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Wednesday, August 06, 2003
MILF reveals chief's death; talks to proceed
By Ben O. Tesiorna
DAVAO -- Officials of the country's largest separatist group announced Tuesday the death on July 13 of their chairman Hashim Salamat but stressed there would be no change in their plan to pursue a peace settlement with government.
Ghazali Jaafar, Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) vice chairman for political affairs, said they intend to pursue negotiations with the government for a peaceful end to their decades-old rebellion in Mindanao.
The MILF central committee delayed announcing the death of Salamat because it had yet to inform his relatives and choose his successor, Jaafar explained
Al Haj Murad, the military chief of staff, has been chosen as the new chairman, he further said.
Presidential Assistant for Mindanao Jesus Dureza said he was saddened by Salamat's death but welcomed Murad's appointment as MILF chairman.
"We mourn the passing away of a leader. Alam naman natin (We all know) that chairman Salamat is working for his people. At this time we should not speculate about the implications of his passing away. This is a time for mourning," Dureza stressed.
He said that as the new MILF chairman, Murad would now head the rebel panel in peace talks with government slated in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Dureza said Murad is more than "competent" to represent the MILF in the peace negotiations.
MILF 'undisturbed'
Salamat, 61, MILF founding chair, died of "acute ulcer and heart ailments" on July 13, Jaafar said.
He died in the southern town of Butig and was buried on the same day in keeping with Muslim tradition, added Jaafar.
"In behalf of the central committee of the MILF, of all the leaders of the MILF and the entire Bangsamoro people, our brother Hashim Salamat ay namayapa na (passed away) because of heart illness last July 13 at around 11:25 in the morning somewhere in Mindanao," Jaafar announced.
The decision to pick Murad as Salamat's replacement, Jaafar said, was arrived at after a seven-day conference attended by MILF and Muslim leaders in Mindanao.
Asked about the implications of Salamat's death on the MILF organization, Jaafar said all the positions within their group remain "undisturbed" and was even strengthened as a result of their leader's death.
In the just-concluded central committee meeting, MILF leaders agreed they would continue to fight what Salamat fought for, he added.
In the MILF website, the group announced that vice chairman for internal affairs Aleem Abdulaziz Mimbantas was elected MILF vice chairman and concurrently vice chairman for military affairs.
Jaafar was also quoted in the website as saying that As Siddique succeeded Murad as the new chief of staff of the MILF Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF).
Talks to proceed
President Arroyo's spokesman Ignacio Bunye said the death would not affect her government's policy of pursuing a "just, comprehensive and durable solution to the conflict in Mindanao."
He added: "We are prepared for the opening of talks as scheduled."
"We are saddened by the loss of chairman Salamat," said Eduardo Ermita, Arroyo's adviser on the peace process, adding that the "important thing is whether it is Salamat or not, the MILF shows it is sincere in the cessation of hostilities and that there will be no more violence."
Presidential Adviser on the peace process Eduardo Ermita, meanwhile, said Murad's appointment as MILF chairman and peace panel head is "good news."
Military chief General Narciso Abaya said there would be a "realignment of forces" in Mindanao in view of the upcoming peace talks.
He declined to give further details, but noted both sides have already agreed to put in place a joint ceasefire mechanism to avoid skirmishes on the ground.
News of Salamat's death came as a surprise because only a few days earlier Jaafar and Murad claimed that the MILF chief would sign the final peace agreement with Manila.
Jaafar said the group had previously decided to ferry Salamat to Manila for treatment, even risking possible arrest by the authorities but "before we could act, the chairman died."
Later date
The government and the MILF agreed to a ceasefire last month paving the way for the resumption of peace talks.
Peace talks were last suspended earlier this year amid a spate of bombings and attacks in Mindanao blamed by the military on the MILF.
Arroyo had also accused the MILF of providing sanctuary to terrorists.
Salamat later publicly denounced ties to terrorist groups, including the Jemaah Islamiyah, allegedly linked to the al-Qaeda terror network.
The government then suspended arrest warrants against top MILF leaders after Salamat agreed to a ceasefire. The peace talks were supposed to have begun in Kuala Lumpur on Monday but were put back for a later date.
Salamat was born in the southern village of Kudal in Pagalungan town in Maguindanao province and studied in Manila and Cairo. His revolutionary politics came in response to the poverty among Muslims in the southern Philippines.
He went underground on Sept. 24, 1972: four days after late dictator Ferdinand Marcos imposed Martial Law amid worsening political and economic problems.
Salamat organized the Moro National Liberation Front in the early 1970s with Nur Misuari, a Marxist activist at the University of the Philippines, and other Muslim militants. He had a falling out with Misuari in the late 1970s and formed the MILF, which eventually became the country's largest Islamic rebel group. AFP/Sun.Star Davao
(August 6, 2003 issue)
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