Peace with honor

“I believe it is peace for our time…peace with honor”, British statesman Neville Chamberlain said in a broadcast after signing the Munich Agreement on October 1, 1938, effectively handing over Sudentenland (a region of Czechoslovokia inhabited mostly by ethnic Germans) to German control, which it bordered. With the conviction that having peace during that time is more valuable, Chamberlain had, despite opposition, favored appeasement of the Nazis to avoid war.

I reflect upon Chamberlain’s words with the thought that seeking peace and advocating it brings blessings. His appeasement policy failed to deter German aggression less than a year after the signing of the Munich Pact, but his decision to bring peace to people in the post-World War I times was widely supported and given importance in history. I give credit to his action where he gave utmost consideration for having peace.

The National Day of Prayer for Peace and Reconciliation was commemorated yesterday. I always say that any prayer for peace must begin with one’s self. For how can anyone be at peace with others if he is not at peace with himself first. To do this, the most important thing is that one must have a plan in his life and work on how this plan can be achieved, but this should never be at the public’s expense.

The promotion of peace and unity remains to be every nation’s primary goal. But there can be no peace without justice. There can be no peace when corruption prevails and remains unchecked. A news report about the P400 million road that leads to “nowhere” must be validated, but, if this is true, what happens when limited government resources are used to fund a “ghost highway”? Clearly, this leads to graft. There is no justice when the money that employees who pay their taxes religiously go to corrupt government officials and they don’t get the services that they deserve from the government.

War goes on in Mindanao because successes of past peace negotiations, if any, have not been sustained. The most recent attempt to negotiate with the MILF fell through because of the lack of consultation with the groups and individuals who will be most affected with the MILF’s claim for ancestral domain over a big portion of the archipelago. Conflict goes on because the quest for peace is far outweighed by selfish interests.

If everyone will just think of the common good sincerely, and work peacefully together, it will be easier for our country to move forward and attain its goals. I pray that we can have peace with honor in our time. Peace with justice.