Autonomy not the answer to Mindanao problem — Murad

CAMP DARAPANAN, Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao — The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) is considering other options, apart from Moro independence and federalism, as solutions to the so-called Mindanao problem, or the quest of Filipino Muslims for self-governance.

MILF chairman Al- Haj Murad said autonomy is not the answer to the "centuries-old" struggle for Moro rule in the South.

"Autonomy has been repeatedly implemented in parts of Mindanao and (the) set-up (has) failed miserably," Murad said in a press conference in a guerrilla enclave in Barangay Darapanan here.

The MILF, founded by the late foreign-trained preacher Hashim Salamat in the 1980s, is known for its advocacy, as a revolutionary policy, for the setting up of an independent Islamic state in Mindanao.

Murad said federalism is one of the options being considered by some sectors in the MILF as the possible answer to the Mindanao problem.

"Autonomy cannot solve the problem. That is why we keep on searching for a lasting solution to the problem. The recommendation on what could best address the problem must come from all sectors, from the people in Mindanao," he said.

Murad’s press conference capped the MILF’s three-day consultation on its ongoing peace talks with the government.

Murad said they are now collating the results of the multisectoral consultation for the drafting of resolutions which the MILF will present to the government peace negotiators to give them a clearer picture of the perceptions and expectations of Moro communities on the peace talks.

The peace talks between the government and the MILF started on Jan. 7, 1997, but have been repeatedly stalled by nagging security problems in known flashpoint areas in the South.

The most thorny issue being tackled by MILF and government negotiators is ancestral domain, which encompasses the MILF bid for Muslim rule in predominantly Muslim areas, the setting up of a Sharia justice system and the protection of the culture and traditions of Muslims in Mindanao.

Meanwhile, Silvestre Afable, the government’s chief peace negotiator, and Presidential Assistant on the Peace Process Teresita Deles said there have been dramatic improvements in the confidence of both sides in dealing with each other.

"Waging a war against secessionist forces in Mindanao is very costly, painful and bloody. We don’t want to see Filipinos fighting one another. Through negotiations, we can reach an honorable and just solution to every misunderstanding," Deles said in a press briefing in Cotabato City yesterday.

Deles said she is optimistic that a final peace agreement can be forged soon, although she said the government has no specific time-frame for the peace talks.

Deles said the considerable gains of President Arroyo’s peace venture with the MILF now inspire her administration, which is also focused on the empowerment of marginalized sectors in areas where MILF and Moro National Liberation Front forces are scattered.