MILF Hands All-Inclusive Peace Plan To Malaysia

Hashim said the front is still positive that peace can be achieved in the country

By Kazi Mahmood, IOL Southeast Asia correspondent

Kuala Lumpur, June 30 (IslamOnline.Net) - The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has prepared its own peace, reconstruction and development plan that has been submitted to the Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad but has not been made public.

The plan is part of a breakthrough solution proposed by Malaysia to Manila and the MILF fighting for an independent state in the southern Philippines. The rival factions have, in principle, agreed that a final peace treaty will be signed within the next 90 days, a Malaysian source told IslamOnline.Net on Sunday, June 29.

The three-pronged plan which begins with peace as a solution to the problems in Mindanao and the Autonomous Regions of Muslims Mindanao (ARMM) will be discussed with Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo before the warring factions meet in Kuala Lumpur in July, the source, who requested anonymity, said.

A MILF spokesman said Wednesday, June 25, that the Philippine government and the MILF had signed an agreement setting the stage for the resumption of peace negotiations after a week of informal talks in Malaysia.

Last week, Manila attempted to force the MILF to abandon all ideas that leads to a possible independence of the ARMM in case there is a direct referendum in the region.

The Malaysian government, the source added, is backing the MILF peace plan but may alter the reconstruction and development part of the plan in order to accommodate other countries in the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) to have a greater role in the development of the region.

Some members of the MILF urged the Malaysian premier to press the U.N. and Manila to send U.N. peace keepers in Mindanao since the world body has showed it was busy attempting to do so in Liberia, where the situation is similar to Mindanao.

Peace-Keeping Force

The MILF has made it clear that it would want to have a U.N. or regional peace keeping force that would join MILF and Philippines forces in patrolling and securing the entire ARMM while the peace plan is being enforced, the source told IOL.

Part of the peace plan is that the MILF will not lay down its arms after the signing of the treaty and that the Moro’s people will have a larger say in the administration of the ARMM, if the ARMM is maintained as the autonomy solution to the region.

Manila is also said to have agreed, in part, on the idea that the ARMM will be a larger and wider political and geographical autonomy, which Manila calls an "enhanced ARMM," but the MILF calls it a larger autonomous region.

Manila is yet to revert to Mahathir on the ideas proposed by the MILF, which are supported by members of the New-Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) - another former fighting force that has almost been disbanded and has turned into a minor political force.

By larger autonomy, the MILF in its peace plan which was kept secret from all the media and the Arroyo regime, says there must be greater political role given to the governor and the councilors of the local legislature.

Malaysia is pressing Manila to go along with the idea of a revised ARMM and to stick to the Tripoli and Kuala Lumpur agreements signed by the MILF and the Arroyo administration, which guarantees the respect of the Bangsamoro people’s rights to self-determination.

Nevertheless, Manila intends to control the entire administration of the region, dispensing financial, economic and other forms of aids or assistance, which will be channeled from the World Bank, the Arab Bank and a possible pool of Islamic nations funding the reconstruction of Mindanao.

Manila also intends to have an upper hand in the development of the resources in Mindanao, deciding on which group or firms and country will have a stake in the reconstruction and development program, thus ensuring employment to non-Muslim Filipinos and foreign elements under the control of the Philippines government.

The Philippines government would prefer not to have a strong Muslim controlled Mindanao, fearing its Muslim neighbors would be of great influence in the development of such a region.

The MILF, for its part, wants to turn the ARMM into a state within a state, namely, the autonomy will be enlarged both politically and geographically and the Muslims will have special rights such as electing their own list of representatives, including the governor and have total control of the administration of the region.

Reconstruction Plan

The MILF, in the upcoming talks in Kuala Lumpur starting July 2003 will also put more emphasis on the reconstruction plan for the region. The plan has not been revealed yet to the press or the Philippines government.

IOL, however, learnt that the MILF’s Central Committee has devised a major plan for reconstruction and development of Mindanao proposed by MILF leader Salamat Hashim who is also in direct talks with Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta and Tripoli.

On June 22, Hashim said that the front is still positive that peace can be achieved in the country, noting that terrorism was "an anathema" to the teachings of Islam.

The Moro plan is to bring more Arab-Muslim countries to be involved in the reconstruction process though the front does not rule out the possibility of sharing the benefits of the reconstruction with Manila.

The Moro’s also does not rule out the possibility of aid channeling through Manila (from the World Bank or other international donors) but would want Islamic countries to donate or participate actively in the reconstruction process through the offices of the Governor, which will probably be held by Salamat Hashim.

The front also proposes that the local legislative council or assembly would have a direct say in the way donations are spent and will also act as a watchdog to prevent any abuses that may jeopardize the development of the region.

Hashim and his advisers are also proposing that the U.N. and international observers from the Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC) as well as ASEAN have access to development projects, aids programs and other assistance to be provided to Mindanao after a formal and durable peace treaty is signed in Kuala Lumpur in 90 days time.