Hashim son, MILF disown ‘Salamat Wing’

By Nash B. Maulana

COTABATO CITY—The Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the family of its founding leader have disowned the alleged formation of an “MILF-Salamat Wing”, saying it was a ploy by unnamed politicians to undermine the peace process.

Chief Minister Ahod Balawag Ebrahim of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) said the MILF “condemns in strongest terms the disinformation being circulated by misguided MILF members acting at the behest of some traditional politicians” in organizing an “MILF-Salamat Wing within the organization.”

Abdullah Hashim, son of the late MILF Chairman Salamat Hashim, said the same statement circulated on social media was dropping his father’s name, ostensibly to catapult a group into the BARMM leadership.

The younger Hashim, a member of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) Parliament, has issued a counter-statement, saying using his father’s name in vain was “putting at risk the peace process to which we are all stakeholders.”

Ebrahim also stated his capacity as the MILF chairman, describing a statement by an “MILF-Salamat Wing” as an “unabashed application letter” to the national leadership “for membership into the BTA.”

In a strongly-worded statement signed by Ebrahim, the MILF Central Committee said: “The supposed political statement authored by Mr. AbdulFatah Delna is nothing but an unabashed application letter for membership into the BTA, devoid of any revolutionary principles and designed solely to secure personal political favor at the expense of the organization and its leadership. We cannot and will not tolerate such a brazen act.”

Ebrahim signed the statement of the MILF Central Committee’ as concurrent MILF chairman, succeeding founding chairman Salamat Hashim since July 2003 when the latter passed away in Butig, Lanao del Sur.

BTA MP Hashim’s statement has also been posted on the official Facebook page of BARMM Chief Minister Ebrahim, whom the former described as the rightful successor of his father by personal choice and by official consensus of the MILF Central Committee.

An adverse statement attributed to an ‘MILF-Salamat Wing’ is one signed by certain Shaykh Abdul Fatah Delna claiming to be the “ad-hoc chairman” of the group he named after the late MILF leader. The statement, however, could not be independently verified.

Ebrahim said the MILF Leadership “continues to practice the principle of Shura or consultative and collective leadership. This is why major decisions are made by the Central Committee only after consultations.”

He added: “It is therefore dishonest, and contrary to the avowed claim of this group to directly apply to the President of the Republic, for appointment as member of the BTA, without going through the regular process of submitting their proposals to the Central Committee for bilateral appreciation, and consideration.”

For his part, Hashim asked the signatory of the adverse statement not to use his father’s name “to sow political chaos and destroy the fragile peace that we are beginning to attain under the MILF-led BARMM.”

“To those who use my father’s name and his legacy as a front for politicking, and sowing intrigues, I pray that Allah guide you to the truth, and (I) ask you to let my father rest in peace,” Hashim said in his off4cial statement about the alleged formation of an MILF-Salamat Wing.

Political pundits said with praises to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio, that the “Salamat-Wing” statement is unlikely credited to a dissident, who even urged the Chief Executive in his statement “to exercise his wide latitude of powers” to appoint members of the Bangsamoro Parliament.

In his statement, Delna accused the BARMM under the MILF leadership of blocking his “democratic rights” to be a member of the BTA Parliament.

Under the Bangsamoro Organic Law (RA 11054), the President appoints members of the 81-seat BTA. All 39 government nominees and 41 nominees from the MILF are screened and recommended by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPPRU) for issuance of Presidential appointments.

Normally, all documents issued by the Chief Executive also pass through the usual scrutiny and critical review by the Presidential Management Staff (PMS)—and the new group apparently wants the President to waive these processes.

Hashim said if the signatory of the statement wanted “to exercise democratic rights then (he could) exercise them at the proper time. When the time comes for elections, the BARMM will be open as mandated by law.”

Hashim added that: “My father is not a Prophet, and you, of all people, should know not to raise his status to such. The Seal and the Last of the Prophets is Muhammad (peace be upon him). Follow him and not my father.” With reports from Nash B. Maulana