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Muslim Community Emphasizes the Necessity of Muslim Participation in Philippine Democracy at National Conference

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On May 11, KAS-Partner the AIM Policy Center together with the Philippine Council of Islam and Democracy (PCID) held the National Conference on “Terrorism, Peace and Democracy: Thoughts from Muslim Mindanao.”

The conference, organized by PCID Lead-convenor Amina Rasul, provided a forum for a cross-section of Muslim Society to express their views and analyses, share recommendations, and listen to outside perspectives on five major areas of concern: the Policies on Terrorism and their impact on the Mindanao Peace process, the political engagement of Filipino Muslims in Philippine democracy, the role of Filipina Muslims and that of civil society in furthering progress in Mindanao, and reconstruction and democratization efforts in Muslim Mindanao.

In his keynote speech, Former President Hon. Fidel V. Ramos, asserted that “Terrorism has never been an answer to solving socio-economic problems” and emphasized the need, instead, for the propagation of a culture of peace in Mindanao to bring about a substantial reduction of poverty, equitable education, and the consolidation of democratic processes. Ramos argued that the Mindanao’s rocky road to peace and concomitant lack of growth was due to the shifting of national policy towards Muslim-Mindanao to the aggressive under the Estrada administration and the “feudal modes of command” in the region. Ramos noted that the time was ripe and the environment good, however, for going above and beyond paper agreements and seeking actual peace between neighbors through the utilization of “Weapons of Mass Upliftment” - unity, solidarity, and teamwork. For the Philippines to get back on the path of progress, Ramos stated, the country must “develop as one”. In line with this, he called for the cultivation and elevation of promising and capable young Muslims to National government positions and highlighted the compatibility of Islamic duties and beliefs, namely, consultation, equality, and justice, with the main principles of democracy.

Speaker of the House Jose De Venecia Jr. highlighted the House of Representatives’ Congressional Internship Program for Young Muslim leaders and the importance of such initiatives in developing the public policy shaping and democratic governance skills of future Muslim leaders. De Venecia also highlighted his party’s commitment to a mutually enforcing Christian-Muslim form of Philippine Democracy, enshrined in the party’s appellation - LAKAS CMD ( Christian Muslim Democrats) - and urged the Muslim community to call for “real and deep political power” through the establishment of a Bangsamoro Republic within a Federal Republic of the Philippines.

Secretary Teresita “Ging” Quintos-Deles, Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process, stressed the President’s commitment to fulfilling the Administration’s obligations under the 1996 Peace Accord by the 10th year anniversary of the signing of the agreement between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Moro National Liberation Front ( MNLF). Department of Defense Undersecretary Antonio Santos, a 28 year veteran of the conflict in Mindanao, stated that there was no promise in an “armed resolution” to the conflict and underscored the importance of a “holistic” cultural and economic response.

Hon. Johannis De Kok, Ambassador and Head of the Delegation of the European Commission and one of the reactors to Dr. Danda Juanday’s Speech on the funding structure and mission of the Bangsamoro Development Agency, congratulated the Muslim Community on the progress they have made thus far and stated that the EU has always been and will remain a significant contributor to political and economic development in Mindanao. If Mindanao advances, he asserted, the Philippines will advance as well. De Kok expressed his belief that terrorists are troublemakers and would be troublemakers, whatever religion they adhered to and that based on his experience, “Talking is much less costly than guns” and “the only way to assure peace and development in Mindanao”.

Mr. Klaus Preschle, Country Representative of Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, noted in his remarks that the perspective of Moslems is usually absent from policy discussions in the capital and dubbed the conference a milestone in Philippine politics. Preschle went on to discuss Germany’s and the Philippines’ shared history of dealing with imported Terrorist elements with no connection to the Muslim communities in their nations. He called for a proactive stance on and stressed the urgency of solving the unsolved Mindanao conflict, which, left unsettled, could provide a hideaway and basis for radicalization and mobilization of terror groups.

Conference speakers and reactors included United States Ambassador Francis Ricciardone, Regional Legislative Assembly Speaker Hatimil Hassan, also Chairman of the MNLF; Secretary Teresita “Ging” Quintos-Deles, Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process; Department of Defense Undersecretary Antonio Santos, Mayors Omar Ali of Marawi City and Muslimen Sema of Cotabato City, Former Senator Santanina Rasul, Dr. Roberto De Ocampo, President of the Asian Institute of Management, Dr. Danda Juanday of the Bangsamoro Development Agency, PCID Fellows Dr. Carmen Abubakar, Dean of the UP Institute for Islamic Studies, Yasmin Busran-Lao, Executive Director of the Al-Mujadilah Development Foundation, and Atty. Suharto Ambolodto, Executive Director of the Institute for Strategic Initiatives; Professor Julkipli Wadi of the UP Institute for Islamic Studies, and representatives from the World Bank, the Japan International Cooperation Agency, the Australian Agency for International Development and the Southern Philippines Development Authority.

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Veranstaltungsort

Ballrooms 1 and 2, Mandarin Hotel, Makati City

Kontakt

Klaus Preschle

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Bereitgestellt von

Auslandsbüro Philippinen