Grand gesture to advance cause of peace in Mindanao

Those who were surprised by President Aquino’s move to reach out to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) may have two things in mind: it’s either that he was ill-advised or he has a strong political will, and was prompted by a genuine conviction that negotiating a political settlement with the MILF is the right way to go.

Doubtless, the historic Aug. 4 meeting in Japan between P-Noy and Murad Ebrahim significantly contributed to the pursuit of peace for Mindanao. It proved that out-of-the-box thinking, creative imagination and dialogue are essential to any peace process. As important, the MILF peace panel regarded it as a grand gesture.

Those who criticize this move of P-Noy may be the ones who are ill-advised or narrow-minded. They may also be the ones whose interests could be jeopardized by a peace agreement. Or they may be simply uninformed (I wouldn’t call them ignorant), unaware of the lessons learned from peace negotiations in various parts of the world, and how peace processes are affected by events of similar nature.

In this country, former President Cory Aquino, mother of P-Noy, held a meeting with MNLF (Moro National Liberation Front) Chair Nur Misuari. The meeting paved the way for the peace negotiations that yielded the 1996 Final Peace Agreement between the government and the MNLF, this after years of failed attempts (dating back to 1976) at reaching a deal.

For me, there were two notable remarks in the exchange between P-Noy and Murad. One, that the latter believed in P-Noy’s sincerity. Two, that they both agreed to fast-track the peace negotiations in order that an agreement would be reached under the current administration. This, to me, is a leap of faith. I hope and pray that this grand gesture will advance the peace process.

Peace-loving citizens of Mindanao and of this country have to believe that just peace is possible. We have to realize that real progress cannot be achieved if armed combatants continue to fight each other in any part of this country. Studies have shown that armed conflicts, already rooted in maldevelopment and violations of basic human rights, disrupt efforts toward development and in addressing mass poverty. The 2011 World Development Report noted that while poverty is declining for much of the world, countries affected by violence are lagging behind.

We have to sustain this current momentum of the peace process so that it will never be held hostage again by insincere, deceitful, intolerant and selfish interests. We need to contribute something, no matter how small, to ensure that the peace negotiations will succeed within the shortest time possible. Concerned citizens should help in facilitating, not in obstructing, the search for a comprehensive and just political solution to the war in Mindanao.

—CARMEN LAUZON-GATMAYTAN,

Davao City, memen_lauzon

@yahoo.com