When the news broke Friday that Ustadz Malik was holding the GRP team hostage, I was afraid that war will erupt in Jolo and I feared for the lives of my fellow Moro people. They are often misunderstood and often their actions are being capitalized on for war.
As MNLF secretary-general Ustadz Murshid Ibrahim puts it: “Taking hostage of anyone is violative of Islam. It is against MNLF doctrines and principles as a revolutionary organization. Using the word hostage is too harsh and unfair. Ustadz Kahber Malik is a man of peace. He only requested GRP representatives to prolong their stay in Beta’nag for inquiries in view of so many confusing situations going on.”
And the GRP really has a lot of explaining to do. How come they are now targeting MNLF members in their pursuit of Abu Sayyaf?
Why did they arrest six civilians on Jan. 20 in the municipality of Parang and accused them of being Abu Sayyaf? Families have complained that Julpi Bastillan, ASli Bahari, Gapur Angkijh, Ben Lipae, Boy Lipae and a certain Karam were tortured to admit they were terrorists. After three days, they were released for lack of evidence.
Why was the tripartite meeting in Jeddah canceled? This would have been an opportunity for the MNLF to raise the human-rights violations issues perpetrated by the GRP against their members and commanders in Sulu since 2000. And, of course, it would have been a venue to raise the issue of the illegal detention of Professor Nur Misuari, the chairman of the MNLF.
Last week, US ambassador Kristie Kinney and a US diplomat, Karen Hughes, went to Jolo to congratulate the Marines there for a job well done. But did they listen to the Tausugs who had reported about the wounded Tausug woman from Indanan who suffered several wounds in the back because an American soldier “accidentally” fired at her home? Buh Bizma Johan, 45, was washing her clothes in their home in Tagbak, Indanan, when bombs from a nearby military camp in Bud Daju were fired at her place and shrapnel hit her back.
Her case was considered closed by the military and state officials because her family and relatives entered into an agreement with the US soldiers. Her relatives signed an agreement allowing the US soldiers to pay for her medication and moral damages, but there was also the tacit agreement that they should not file a complaint against the US soldiers.
In our talk with her, Buh Bizma even told us that he had been told by the military that she should be thankful that she was being paid a big amount. Had that happened with a Filipino soldier, she would have received a much lower amount, she was told. Buh Bizma said she was not going to complain because she was more afraid of the repercussion if she went after the Americans.
President Arroyo should review her “hands of steel” policy. For while she is boasting of her recent “victories,” the Moro people who are victims of her militarist strategy are not clapping their hands. There is still no peace in Sulu and the rest of Mindanao. Her military solution undermines the peace negotiations and the Moro people’s resolve to seek justice for victims of human rights abuses. (davaotoday.com)
(Amirah Ali Lidasan is the national vice-chairperson of the Suara Bangsamoro partylist organization. She can be reached at suarabm@yahoo.com. Click here to view her previous column.)
[tags]davao today, mindanao, moros, muslim, mnlf, peace process, mindanao conflict, suara bangsamoro, terrorism, sulu, gloria macapagal-arroyo, philippines[/tags]
Peace Process, Terrorism
