Several countries across Southeast Asia have been grappling with the intransigent problem of internal armed conflict for many years. While at this time,this situation has thus far not dramatically undermined the positive economic development prospects that characterizes the region – these same conflicts, if left to fester would ultimately negatively impact upon the lives of people living in the areas directly affected as well as potentially stunt or even reverse whatever growth for those countries in which they continue.
These armed conflicts have been the result of deep social cleavages coupled with decades of mis-governance by authoritarian regimes that perpetrated systematic human rights abuses and discrimination upon their populations. This was further exacerbated by successive policies that have perpetuated poverty,corruption,and injustice.
Unfortunately, even in countries that have made the transition to democracy and are currently pursuing reforms such as the Philippines many conflict drivers remain as it takes time to address their root causes. The liberal government of President Benigno Aquino III, that was popularly elected in 2010 signifying a clean break from 12 years of bad governance by two previous populist administrations,has undertaken to implement a comprehensive package of reforms in order to break from the never-ending boom-bust cycles that have prevailed in the post-authoritarian era. These reforms include,among others: greater transparency and accountability in all government transactions, open budget processes and public scrutiny,promoting private and public investments,poverty alleviation programs, improvement of social services in education and health, and the reopening peace negotiations with both the communist and Muslim rebels.
The peace process is generally viewed to be a critical centerpiece to the liberal reform agenda in the country as it offers the hope of finally resolving a five decades long problem that has deprived people from many communities the opportunity to lead normal lives. This imperative for peace,based upon the principles of social inclusion and equal citizenship,holds out a promise that each one might finally have the chance to live in safe and secure environments without fear of violence erupting. In particular, a landmark peace agreement had been signed last year with the largest rebel group – the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF),to establish an empowered autonomy in parts of the southern island of Mindanao where most of the minority muslim population are located. This part of the country has experienced underdevelopment and the worst fighting that has killed,injured,or displaced thousands of civilians. A new law mandating this autonomy and a popular referendum was to be undertaken this year.
However, this road map for peace in southern Philippines is now in jeopardy resulting from the deaths of 67 people – 44 elite police commandos, 18 moro rebels, and 5 civilians – in an incident that occurred on 25 January 2015 in the town of Mamasapano in Maguindanao Province involving an operation to neutralize an Al-Qaeda linked high-value foreign terrorist hiding there. This event now grips the entire nation as it collectively searches for answers to hard questions amidst justifiable calls for truth,accountability,and justice. A prominent Philippine intellectual has described the scenario that has unfolded thus: ‘Amid the anger and grief and the search for answers, a vague uneasiness has seized the public…Suddenly, the powerful idea of a just and enduring peace in Mindanao is unable to find a home in our hearts’.
This highlights the difficulties of pursuing a path to peace in the context of extremely complex political situations – where notwithstanding a firm resolve by government to secure a settlement, other facts or factors (domestic or international)could so quickly dissipate any substantial progress and could even potentially derail the process altogether. Are we left with a series of unfortunate circumstances that yields unwelcome outcomes to which we are unable to effectively respond?
When our society is confronted with violence,there will always be those who would call for swift retribution by resort to equal or greater violence. That is as if to demand vengeance in righteous indignation.
We have all heard these loud calls in our streets, whether these be in Manila,London,Madrid,New York,Sydney,Bali,Paris, Lagos,Beirut, Yangon, Tel Aviv, or Gaza. It is under these highly charged circumstances that our collective commitment to the shared values we hold sacred – freedom,tolerance,and rule of law – are put to their most difficult test.It is in these times that we must reaffirm those very same principles and resolutely forge a strong consensus among people of goodwill to build a global regime based upon humanitarian and human rights standards.
In 2015,we commemorate the 10th Anniversary of the World Summit that codified the Responsibility to Protect(R2P)norm. The 3 Pillars of R2P behooves us to undertake measures to ensure that the worst violations of human rights are proscribed in order to protect people from the scourge of war and oppression. This requires all states to assume the interrelated responsibilities ‘to prevent,to react,& to rebuild’ and encourages other stakeholders – at both state and international levels – to hold their leaders to account in accordance with what R2P expects in terms of acceptable behavior. Everything must be done to ensure universal compliance with human rights and to provide for prompt and effective recourse when non-compliance occurs.
This includes the responsibility to protect persons from the egregious effects of armed conflict as well as to create early warning mechanisms that would prevent any escalation of violence. Therefore, all aspects and dimensions of peacebuilding need to be pursued in a spirit of partnership and cooperation. To victims of armed conflict we owe this,the widow of a police commando felled that tragic day in Maguindanao poignantly expressed:‘Should I be sad that i lost my husband or should I feel happy and proud that he fought to his last breath not only for peace in Mindanao but for the entire nation? My husband gave his life to claim peace’. We should do no less.
