#BBLWatch: 'Let us be driven by hope instead of fear'
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The following remarks were delivered by MILF Chief Negotiator and Bangsamoro Transition Commission Chair Mohagher Iqbal during the first committee hearing on the Bangsamoro Basic Law at the House of Representatives on Wednesday, September 24th.
Thank you for the opportunity to address you, honourable members of the House of Representatives. The draft Bangsamoro Basic Law is a complex document and for this reason let me speak plainly and from the heart.
Our hopes and dreams
While the Bangsamoro may be just another piece of legislation, for us it is something more. The Bangsamoro is the promise of a better life for ourselves, our children and our children’s children.
For a people that has constantly lived in fear and insecurity, of war, the Bangsamoro is the hope of life where our children can live safely and happily to pursue their grandest dreams;
For a people that has known grinding poverty, the Bangsamoro is the hope of prosperity and abundance; For a people that has been effectively governed by others not their own, the Bangsamoro is the hope that someday they shall be captains of their fate and builders of their future;
The Bangsamoro is the sum of our hopes and dreams. It may mean nothing to you. But it is the whole world to us. It is what we got. It is what we only have. We implore you then to step lightly on these dreams when you discuss the draft law. Do not trample them. Celebrate them. Welcome them. This is my request and appeal to the Honorable men and women of this House.
Be not afraid
Let me however warn you of people who would want to sow fear instead of hope in your hearts and in the hearts of the Filipino people. Their aim is to stop the establishment of the Bangsamoro and for this, they will take advantage of the deeply held biases and prejudices of the people. They will use words like “dismemberment of the Republic,” “sell-out,” “violation of the Constitution,” “surrender,” “state within a state,” and even a “ploy for eventual independence.”
To all of these, we say: be not afraid.
To the Filipino people: be not afraid.
Instead of dismemberment of the Republic, the Bangsamoro will further unite our peoples. There shall be no state within a state. The Philippine state shall remain sovereign. We only ask that we be allowed to govern ourselves. You shall see the Philippine flag and hear the national anthem sung in our schools and offices. Be not afraid of the Constitution. There are enough flexibilities in it to solve this problem. We only need to look for it.
To the indigenous peoples in the Bangsamoro: be not afraid.
Just as we fought for our right to self-determination so shall we protect yours. We are brothers and sisters. Our gain is your gain. Learn from our experiences and build on them.
To the non-muslims in the Bangsamoro: be not afraid.
We shall not impose our beliefs on you. The Sharia will only apply to us muslims. We ask only that we respect our respective faiths and ways of life. Pursuant to what God had said in the Holy Quran: “There is no Compulsion in religion. Unto to you, your religion, unto to me, my religion.”
To the people outside of the Bangsamoro and their leaders: do not be afraid.
We only ask that the Bangsamoro people be asked directly, without fear or intimidation, whether or not they want to be part of the Bangsamoro. That is all. We will never impose ourselves on communities that prefer to be not part of us.
In the coming days, Congress will be ask to render judgment on the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law. You will be asked: hope or fear? It is my prayer choose hope over fear. Let us break free from this endless cycle of poverty, insecurity, and malgovernance. Let us choose hope. Let us build the Bangsamoro.
Thank you.
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