There is more to what meets the eye in the motley group of placard-bearing protesters who lined up the streets where the “Bike for Peace 2011” passed through.
Prior to this, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) had issued a statement that it would not be participating in the cycling event, which purportedly was part of the peace initiatives. Its press release, as quoted by the report, gave it another “shade.”
However, we agree with the message on the placards: “Kasunduan, hindi bike” (Agreement, not bike). The message was clear, and it was addressed to both government and the MILF: the protesters are tired of the negotiators’ posturing and “stage shows”; they have had more than enough of the protracted conflict that has taken its toll on the youth who want to live a normal and peaceful life and pursue a productive career for themselves and their families.
Indeed, the never-ending peace talks ought to end in a peace agreement – not now, not tomorrow, but yesterday. It is preposterous to think that the negotiators from either side have not gone through all the gamut of contentious and peripheral issues. To claim that there are still areas that have yet to be debated upon invites suspicion that both sides have ulterior motives other than peace. To go biking for peace is a waste of time and opportunity. If the MILF thinks that this message is only addressed to government peace negotiators then it is missing the point.
The protest was an eloquent manifestation of how peaceful citizens have gotten tired not only of the conflict but also of open-ended, endless negotiations and the negotiators. And this can also be said of the talks between the government and the New People’s Army represented by the National Democratic Front. The citizenry cannot understand why the NDF participates in democratic political processes, like elections and legislation, while their combatants ambush government troops, burn private installations and engage in extortion in the name of “taxation.” The negotiators from both sides enjoy the ambiance of Kuala Lumpur in the case of the secessionist conflict, while representatives of the CPP/NPA/NDF frolic on snow in Norway.
Enough is enough!
—MIRIAM DAHUNOG,
miriamdahunog70@yahoo.com