Tag: MNLF

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The Darker Shade of Grey

My pro-BN friends may not like this post. Just when they were having it good with this:

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Then they decided that since they have the ammo to attack, they might as well use them all up:

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In my opinion, it is good when you have all that ammunition and firepower, but it would also be equally good to know when to use what.

The Manila Times and Reuters articles linking Anwar Ibrahim to the incursion by Sulu militants, coupled with the death of nine of our servicemen in action against them, caught Anwar off-balance and was on the verge of falling down. His signature reactions of denials and threats to bring to court local mainstream media over the allegations, but not sue the foreign ones, underscore his guilty-conscience. Both the mainstream media and pro-BN websites were already all over him.

There was a brief attempt to divert the attention of all when the father of his purported sodomy victim made an about turn and announced that his son (the victim) has been part of a conspiracy to have Anwar found guilty of the act in order to deny him the chance of becoming the next Prime Minister of Malaysia. However, events in Lahad Datu proved overwhelming; and for a moment it seemed that it was almost game over for Anwar, as far as they eyes of those labelled as “the grey voters”. There was nothing more infuriating than having a Parliamentarian being instrumental in the act of aggression towards His Majesty’s security forces.

Then, before the public could grasp the gist of the whole situation in Lahad Datu, pro-BN websites started putting up screen captures of someone who looks like Anwar Ibrahim, in an intimate act with another male inside a hotel room.

To me, it is not even an overkill. It is rather like letting loose your ammo a la John Rambo, hoping to strike something. Instead, only the cheerleaders cheered while some other pro-BN supporters retorted. For the pro-Anwar, the standard-issue answers came out, ranging from the usual “it’s not him” to “this time they have found a much slimmer actor to match Anwar’s tummy.”

For the grey voters, this is a proof that both sides embark in gutter-politics. It is also a sign to them, although it may not be true, that the government cannot find a strong link between Anwar and the Sulu militants that the government had to resort to punching below the belt to get at Anwar before the next general election.

I don’t know why this issue was brought forth. Anwar’s sexual preferences is a foregone conclusion. you can find legal documents affirming this. At this juncture the pro-BN sites should just focus on the efforts of the BN government in assisting the people, instead of playing the same game that the pro-PR sites are playing. The saying “If you can’t beat them, join them” does not apply in this situation. You do not simply join those who swim in filth to prove that you could do it too. For those who support Anwar will continue to support him, just as those who attack him are staunchly BN. Not one person from either side is going to change his or her mind just because they see the clips of two men fondling each other.

But…the Grey ones might react negatively.

What the pro-BN sites should remember is there is no use in trying to change those who are Black into White; but rather change the Grey into a lighter shade. Unfortunately, this is not how some see it. It is their loss as they may find a high turnout in the next elections but still with a high number of protest or spoilt votes.

It would be an interesting election-results night.

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Lahad Datu: Why Pakatan Rakyat Does Not Deserve To Be Briefed

Today, Lim Kit Siang of the Democratic Action Party, a member of the loose coalition calling themselves the Pakatan Rakyat, has called upon the Prime Minister to brief the Pakatan Rakyat lawbreakers lawmakers on the operational updates of Ops Daulat that is being conducted by the PDRM and the Armed Forces.

However, apart from being total idiots, the Pakatan Rakyat side cannot be trusted with national secrets. And my friend, OnDaStreet, whom sides neither he Pakatan Rakyat nor the Barisan Nasional, has explained why beautifully.

Read more on his blog.

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Take Sabah Away, Mr Sulu

When the late Gene Roddenderry wanted an Asian character to be part of the crew of the Federation Starship USS Enterprise, he wanted a surname that does not represent any particular nation. George Takei, an actor in the world-renowned TV show recalled how Roddenderry opened up a map, looked at Asia and saw the Sulu Sea and exclaimed:

“Ah! The waters of that sea touch all shores!”

That was how the character Hikaru Sulu got his name.

And how true it is that the Sulu Sea has now touched on the raw and sensitive parts of the shores of both Malaysia and the Philippines.

I wrote some days back on the current stand-off in Lahad Datu and it is today Day 11th since a group of armed men claiming to represent the Sultan of Sulu landed in Lahad Datu, Sabah in Malaysia, asking for the return of Sabah to the Sultanate of Sulu.  When the Philippines government worked a peace deal with the Muslims in the country’s deep south via the Bangsamoro Framework Agreement, the Muslims and their Filipino brethren embraced it as finally a way forward after decades of impasse.  The framework allows for the creation of a single and autonomous entity called Bangsamoro replacing the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao.

The framework agreement was signed at the Malacanang Palace on 15th October 2012 in the presence of President Beningno Aquino III of the Philippines; Al Haj Murad Ebrahim, the Chairman of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front; Najib Razak, Prime Minister of Malaysia; and Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu, Secretary-General of the Organisation of Islamic Countries.

Absent was Nur Misuari, leader of the Moro National Liberation Front. Nur Misuari had called the BFA irrelevant claiming it was cloned by President Aquino and Najib Razak.  The MILF is a breakaway group that was part of the MNLF back in the 1970s.  Disagreement in the way Nur Misuari handled issues led to the group breaking away.

Also absent was the Sultan of Sulu.  The alienation of the Sultan probably led to the Lahad Datu stand-off.  The Sultan admitted to have been prompted by the alienation to send some 400 men across the sea to Sabah, as the BFA had seen not only improvements in the lives of the Bangsamoro that he played no role in, but also in the intimacy between the Philippines and Malaysia as neighbours.  And as mentioned in my previous posting on this issue, Nur Misuari’s MNLF supports the Sultan.  And this recent posture is to display its relevance again to the Moro people.

