MILF to continue peace process with next goverment

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines – The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has vowed to stick to the peace process in finding a solution to the conflict in Mindanao despite the failure to pass the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL)

Ghazali Jaafar, MILF vice chairman for political affairs, however, said they have to see the conditions that would be set by the incoming administration regarding the peace process.

“Our position since the start when we agreed to sit down with the Philippine government in the negotiating table, our policy remained, that the most civilized, peaceful way to achieve the aspiration of the Bangsamoro people is through the peace process,” Jaafar told radio station dxRZ yesterday.

He said the MILF would still note the conditions to be set in the resumption of the peace process by the new administration.

According to Jaafar, the MILF has laid down all the conditions about the Bangsamoro issue for the past 38 years when peace negotiations started with the Tripoli agreement in 1976, the 1996 final peace agreement with the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and the Comprehensive Agreement of the Bangsamoro (CAB) of the MILF signed in 2014.

“It’s not from us the MILF. How many times – pardon my language – have the Muslims been saying that it appears the government is misleading us,” Jaafar said in Filipino.

Jaafar believes they have nothing to explain about the Bangsamoro issue to the Philippine government on how to achieve the solution of peace through the peace process.

He said it is now the responsibility of the government, through the agreements, to implement the aspiration of the Bangsamoro people.

“It appears the government is playing treachery. Treacherous to us Muslims. We keep on signing agreement after agreement for the Bangsamoro people, for the Muslims of the Philippines but it is not implemented,” Jaafar lamented.

While the rest of Mindanao remains silent over the failure of Congress to pass the BBL, Jaafar said many Muslims felt hurt and betrayed.

“It’s not true that the feelings of Muslims were not hurt, it’s not true that Muslims were not affected that we have to be unmindful,” he said.

Jaafar said critics have to worry since the leadership and political solution did not work out after the proposed BBL was not signed and peaceful resolution was not implemented.

The MILF leader appealed to everyone to help one another and influence the leaders in Congress to end the conflict in Mindanao through a peaceful solution.

“Because there are groups who were really dismayed (over the negotiation) and they were thinking of (other radical) ways,” Jaafar said.