Moro youth urge gov’t, MILF: Bare draft proposals

ILIGAN City—Moro youth leaders are urging both the government and rebel group Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to make public their respective proposals for a political settlement.

“Everyone, especially those in government, speaks of transparency and consultation, so why not declassify these drafts?” a statement from Arsad Solaiman, chairman of the Youth for Bangsamoro Genuine Empowerment, said.

“Let us appeal directly to the collective wisdom of the people by not allowing the oligarchs, whose only main forte is (protecting) their interests and cliques, to monopolize decision-making,” Solaiman added.

Abul Alibasa of the Ranao Youth for Peace and Development said public disclosure of the draft proposals exchanged between the government and MILF peace panels “will be a giant step forward in clearing the air of suspicions that there are sinister plots” in the negotiations.

Public knowledge of the exact drafts “can heighten their appreciation of the substantive issues even as the peace panels are the ones who will hammer out a consensus on these,” Alibasa explained.

“After all, public acceptance of an eventual agreement is a necessary condition for cementing the gains of the peace process,” he added.

Both the government and MILF peace panels have only revealed the general features and characteristics of their respective proposals for a political settlement.

The MILF has released a copy of its proposal submitted to government negotiators on January 2010 but it said that document only contains around 90 percent of what it submitted February this year.

Solaiman called on chief government negotiator Marvic Leonen to unveil what really constitutes his panel’s proposal.

He also challenged MILF chief negotiator Mohagher Iqbal to show whether the substate proposal “is not a formula to deprive other (peoples) of their rights and freedom…”

In an earlier blog, former government negotiator Camilo Montesa urged the two negotiating panels “to rethink the policy of confidentiality.”

Montesa claimed that making the two drafts public “would benefit the negotiations…”

“If the parties continue to deprive the public of information about what these proposals really contain, the prejudices and the biases of the people will supply the details,” Montesa pointed out.

Iqbal said that if the current calls are formalized, his panel could bring it before the MILF Central Committee which, in turn, should decide on the issue.

But Iqbal stressed that the matter must also be discussed with government negotiators so that “a mutual decision” could be reached.

Leonen has not responded to a text message asking the same question.—Ryan D. Rosauro, Inquirer Mindanao