even a Filipino citizen, he is
a Swedish citizen. That’s why I cannot understand why government appointed him
as presidential adviser. Have you been campaigning against the Council of 15? No! I leave it to them to return. These
are people with conscience. They are not robots. They think for themselves and
for the future of their people. I have never pleaded to anyone to please return
back. Never! You ask my brother here (pointing to Ambil). This is all conscience
that dictates. I am sure that in the future, these people, these hardboiled
members of the remaining members of the council, will join us. Believe me! If
they don’t join, they won’t become an asset to the government anyway because
people who could betray us could also betray their patrons in the end. Bulatlat.com
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