Gov’t neglected to ensure safety of our Moro brothers

Partido Lakas ng Masa condemns the assault by the Malaysian armed forces, commandos and Marines that led to the death of 19 members of the Sulu Sultan’s security forces and the death of eight Malaysian policemen. We believe that our Filipino brothers are camped out in Kampung Tanduao, Lahad Datu, to dramatize the claim to Sabah.

We hold the Philippine government responsible for neglecting to give our Moro brothers the protection they needed during the “standoff period” with the Malaysian armed forces that encircled the encampment for several weeks. Instead of doing this, President Aquino added insult to injury by ignoring the claim of the Sultan’s family (despite its being the basis of the Philippine government’s claim to Sabah) and even threatened to do them harm if they would not leave the encampment.

President Aquino should have used the occasion from Day One to undertake negotiations between the Malaysian government, the Sultan’s family and followers, and the Philippine government. The spokesman of Sultan Jamalul Kiram III has stated repeatedly that there was no effort on the part of the Philippine government to intervene by leading such negotiation.

We assert that the Philippine claim to Sabah has its merits and should not be abandoned by the government. More so, the government should not have turned its back on the safety and lives of our Filipino Moro brothers who encamped at Tanduao.

However, we believe that the claim to Sabah should be pursued by the Philippine government in a peaceful manner through firm diplomacy. And the final solution to the Sabah claim should also consider the demands and interests of its inhabitants, be they Malaysians, indigenous people or Filipinos who have lived there for a long time—including the disadvantaged groups that have been historically displaced and exiled to other places because of the conflict.

We believe that this type of democratic process is the only way to prevent a useless war and carnage between Malaysia and the Philippines.

—SONNY MELENCIO,

chair, Partido Lakas ng Masa,

[email protected]