MORO Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) Chair Al Haj Murad Ebrahim has invited the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to “journey with us” and help the Moro people meet the challenge of development in a post-war Mindanao.
“The Muslims in Mindanao have long craved for development, physically and mentally. And it is hoped that it will be delivered in the form of peace dividends as the fruits of the current peace process,” Murad told the OIC-Council of Foreign Ministers during their 42nd conference in Kuwait from May 27 to 28.
“... I would like to take this opportunity to humbly request the OIC member states and affiliated institutions to help us. We would welcome any kind of financial assistance and investments. And on our part, we will give our level best to live up to your expectations,” Murad said.
Murad’s speech was posted in the MILF’s official website on Friday, May 29.
Murad said that he spoke “not only as Chairman of the Moro Islamic Liberation (MILF) but mainly on behalf of the Bangsamoro Coordinating Forum (BCF), a forum designed by the OIC for coordination of the MILF and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and for the purpose of achieving unity in our struggle.”
MILF peace panel chair Mohagher Iqbal disclosed that it was Murad’s first time to address the OIC-CFM “as a representative of the Bangsamoro people through the BCF.”
Apart from Murad, other Moro leaders attended the conference including former Cotabato City Mayor Muslimen Sema, chair of the largest MNLF faction called Council of 15, and his vice-chair Hatimil Hassan; and Randolph Parcasio, who represented MNLF chair Nur Misuari.
The 57-member pan-Islamic body has played a key role in the search for peace in southern Philippines since the mid-1970s. Under its auspices, negotiation between the government and the MNLF was pursued in 1975 that led to the landmark Tripoli Agreement on Peace in 1976. A Final Peace Agreement with the MNLF was forged in 1996 through the mediation of OIC-member state Indonesia.
In the negotiations between government and the MILF, the OIC served as an observer. Another OIC member, Malaysia, facilitated the forging of a pact between government and the MILF.
The OIC also brokered the creation of the BCF to serve as platform for cooperation between the MILF and the now factionalized MNLF.
During his speech, Murad said the Bangsamoro “are on the verge of opening a new chapter in our history” made possible by the peace pact the MILF inked with the government in March 2014.
“However, the peace agreement would be meaningless if there is no peace dividend delivered,” he added.
He explained that the failure to “truthfully implement” the 1976 pact and to bring “immediate benefits for the conflict-affected communities” led to the rise of radical groups “and spur extremism in Mindanao.”
“That has made us realize that without thorough development, conflicts will continue to prevail and the Bangsamoro will forever be at the losing end,” Murad stressed.
We... have always recognized the importance of economic development and political stability as the pillars to a sustainable development. In order to achieve that, we will have to make sure that situation is conducive for future investments and businesses,” he said.
Murad narrated that the work for development in the region requires massive resources, worrying that “the Bangsamoro will remain as just another dream if it is not supported with equal financial commitments.”
“Although the government has pledged to provide the necessary funding but we fully understand the financial constraints that they face since we are talking about an amount that could reach hundreds of billions of dollars,” Murad explained.
When enacted and ratified, the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law currently pending in Congress provides for a special development fund for the region within a period of five years.
Murad, a former iron-willed combatant who rose from the MILF’s military ranks, spoke frankly about the fate of the peace pacts forged by the MNLF with government for which the OIC were also involved.
“(The) Bangsamoro’s destiny has not changed since 1976 until now. The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) established in 1989 and later strengthened in 1996 has failed to address the root causes of our grievances,” Murad narrated.
“The Bangsamoro remain neglected since the ARMM does not enjoy genuine autonomy as opposed to what its name suggested. Major decision making powers continue to be at the central government’s disposal,” he added.
Murad assured the OIC these “these weaknesses have been addressed” in the agreements the MILF entered into with government. He added that the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro recognizes and builds on the gains of the peace process involving the MNLF.
Even then, Murad asked the OIC “to continue to urge the Philippine Government to faithfully implement the CAB and pave the way for the establishment of the Bangsamoro Government.”
“If, by the grace of Allah, the Bangsamoro Government is established, we strongly appeal to you to help us rebuild our communities that have been ravaged by decades of war. We ask you to welcome us in the community of Muslims, establishing relations and building cultural links to our cities and your countries,” he implored.
“A rare moment in history unfolds, as we step out of the past and embrace the promise of dawn, when we bid farewell to war and strife, and when the struggle of our people finally finds a measure of success in the building of an institution that allows them to shape their future and partake of the resources that Allah endowed them,” Murad said.