Standoff linked to MILF peace deal?
Back in the Philippines, there are murmurs that former Sultan of the Sulu, Jamalul Kiram III, may not be working alone in the ‘takeover’ of Lahad Datu.
(FMT) – KOTA KINABALU: After almost fading out of the picture, Nur Misuari, the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) chief and the man who helped put the Southern Philippines on global political map, is back with a bang.
The man who used to travel in and out of Sabah and was often seen in snooker parlours in the state capital back in the 1980s is among several individuals reportedly suspected by Philippines authorities of playing a behind-the-scenes role in the bizarre “invasion” of Sabah by an armed group of Filipinos.
Misuari is reportedly angry the MNLF was not included in a peace deal between Manila and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), his rivals for power in the Southern Philippines, and has chosen to use the Sulu Sultanate’s claim to Sabah to reinsert himself into the politics of the region.
Analysts have said that Misuari is aware that he would be rendered irrelevant by any peace deal that may be forged between Manila and the MILF and this is his way of pointing out he is still in the picture.
The historic peace deal signed by Manila and Muslim rebels last October to end the four decades-long conflict in the southern Philippines always risked destabilising and alienating powerful clan leaders, security analysts say.
The peace deal, they said, handed control of much of Sulu to MILF rebels and left out Jamalul Kiram III, 74, a former Sultan of the Sulu as well as Misuari’s MNLF that had struck an earlier peace deal with Manila which had resulted in the formation of the MILF.
Kiram was cited by AFP as saying that the sultanate’s exclusion from the deal, which aims to set up a new autonomous region to be administered by Muslims, prompted the decision to send the men to Sabah this month.
But that’s not the full story. According to a report in news portal The Philippine Star, President Benigno Aquino’s administration believes Kiram is not acting on his own.
Officials note that Kiram is ailing and undergoing dialysis treatment in Manila and in no condition to set in motion the events that have taken place.
The standoff in Sabah has reportedly infuriated Aquino, who suspects that the incident is an attempt to sabotage his administration’s peace initiatives with the MILF that has made marked progress since last year.
The peace agreement was signed last year by the Aquino administration with the MILF, which broke away from Misuari’s MNLF when it was negotiating peace with the government in 1996.
