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Arroyo Slammed For Peace Efforts With Muslims
by Kazi Mahmood for IslamOnline
KUALA LUMPUR, April 1 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Opponents to Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's regime are tying to gain a political capital with the ongoing peace negotiations engaged between the Philippines government and the Muslims of the Bangsamoro tribes.
Deposed former president Joseph Estrada on Saturday renewed criticism of Arroyo's administration, warning that the military could become restless if camps captured from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) are handed back to them.
He said that Arroyo should not keep the conditions of the agreement signed in Kuala Lumpur a secret and should reveal the details soon.
Earlier this month, Estrada said he was opposed to peace negotiations with the MILF adding that an all-out-war was the best thing to counter the rebellion in Mindanao. He expressed concern that Arroyo's regime might want to give away to the MILF what his government managed to take back.
In a supportive criticism, some military officers of the young cadets corps and senators close to Estrada said the regime showed weakness last week when it agreed to jointly develop the camps with the MILF.
They lambasted the regime for not considering the lives lost during the all-out-war initiated by Estrada's regime in early 2000. They singled out the MILF as being responsible for the killing of thousands of soldiers before the fall of camp Abu Bakar and Camp Omar last year.
Arroyo's opponents also said they wanted the government to compensate for the death of thousands of soldiers at the hands of the MILF. They also want the MILF to pay for the cost of the war that has torn the southern Mindanao region.
Opponents laid emphasis on the fact that almost all of the soldiers killed were Christians and that Muslims should not be dealt with that easily, IslamOnline was told.
Estrada in particular said that numerous soldiers' lives were lost in the government's efforts to take over the MILF's major stronghold in Lanao del Norte.
Estrada is believed to still have some strength within the military. Many of his supporters are military officers and soldiers who fought against the MILF, who might want to show their opposition to Arroyo's arrangements with the MILF, Estrada warned.
However, both the MILF and the regime in Manila shrugged off these claims by the former president and his supporters. Manila is banking on a sweeping victory in the coming May elections that will decide senate and state seats to in part validate its policies, including that of making peace with the MILF.
The government, boosted by "People Power 2" ("Edsa 2" as it is known in the Philippines), is believed to be able to win the elections and control the senate. A majority of Filipinos seem to believe that a severely corrupt Philippine regime was thrown out due to people power, and would not be allowed to resurface given a popular vote.
Indications are that parties supporting Arroyo's regime might win with a fair margin, giving it a majority in the senate, failing which, the president would be faced with a hostile pro-Estrada senate, observers said.
They added that a majority of Filipinos feel the regime should be given a chance to prove itself on both the political and economic front. They also said it will be in the interest of the Philippines to have peace in Mindanao.
"That would help the government work on settling the economic woes of the country. Peace in Mindanao would be a good thing for the Philippines," an observer told IslamOnline.
Politicians in Manila also said it was not necessary for the government to consult with the military on whether to return camps to the MILF. It is a political decision made to achieve progress in the peace negotiations, they say.
They also added that the government should be ready to work closely with the MILF in developing the camps, even though the MILF has declined to occupy the camps as yet.
The government has said it will free the camps and that the military would retreat from areas near the camps, allowing MILF members and leaders to re-occupy them. However, it said that does not mean the military would completely retreat from Mindanao.
"There is no peace agreement yet. The parties are just on a cease-fire mode. Once peace is signed, the military can be removed or sent back to their barracks," Ann Cabano, a Mindanao-based political observer told IslamOnline.
The government announced a few days ago that MILF chiefs Hashim Salamat and Al Haj Murad, along with their allies, were welcome to return to their camps.
The army also announced a withdrawal of armed forces in the region. It was after these two announcements from the government that the Young Officers Union (YOU) issued a warning to the Arroyo administration.
The 10,000-hectare Camp Abubakar, a land larger than Singapore, is said to have underground tunnels and military materiel well hidden within the camp left behind by the MILF during the Philippine offensive.
Salamat's house and other MILF facilities in Abubakar were destroyed when the Philippine military overran the camp in July as part of an offensive ordered by Estrada. This led to the collapse of peace talks with the MILF.
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