MILF still enjoys civilian
support -- Jaafar
SULTAN KUDARAT, Maguindanao -- Civilian
support to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front has
remained strong despite the demise of founding
chair Hashim Salamat, MILF vice chair for
political affairs Ghazali Jaafar claimed.
Jaafar said many of them "really missed Chairman
Salamat but his untimely death did not affect
much the MILF as an organization."
Mohamad Al-haj Murad, then MILF's vice chair for
military affairs, took over the chairmanship
after Salamat died.
"Chairman Salamat was a respected ulama (Muslim
religious leader) and almost all he said were
unquestioned by the Muslim ummah (community).
But while Brother Murad is not a religious
leader, the ulamas, in a gathering shortly after
he (Murad) assumed the chairmanship of the MILF,
expressed in a resolution their all-out support
for him leadership. He is not an ulama but he
was tossed and built up by the ulamas," Jaafar
said.
He said Murad "has been running the organization
very well and the support of the Bangsamoro
leaders is solid on him."
Jaafar admitted, though, that unlike Salamat,
Murad "lacks the charisma" of an ulama.
He bared that "Murad was hesitant to accept the
position because of the reality that he lacks
the experience and background that Salamat had,
but the decision of the majority prevailed upon
him."
He said that even if the current chairman has
been the chief of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed
Forces (BIAF), the military wing of the MILF,
since the 1980s when they bolted the Moro
National Liberation Front, "Murad is a very
composed and relaxed man. He seems to appear not
(as) a military man with the way he talks and
moves. You will not see in his appearance a
military background."
The way Murad "led and made the BIAF grew has
also made him the most qualified MILF official
to replace Chairman Salamat. No one in the MILF
has a military experience like that of Murad,"
he added
Jaafar admitted that "there are some people
saying Murad could not handle the MILF, but the
truth of the matter is he has been doing it and
he has been doing very well."
He added some who were "not so actively"
supporting them when Salamat was still alive
"have become more supportive because they say
kawawa naman ang MILF. Wala na si Chairman kaya
mas kailangan natin silang tulungan ngayon ."
At the same time, Jaafar said the MILF Central
Committee still lacks one officer, the vice
chair for internal affairs. He said the position
has been left vacant because it is being
reserved for someone from the Zamboanga
peninsula.
The position was once held by Alim Aziz
Mimbantas, who took over as vice chair for
military affairs.
Under the new structure of the MILF, the
functions of a chief of staff have been taken
away from the vice chair for military affairs.
"Brother Sammy Almansor now serves as the
chief of staff of the BIAF," Jaafar said. |