"I have written off my generation. My concern
is the next generation," stirring words from former Bulletin columnist and
political analyst Al Tillah, 65.
In a sharing with YMP officers at Greenbelt, Makati City, Tillah in an
effort to encourage the Muslim youth to be more pro-active, narrated the
Moro youth struggle in the 1960s. Tillah, who once ran for Senate, is a
veteran observer of Philippine and Moro events and has written over 200
columns on Muslims in the Philippines for the Manila Bulletin, a major
daily. He relates that during his college days at the University of the
Philippines, there were only 20 Muslims, famous of who were Nur Misuari,
Macapanton Abbas, Abu Mualam and Desdemona. The UP Muslim Student
Association was for mere "camarederie" until the Corregidor massacre of Moro
soldiers in 1968. A senior student then, Tillah said "nobody took the
initiative (in the metropolis) to talk about it; even the professionals."
Their core group, including Arthur Lim (former IBP president) organized a
group called MADRAS or Sulu Peace Movement, which focused on the issue of
Tausug recruits killed in the "Jabidah fiasco" (an incident which inspired
the organization of the Moro National Liberation Front, headed by Nur
Misuari; Because these Moro soldiers allegedly defied orders to attack Sabah
under the Marcos regime, soldiers shot the 16 young soldiers). For the first
time, Tillah said, Muslim students and professionals from Cotabato and
non-Muslims from Sulu "joined and signed a manifesto" to condemn the
massacre (only one survived from the shooting of military officers). Some of
the victims of the Jabidah incident were highschool mates of Tillah.
Tillah was pessimistic with national governments (NG) efforts to address the
Mindanao conflict. Describing the NG as "machiavellian," Tillah says "It
(NG) hasn't changed since the Marcos time. The national government has a
vested interest and will always divide the Muslims," referring to the MNLF
leadership, whose one faction is heading the autonomous region and the
other's leader, Nur Misuari detained on charges of rebellion. "They
(government) will always look for weak ones (our leaders) to use as
conduits." He warned the YMP of the possibility of being "used by
enterprising people."
"The outbreak of the war in the SOuth divided us (the Muslims), and not
united us," he further said. The traditional (leaders) were against the
progressives, as an instance. Many professionals didn't know what the MNLF
was fighting for, Tillah observed. In his interviews with Misuari, who was
then organizing the MNLF in Saudi Arabia, Tillah asked the question - Ano
ang puno't dulo ng struggle (What is the objective of the struggle).
Misuari answered - identity, self-determination.
Looking back on the peace accords since the Tripoli GRP-MNLF agreement in
1976, "maraming gains and setbacks," Tillah said. "Only time will judge -
whether the peace process was successful and that autonomy was the best,"
Tillah posed as questions.
He said the role of students and youths especially from well-based
political families was that they could be "used" by such movements. "I
pinned my hopes on the MNLF," Tillah said. But what happened after was the
division of the MNLF to the Misuari group, the Council of 15 now heading the
ARMM and other factions. Tillah likened the situation to a "power grab" from
the Misuari leadership. "Have they (new the new leadership) shown any
principled leadership?" Tillah proposes that the Misuari issue be addressed
headfront - "How can we talk of unity when the symbol of unity (that is Nur
Misuari) is incarcerated?" He questioned Misuari's lack of access to media -
"Why is Erap given the chance to speak out and why not Nut?"
Seeing that "autonomy experiments have miserably failed," Tillah related to
YMP his recommendations to the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) and
the Philippine Muslim Leaders Forum (PMLF) headed by Rep. Gerry Salapuddin
(Basilan).The USIP's head officials were consulting leaders on the
possibility of US aid in the GRP-MILF peace talks. Tillah recommended the
following:
- the need for young Muslims leaders trainings to be institutionalized (to
prepare for post-peace process management)
- capacity buildings to prepare managers for the bureaucracy
- prepare managers and enterpreneaurs for the private sector
He advised the youth to "know their direction" whether it be to support the
present unitary government or a federal or Islamic state, the latter he says
the United State may "understand" since the US is also a federal state.
