SULU, 29 April 2008 — Freed former Moro National Liberation Front chief Nur Misuari will begin touring Muslim communities in the Philippines to campaign for peace, as his supporters in Sulu province began preparing a big welcome party for Misuari, who is accused of rebellion after his forces attacked a major military base in Jolo town in 2001 in an effort to stop the elections in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, of which he was governor.
“We are waiting for our one and only leader and we will give him a big welcome in Sulu,” said Abdul Sahalul, one of Misuari’s loyal backers. Misuari was granted a P50,000 bail by a court last week after spending more than five years under house arrest in Manila. He said he would not run for governor again in the autonomous region, whose system he branded as “dirty” and ran by Malacañang.
“I don’t want to be part of a system which is dirty,” said Misuari, who also ran as governor in Sulu province twice and but lost. Misuari maintained the ARMM was created as part of a peace deal between the MNLF with Manila in September 1996.
Zaldy Ampatuan, a former town mayor in Maguindanao province, is the current governor of the Muslim autonomous region after he won against Parouk Hussin. Hussin, a senior MNLF leader, was one of those that made up the so-called Council of 15 that deposed Misuari as chairman of the organization that was once the largest Muslim rebel group in the Philippines.
Ampatuan, as governor of the Muslim autonomous region, has introduced reforms and fought corruption in government. He also prioritized development projects in areas where there are MNLF communities in support to the peace agreement.
Just this month, the MNLF Central Committee named Muslimin Sema, the group’s secretary-general, as its new chairman, but Misuari does not recognize Sema as the legitimate MNLF head.
Misuari has been criticized for his refusal to abide by the MNLF decision that catapulted Sema to power. Sema, who originally belonged to the Council of 15, said Misuari should stop bickering and work for peace and unity in the southern Philippines.
“We should work to put things in order and work for lasting peace in the country. This is our direction now and we will make ourselves available to the government to achieve peace and unity and bring development to our people,” Sema said.
The MNLF, in a resolution, also criticized Misuari and branded him as a dictator and said he is no longer effective in running the group. “We strive against the divisive dictatorial leadership, callousness and incorrigibility of Brother Nur Misuari that keep on weakening the MNLF and put impediments to attain meaningful peace and development and against his disposition by repudiating senior MNLF members credibility and barring their participation in the tripartite meeting as members of the MNLF panel delegation because he enlisted non-MNLF members to replace them both in domestic and international forums,” it said.
Adler Heirman, a blogger who had followed Misuari’s political career, said the former rebel leader failed to bring unity to the MNLF.
“The problem with Nur Misuari is that he never values the efforts of those people who placed him to the top. The truth is, he is not the only founder of the MNLF, but just one of them and he now claims he’s the only founder of the MNLF. He should accept now that his excesses of dictatorial decisions and arrogance led to his situation now.”
Government peace adviser Jesus Dureza also welcomed Misuari’s temporary freedom. “We welcome the decision of the Makati Regional Trial Court allowing Chairman Nur Misuari to post bail. We hope that with his temporary liberty, Chairman Nur will continue to be an important player in the Mindanao peace process,” Dureza said.
But Misuari’s fall had severely affected the MNLF which is now heavily divided and the rift among its leaders is becoming more apparent.
