Wednesday, November 14, 2007 MILF doubts Misuari's alleged threat of war By Ben O. Tesiorna
THE Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) is in doubt whether the statement of Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) chair Nur Misuari warning the Philippine government against signing a pact with the MILF is indeed true and correct.
In a report, MILF Central Committee Secretariat chair Muhammad Ameen said he could not believe that Misuari could make such an "irresponsible" statement if he still really cares for the highest interest of the Bangsamoro people whom he pledged to fight for ever since he led the MNLF in early 70s.
"This is ridiculous and is not expected of a man like Misuari's stature to make," said Ameen.
In a report by Mindanews, Misuari said that in a meeting with Datuk Othman Abd. Razak, chief political advisor of Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Abdullah Badawi, he made mention to Othman information about the impression of a senior American Embassy official identified as Spephen Worrobec, who opined that “any peace agreement that will be entered into in Kuala Lumpur between the Philippine government and the MILF will be illegal.”
The said meeting took place in Misuari’s detention place in New Manila, Quezon City sometime ago.
Misuari said Worrobec's "rationale for saying so, as subsequently disclosed to Fr. Eliseo Mercado Jr.," the former majority floor leader of the defunct Southern Philippines Council for Peace and Development (SPCPD), was through his researches and consultations with both international and domestic lawyers.
Ameed said though that Misuari knows very well that the 1996 Philippine government-MNLF Final Agreement is not a perfect agreement, which instead of giving genuine self-governance to the Bangsamoro people provided for the MNLF effective integration into the national body politic of the Philippine state.
He asserted that both integration and so-called autonomy as allegedly packaged in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Armm) are both rejected by the Bangsamoro people and therefore should not be tried once again.
He added that it defies logic that a man behind bar like Misuari could make a threat of war against the very government that practically holds him in life and death.
Ameen said they will try to secure the original copy of Misuari’s speech.
Misuari's speech was read by MILF spokesperson Al Tillah. The 38-minute, 15-page speech was read prelude to the start of the review of the implementation of the 1996 Peace Agreement between the Philippine government and the MNLF.
Misuari failed to attend the meeting, because the Saudi Arabia government did not give him sovereign guarantee, which will give assurance that he will be made to return to the Philippines after the meeting.
"We will try to get a true copy of the speech before we pass judgment," Ameen said.
