MORO NATIONAL Liberation Front (MNLF) chairman Nur Misuari remains silent on the issue of the proposed extension of the interim Bangsamoro government for another 3 years as Sulu - one of 5 provinces under the Muslim autonomous region - flatly rejected the proposition being pushed by Chief Minister Murad Ebrahim.
Nur Misuari (Mindanao Examiner Photo) |
The
extension of the interim government would also extend Ebrahim’s term and
members of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority and those holding key positions
in the regional government. Ebrahim also met with President Rodrigo Duterte
recently to lobby the proposed extension even without consulting the governors
and mayors and the Muslims in the region.
Misuari has not
issued a statement on the proposal and Muslims are waiting for his stand on the
issue.
Tausug Manifesto
Gov. Sakur Tan |
The manifesto said the Bangsamoro
Parliament and the Regional Government have not delivered even the most basic
of government services, as mandated, to Sulu. And for almost 2 years, all it
delivered were the retrenchment and separation from services of regional
employees causing a great distraught to the affected and their families.
It said that after almost 2
years, “all they can afford to banner is but the passing of an Administrative
Code while the administration of component localities, in particular, the
insular provinces, were left to fend for themselves.”
The manifesto also said BARMM’s
response to the Covid-19 pandemic in Sulu, thus far, have been unsubstantial
and wanting, almost negligible; And to allow the extension of the transition
(period) would be tantamount to escape judgment by the constituents of the
BARMM on the performance of the latter vis-a-vis its capability to administer a
region, and would be a blatant denial of the people’s constitutional right of
suffrage to which the BOL has been incorporated into, and thus requiring
constitutional amendment or legislative intervention, failing which possible
legal redress maybe sough.
It further said “that the region
and the country in general, should be spared the humility and made a laughing
stock for perpetuating the condescending brand of a failed experiment.”
“The question should be asked to
those who are in the seat of authority in the BARMM on why are they so hesitant
to submit themselves to an election when even before the transition they have
repeatedly boasted of their readiness and preparedness to rule and govern; and
how could they have the moral ascendancy to sit as an authority over a region
when they are devoid of a mandate by the true will of the people, thereby
casting doubts on their platform of so-called “Moral Governance?”, the
manifesto reads.
It also called on the Office of
the President, House of Representatives and the Senate, and Constitutional
Commissions and other concerned groupings and individuals and the BARMM general
populace to disallow and deny all attempts and maneuverers to extend the tenure
of the BTA.
It said that aspiring members of
the Bangsamoro Parliament should be compelled to submit themselves before the
true will of the people to legitimize their mandate through the electoral
process as set and scheduled by the Constitution.
Sulu Governor Sakur Tan said he
received reports that Basilan and Lanao del Sur provinces are also opposed to
the proposed extension of the interim Bangsamoro government. “We received
reports that Basilan and Lanao are also opposed to the extension of the interim
Bangsamoro government,” he told The Zamboanga Post newspaper.
Concerns
He said new transition schedule
might not be enough to complete systemic and structural changes in the region,
including the crucial decommissioning of combatants under the peace deal’s
normalization process. “Kasi nga nakita natin na kailangan talaga na meron.
Halimbawa, mabuti kung talagang siguradong manalo kami (in 2022 elections).
Pero walang assurance ‘yun kasi anybody’s game na pagka-eleksyon na. Pag hindi,
ano mangyayari dun sa other aspects ng negotiation?” he told Esguerra.
Esguerra’s
report said BARMM was allocated a much bigger budget compared with the old
Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. Its block grant is worth P65.3 billion in
this year’s appropriations law, on top of a P10-billion special development
fund it was supposed to receive. (Mindanao Examiner)
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