But why was the Sultan alienated in the peace process?  Simple – there are now ten people who claim the throne.  The Philippines government cannot be dealing with ten different Sultans with ten different basic ideas on how to bring peace and development to the Bangsamoro.  Nur Misuari himself did not attend the signing as he fears that there is an ongoing warrant issued for his arrest for waging war against the Philippines government.

As the militants are bogged down into their second week in Lahad Datu surrounded by the Malaysian security forces, Nur Misuari was quick to threaten Malaysia saying “if one drop of blood is spilled then we will be forced to come to their aid.”  Nur Misuari also said the following:

This should be handled by cooler heads…that it would also be good to await the Malaysian general election to see who will be the new Prime Minister…

And who has Nur Misuari implied by that?  None other than his old friend, Anwar Ibrahim.  It was reported by Reuters and confirmed by Philippine military sources that Anwar had traveled and met Nur Misuari to discuss land claims in Sabah, a few months before the Lahad Datu incident happened.  Anwar has vehemently denied this, but the photo below shows otherwise:

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Now, Anwar Ibrahim seems a dubious character himself. In a recent open letter, his former legal counsel member, Yuktes Vijay, asked about the former’s links to Islamic fundamentalists as well as known terrorists. Therefore, it is not impossible for him to have met Nur Misuari to discuss the matter, and then deny it like he denied ever being conferred the title of Huguan Siou although people from his own political party had announced that on Facebook, complemented by photos of him.

The Philippines government has sent six naval vessels to stop people from the Moro region from entering Malaysian waters as this stand-off continues.  And although the Malaysian government has an upperhand and the firepower to end this stand-off, it is probably of best interest to the Bangsamoro, the government of the Philippines as well as Malaysia, to not allow anything to jeopardise the BFA that is still in its infancy.  Perhaps, the MILF and supporters of the BFA in the Moro region should lend their support to both governments to try end this madness.

In the meantime, while treading gently on this issue, both governments should get to the root of this and probe Anwar Ibrahim’s role in facilitating or prompting this incident.  For it would not have happened had it not been for someone from the Malaysian side advocating and encouraging it to happen.  It is something close to Sabah, and we know Sabah is being wooed by Anwar’s party.  Get the support of the Kadazan-Dusun-Murut community by being recognised as their Paramount Leader (Huguan Siou), you will get support from the Christians in the west side of Sabah.  Get a deal with the Tausugs in Sulu, you will get support from the Muslims especially in the eastern part of Sabah.

But at what cost?  That remains unanswered.  But maybe Gene Roddenderry would frown had he known the Sulu Sea is one of the volatile areas of the region.

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FELDA Sulu

Sometime in the evening on Tuesday, 12th February, around 100 members of the Moro National Liberation Front under the command of Nur Misuari, infiltrated Sabah’s maritime border and landed at Kampung Tanduao, Tanjung Labian in Lahad Datu. Led by Haji Musa, an aide of Prince Mohammad Ismail A Kiram, fourth son of Sultan Muhammad Fuad A Kiram, Sultan of Sulu & Sabah.

This group converged upon the house belonging to a Ahmad Malandi, a.k.a Mat Bom, who earned the nickname for attacking a FELDA office using fish bomb. The initial group consisted of around five men wearing robes while 27 others wearing incomplete camouflage uniforms. All are armed with M-14 and M-15. Some 70 others joined later. Our security forces, acting on intelligence report, swiftly reacted by sending two companies of men from the General Operations Force and Malaysian Army’s 5th Brigade, while naval units supported by the marine police and the maritime agency gave offshore support.

To date, there is not a single hostage taken but this group of militants have spread themselves all over the island. Government negotiators, backed by officials from the Government of the Philippines are now continuously engaging the infiltrators. The demands include recognition of the group as the Royal Army of the Sultanate of Sulu, and for Sulu immigrants not to be deported back to the Philippines.

That is the gist of the events. However, I don’t believe those are, or would be the only demands. In 2008, Nur Misuari had pledged loyalty and support for the Sultan’s claim on Sabah. The funny thing is, in 1962, the Sultan’s father, Sultan Esmail E Kiram, ceded his rights to claim Sabah (North Borneo then) to President Diodado Macapagal. Manila is no longer interested in claiming Sabah although it has never dropped its claim for political reasons. And Malaysia’s victory at The Hague in the Sipadan and Ligitan claims weakens further Manila’s position re Sabah.

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Ahmad Malandi, or Mat Bom, once attacked the FELDA office in Lahad Datu in the 1990s after failing to settle a dispute with FELDA over an ancestral land that became part of FELDA Sahabat 20 scheme where some 1,000 immigrants of Sulu descent have settled. He was never charged. Mat Bom is now reported to be in an ICU ward at a local hospital. His son was reported to have travelled to Bongoa in Tawi-Tawi province in Mindanao to seek help from the armed men.

Blogger Outsyed The Box wrote in The Mole that the incursion by MNLF could have been prompted by the Opposition. This is NOT far-fetched. In fact, when the Bangsamoro Framework Agreement was signed at Malacanang Palace on the 15th October 2012, it did not go down well with Nur Misuari. And guess who tried to play Big Brother to Nur Misuari and broker a different peace deal?

Having read both links and seeing the events that are unfolding in Lahad Datu, one cannot dismiss the unseen agenda in the appointment of a new Huguan Siou last week. It could be coincidental. It could be a dangerous conincidence. Being a Huguan Siou allows one to have the support of the masses in the implementation of one’s agenda. Furthermore, my source informed me that these armed men want Sabah to be an autonomous state under the influence of the Sultanate of Sulu before GE13. Which is why they have also demanded to be allowed to remain in Sabah. Maybe an agreement was made with Nur Misuari back in October.

Anyway, I will let you come to your own conclusion.