“We often give our enemies the means of our own destruction.”
— AESOP
THE recent Atimonan rub-out in Quezon and the Sabah turkey shoot reflect badly on the lack of leadership and decisiveness of President Benigno Noynoy Simeon Aquino III.
The decision-making hesitation, procrastination, and abject lack of cohesion, coordination, legal erudition, and historical background have all exposed the ineptitude and wrong thinking of Aquino policy and his strategic advisers. Issues, such as Sabah and the South China Sea are obviously out of their depth. While the fault may lie with the presidential advisers, the command responsibility nonetheless rests solely on the shoulders of President Aquino. Again, accusing the previous Arroyo administration of conspiracy will not help clear the air or exonerate the President.
The fact is that the oft-forgotten and “dormant” Sabah claim is not only very much alive but is also a legal and geopolitical problem as well as economic and moral in substance.
In view of these multi-tiered complications, where does one start and where will it end, if at all, short of diplomatic rupture between two founding fathers of ASEAN, or surrender, which is unacceptable, or cession, which will be humiliating, and a betrayal of public trust, which act is impeachable?
Thus, since the first blood has been spilled and Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has flown in battalions of Special Forces to ferret and clear the area of Filipino and fellow Muslims from Sulu, while President Aquino is nowhere to be found, the turkey shoot may result in more carnage.
First, as the leader of all Filipinos, and if President Noynoy Aquino was not so proud and obdurate, he should, with alacrity, rise to the challenge by creating and summoning a super Council of Advisers and Eminent Persons such as former President Fidel V. Ramos, former Chief Justice Reynaldo Puno, Senior Supreme Court Justice Antonio Carpio, Gen. (ret.) Jose T Almonte, former Exec. Sec. Eduardo Ermita, former Sen. Santanina Rasul, Chairman Nur Misuari, MILF Chairman AL-haq Murad, Gen. (ret.) Fortunato Abat, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, and many other erudite personalities who will be of invaluable assistance to President Aquino.
The beginning of wisdom comes when a leader acknowledges the superiority of well-meaning and patriotic citizens who are willing to help for the sake of the country.
Second, President Benigno must categorically and publicly support the claim of the Sultanate of Sulu over Sabah the Japanese way by means of the rule of law, negotiations, peaceful dialogue, patience, win-win economic cooperation, and just compensation, but without resorting to the use of force and violence.
Third, apart from the ticklish and smoldering Sabah confrontation, President Noy Simeon Aquino needs to take a second look at the Framework Agreement with the MILF and his obsession to slice off a portion of Mindanao and give it in a silver platter to the MILF Bangsamoro substate tothe exclusion of other Muslim tribes and the Christian population. This can trigger another armed rebellion and insurgency.
When all is said and done, the Sabah fiasco is a blackeye and an embarrassment to President Aquino and his administration.
With the crime pandemic, corruption, West Philippine Sea, and Sabah, the Philippines needs a visionary, decisive, and strong-willed leader who is also honest and humane.
According to the Koran, “He who forgiveth and is reconciled unto his enemy shall receive his reward from God.”
You be the judge
***
(For comments and views please email chaff_fromthegrain@yahoo.com.ph [1])
Links:
[1] mailto:chaff_fromthegrain@yahoo.com.ph