Quiet ‘western front’ needs to be nurtured

It’s “All quiet on the western front.” This phrase taken from a movie title denotes lack of visible change in the war front.

This phrase describes aptly what is obtaining in the conflict areas in Mindanao which is literally in the western part of the region. The silence in fact is deafening; it elicits this uncanny feeling that the conflict could have either been finally resolved and come to a happy ending, or that the elements that have been at war with the government are actually gearing up for still another war.

We would like to believe that the guns of war have been silenced and credit this to the ongoing peace negotiation between government and the secessionists. There has been no semblance of terrorist activities for a number of days now, giving rise to optimism that government forces have finally won the hearts and confidence of the island communities in Sulu and Basilan where terrorist elements freely roamed in the past.

If civilians cooperate with the peacekeeping forces, there is no way these terror groups can cause havoc and perdition. If the peaceful condition persists, it will not take long for people to live and enjoy normal lives and go on with their livelihood. Soon, the capitalists will come back and workers who lost their jobs will again find new ones. The younger generations, who have been denied opportunities by the endless conflict and by the senseless brutalities of the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah, can again look to a brighter future.

It’s silent on the western front, and if this persists longer than the previous peace interludes, and we see kidnap victims finally released from their captors because of pressure from communities that were used before to shelter them, we can say that indeed this one is the dawning of a new day.

It would take sometime for the confidence level in areas ravaged by war to be restored. It is a divine consolation that we enjoy and relish the freedom and the atmosphere of quiet that peaceful environment breeds. If we opt for this environment then we have to nurture this and prevent those who still might be thinking to ignite another conflict from proceeding with their crazy scheme.

—RINA DE JESUS,

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