The botched January 25 Mamasapano police operation is holding hostage 17 years of negotiations to craft a political settlement to the armed conflict in Bangsamoro Mindanao.
Aggravating the situation is the complicity of President Benigno Aquino III in the tragic Mamasapano operation that resulted in the death of international terrorist Zulkifli Bin Hir, alias Marwan, 44 commandos from the Special Action Force of the Philippine National Police (PNP), 18 MILF fighters and five civilians.
Obviously, the President had a role in the breakdown of the chain of command in the PNP. He micro-managed the mission and did it through a police chief supposed to be on 6-month suspension over corruption charges.
The peace situation in Mindanao had not seen an armed clash between government security forces and the MILF since 2012. Until shots rang out in January 25.
With emotions running high, debates have spilled onto social media. The public debate highlights the latent distrust of the Christian Filipino majority for the Muslim indigenous minority who are mostly concentrated in the Central and Western provinces of Mindanao.
Debate is is healthy . But left unresolved over a long period of time, the differences in opinion would just fan hatred, dangerous fuel that could escalate armed clashes.
Landlords, many of them politicians, are cashing in on the stalemate to drum up their opposition to any political settlement of the armed revolution in Muslim Mindanao. Most of them fear their wealth and status will diminish once genuine political autonomy is granted to the Bangsamoro people.
The latent distrust may not be xenophobia at all, but a manifestation of class contradiction in a feudal society.
When a marginalized group is empowered, wealth and power structures are disturbed. This threatens the ruling class who would insist on maintaining the status quo.
While political leadership is most crucial at this point, social institutions like the academe, civil society, Catholic Church leadership, the Muslim ummah led by the ulamas – traditional sources of the peace constituency in Mindanao should weigh in the debates and facilitate social conscientization for peace.
The media also plays a crucial role. Aside from being a platform of various views, its important role is to clearly explain the context and nuances of the issues involved.
The media should not forget to project the larger picture which is now blurred by the bloodied cornfields and marshlands of Mamasapano in Maguindanao.
Disclaimer: The comments uploaded on this site do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of management and owner of Cebudailynews. We reserve the right to exclude comments that we deem to be inconsistent with our editorial standards.
