Murad laments move by some local politicians to prevent people from participating plebiscite
Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) chairman Al Haj Murad Ebrahim lamented on Tuesday move by some local politicians to prevent people from participating in the upcoming plebiscite for the Bangsamoro Organic Law early next year.
This as the Commission on Elections said it had relaxed its rule in the registration of some 150,000 MILF fighters and their families in order to participate in the January 21 political exercise.
"We are saddened by the action of some local politicians in Cotabato City who have taken every possible means to deprive our people of their right to vote by blocking their registration by raising flimsy issues such as identification cards and certificate of residency from barangay officials who have previously been instructed to deny our people such certification," said Murad in his speech read by Edward Guerra, chair of the MILF Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities, in the Bangsamoro Forum at the Japan International Cooperation Agency Office in Makati City.
During the official launch of the campaign for the plebiscite on Monday in Cotabato City, he said a "consistent effort" in the city has been waged by those who are against the BOL to prevent their people from participating in the democratic process of attending a peaceful rally to express their support to the BOL.
In at least two plebiscites held in the previous administrations, Cotabato City rejected its inclusion in ARMM. In the upcoming plebisicite, Cotabato City will be participating again. ARMM's seat of power is located in the that city.
"Many of the delegates from the plebiscite areas in Maguindanao, North Cotabato, the two Lanaos were subjected to the unreasonable requirement of having to produce an identification card before they will be allowed to enter Cotabato City," Murad said.
"I am not aware that the constitutional right of citizens in this country to travel can be abridged by the flimsy ground of a lack of identification card. Despite these, we still managed to gather around 300,000 people in Cotabato City to officially launch the plebiscite campaign to ratify the Bangsamoro Organic Law," said Murad, who is seen to be appointed as the chief minister of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority after the BOL ratification.
Some areas in Mindanao have been implementing stricter security measures, such as requiring IDs, due to the existence of martial law in the whole region.
With the call of President Rodrigo Duterte for Congress to approve further extension of martial law, Mohagher Iqbal, chairman of the MILF peace implementing panel, admitted that the word "martial law" per se has still a chilling effect on their people due to what the human rights violations that they had experienced during the declaration of martial law by late dictator Ferdinand Marcos in 1972.
However, he said with the imposition of martial rule, they have not seen any violation on the ground.
He also expressed belief martial law could be favorable for the coming plebiscite.
"The BOL is a pet project of the President (Rodrigo Duterte) and whatever I think, because the soldiers, the policemen, they are part of the government of the Philippines. So they are expected (that) they will support the ratification of the BOL. So, in that premise, I think it is safe to say (martial law) is good for the plebiscite," Iqbal told reporters at the sidelines of the forum.
Meanwhile, Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said during their special registration last September in ARMM and other areas, which could be included in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, the poll body relaxed its requirements for the MILF fighters.
"The biggest rule that we relaxed is the requirement for the registrants to provide valid identification. We relaxed that rule and allowed the unit commanders to vouch for the fighters under their command. This allowed a lot of people to register," he said.
He said the Comelec had to do it because the MILF fighters were never in any government system, so they did not have IDs.
Of the around 2.8 million total registered voters in ARMM, about 150,000 of them are MILF fighters and their families, he said. Celerina Monte/DMS
