Saturday, July 26, 2008 Editorial: Barking up the wrong tree
"If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle." -- Sun Tzu
WE can't blame the military if they are feeling like the world is against them these days. It's difficult to feel otherwise if you are attacked from all sides. But it pays to remind the military that this is still a government of the people, and they are there to keep the people safe.
Meaning, simple reminders such as what the City Council did when it stated that school campuses should be kept as peace zones as it had always been since Davao City won over its peace two decades ago -- at a time when the present crop of military officers may have yet been fresh out of the military academy, clueless about what the city has had to go through -- should not be seen as an attack on their integrity nor as a challenge to prove otherwise.
There's no other word for it but short-sighted, if an infantry division rustles up principals, head teachers, and barangay officials to come up with certifications that no soldier has ever occupied classrooms in public schools in the boondocks.
Why can't the military just take the reminder as it is? A reminder to keep their distance from our children, especially when they are fully armed and not as a challenge to show who has more people on their side. Especially so because they were seen in these campuses -- whether their school officials deny it or not.
What we have in our midst is a heightened war of insurgents; to win this means to win over people, not divide people. Coming on too strong against civilian sentiment doesn't win over people and can even divide.
People have sentiments, they have feelings, and they have their fears. It pays to remind the military that in a civilian government, people are entitled to express all these.
And in a civilian government, one of the roles of the civilian government is to assuage all these sentiments, feelings, and fears. It also pays to remind the military that rustling up witnesses is so high-intensity "warfare", it's best to read up on psychological warfare and how to wage low intensity conflict, better yet, read up on "The Art of War," that oft-translated by classic Chinese war tactician Sun Tzu. In a war against insurgents, you have to have the full support of the people and local officials. Do not go around making enemies, it will weaken your position.
The enemy, the communist rebels, is striking at any weak point exposed by the army. They are on a roll after winning some advantages these past days, but the military should by now know that this is but part of waging a war. They are still the superior force to contend with, but only if they know how to make use of that force.
It is apparent that the reason why the communist rebels are on a roll is because of the restiveness of a people mired in worsening poverty -- a mire rebels love so much because it is in fanning people's misery that they gain strength.
The military know this too well. Thus, the military should also know that when pushed to tactical defensive, they should make sure they remain to be perceived as the allies of the people, the defenders of peace.
You can't be perceived as defender of peace if you go around sniping at or whining against the civilian government. It not just creates irritants especially because the civilian government has always been staunchly supporting the military personnel assigned here, it also doesn't make for good publicity.
