MANILA: The plan of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to question Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) leader Nur Misuari on his alleged links to the Sabah crisis is tantamount to a provocative act by the government, a senior MNLF official said last Wednesday.
MNLF political bureau chief Haji Gapul Hajirul explained this was because the government has a standing peace pact and ceasefire agreement with the Muslim rebel group.
He said that if the NBI really intends to subpoena Misuari, it must course its invitation through the joint government and MNLF peace panels and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), in accordance with the established ceasefire ground rules.
“We don’t have it yet,” Hajirul said, referring to an NBI subpoena for Misuari, a former governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), to shed light on his alleged part in the order of the Sultan of Sulu Jamalul Kiram III to send armed supporters to Sabah.
Kiram’s followers have been in Sabah since February 12 to revive the sultanate’s claim to the disputed territory that is now occupied by Malaysia.
Hajirul said the government and the MNLF have a ceasefire agreement that requires both parties to course their complaints or investigation through the joint peace panels for proper action. Furthermore, the OIC, being party to the agreement, should also be informed.
The NBI has been tasked by the Department of Justice to conduct a probe on the supposed conspirators that influenced Kiram to order his army led by his brother Agbimuddin to go to Sabah and reclaim the territory.
Sultan Kiram’s adviser Pastor “Boy” Saycon has already appeared before the NBI and denied involvement in any conspiracy to start the Sabah crisis.
Malacañang had reportedly implicated Saycon, Misuari, and Norberto Gonzales, former national security adviser of ex-President and now Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, in the Sabah crisis.
“We have a ceasefire agreement and its rules. The NBI moves might violate the ceasefire agreement and that is a clear provocation,” Hajirul said.
MNLF spokesman and legal counsel Emmanuel Fontanilla described as unfortunate the government’s move to look for a scapegoat after mishandling the Sabah issue.
The Philippine Star
