RP’s OIC observer status hinges on peace in Mindanao

MANILA, Philippines - While the Philippine government claimed it is inching closer to being granted Observer status in the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), the quest apparently hinges on the conclusion of a wider peace agreement in Mindanao. At least two Filipino Muslim organizations, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), have strongly opposed Manila’s application for permanent observer status since 2003. Mohagher Iqbal, a senior MILF leader, said the Philippine government’s application is “adding insult to injury" especially after it withdrew from a previous commitment to expand the scope and coverage of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), . “It is irksome that the oppressor tries to represent the very people that it oppressed. What can be expected in such representation, if not more mutation of Moro voices and repression of their rights?" the MILF said in a separate statement. The country’s largest Muslim rebel group added that the government failed to care for some 600,000 civilians displaced by offensives in Mindanao. The evacuees are now suffering in makeshift tents and evacuation centers, the MILF said. After attending the OIC’s 36th International Conference of Foreign Ministers (ICFM) in Damascus, Syria on May 23-25, the Philippine delegation led by Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Rafael Seguis reported that the Philippines was inching closer to securing observer status with the 57-nation organization. Citing Manila’s cooperation with the Organization of the Islamic Conference which led to the signing of the 1996 peace pact with Moro National Liberation Front rebels in Mindanao, Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Nur Hassan Wirajuda proposed that the Philippines be granted Observer status. In their plenary statements, Malaysia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates supported Indonesia’s proposal, according to a statement Tuesday of the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs. It said other countries which expressed strong support to Philippines’ Observer bid were Syria, the host and chairman of the 36th CFM; Egypt; Saudi Arabia; Pakistan; Morocco; Libya; Bahrain; Kuwait; Jordan; Oman; Iraq; Turkey; Uganda; Bangladesh; and Brunei Darussalam. But the MNLF, like the MILF, was keen on blocking the Philippines’ application. In a letter sent late last month to the OIC Secretary-General Ekmelledin Ihsanoglu, MNLF Secretary-General Alhag Abdulbaki Aboubakar enumerated the reasons why the Philippines is not suited for the coveted status. Aside from duplicating the role of the MNLF “as the sole and legitimate representative of the Bangsamoro people in the OIC," the group said the Philippines violated peace covenants and has done little to alleviate poverty in the region. The MNLF was granted permanent observer status in the OIC in 1977, but after it signed a peace pact with Manila in 1996, some OIC members considered granting the Philippines the same status. The MILF, on the other hand, sought to replace the MNLF or at least be given the same observer status, but it’s application has remained also unapproved. Violator of peace covenants In his letter, Aboubakar said the Philippine government “is a violator of peace covenants as exemplified by the non-implementation of the MNLF-GRP 1976 Tripoli Agreement, 1996 Peace Agreement, let alone the 1986 GRP-MNLF Jeddah, as proof of the RP’s failure to comply with its international commitment and obligation, the OIC continues to urge the RP to implement the 1996 Peace Agreement until the present." Aboubakar also asserted that the political regions in the southern Philippines that have dominant or big Muslim populations, includingas the ARMM, receive the lowest government expenditure compared to Christian majority areas. “For this reason the Muslims provinces are the poorest in the country, despite the fact that about 80% of the national income is derived from Mindanao, the homeland of the Bangsamoro people and milking cow of the RP," he said, without citing the source of his figures. In a recently published United Nations Development Program report, five of the poorest 10 provinces in the Philippines are from ARMM. But Seguis dismissed the MNLF’s claims and questioned the Moro group on reforms it has established since it became an OIC Observer. "The MNLF has been an observer in the OIC since 1977. What actual benefits have accrued to the Bangsamoro in the past 30 years with the MNLF as observer?" Seguis asked. Benefits of having observer status Obtaining observer status is crucial in the Philippine government's peace negotiations with Muslim groups in Mindanao, now led by the MILF. A report by the OIC confirmed that the Philippine request to obtain OIC observer status was supported by a considerable number of OIC member states, but added that many other member states expressed reservation. With no consensus reached on the Philippine application, OIC ministers tasked the OIC General Secretariat to draw up a proposal on the criteria of observer status for states in accordance with the OIC Charter for consideration in the 37th CFM in Dushanbe, Tajikistan in 2010, the OIC report said. OIC Observers must belong to any of the following categories: non-Muslim State with a significant Muslim population but are not the dominant group, Muslim organization or community, Islamic institution, or international organization. The Philippines, home to an estimated 8 million Muslims living mainly in Mindanao, belong to the non-Muslim state category; so does Thailand, which was easily admitted as an observer-state at a time when its prime minister was a Muslim - now ASEAN Secretary General Surin Pitsuwan. Another observer is Russia, which has a big Muslim population in its Central Asian regions, including the breakaway Chechen Republic. But through the years, as some OIC Member-States saw how the deepening internal squabbles within the MNLF leadership and inefficacy in delivering social services have stymied the larger purpose of peace and development for Filipino Muslims, the Philippines’ gained redemption. The United Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement and the League of Arab States are among the OIC Observers in the category of international organizations. Islamic universities belong to the category of Islamic institutions. Article 3 of the OIC Charter empowers the CFM to decide on membership issues, while Article 4 states that granting Observer Status is "by consensus" only. The 36th ICFM displayed that consensus. Also, the OIC has not been prepared with a situation such as that presented by the Philippines, where two groups would be Observers. - GMANews.TV