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Wednesday, February 16, 2005
Malilong: Choke the enemy
By Frank Malilong
The Other Side
Six more names have just been added to the already long list of victims of the Muslim extremist group Abu Sayyaf. As with those before them, the new victims’ only fault was that they happened to be where the terrorists chose to strike.
The latest bombing incidents, simultaneously done in three key cities of the country, show how vulnerable we are to terrorist attacks. That, obviously, was the message that the Abu Sayyaf wanted to deliver; we can hit you wherever we like and whenever we like.
The aim is to strike fear in our hearts and as far as this is concerned, the mission is accomplished. We are afraid. Who wouldn’t be?
But that is as far as it goes. We cannot allow our fears to paralyze us or determine how we act or behave. If we do, then the terrorists shall have already won.
We should grow on our fears instead of letting fear grow within us. Let us all be afraid enough to become more vigilant and more involved in the fight against this modern day scourge.
They are very few; we are many. They couldn’t possibly kill all of us.
The government is doing the right thing in rejecting calls for a ceasefire in Jolo. It has admirably refused to be drawn into committing the sins of the past when they let go of the enemy that was within choking reach.
Those who are asking for a truce are doing a great injustice to our troops and their families. Many of our soldiers have paid the supreme sacrifice in the course of their fight to make us safe from these bandits and kidnappers. Let them finish their job. That is the least that we could do for them.
Sure, we must talk peace. The ongoing negotiations with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) should be pursued so that a just and lasting peace can be achieved. But we should choose who we`re talking to.
The MILF has legitimate aspirations. The same thing cannot be said of a group that specializes in kidnap for ransom and in beheading their victims. There is a clear distinction between a rebel with a cause and an unprincipled bandit.
We will finish what they started, I remember the Southern Command chief, Lt. Gen. Alberto Braganza, say this shortly after violence broke out again in Jolo. Please go ahead, sir, and make our day.
(February 16, 2005 issue)
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