The Philippines, since the 1970s, has been engulfed in armed conflicts with various well-organized insurgent groups that have cost thousands of lives across the country. The communist insurgency which began in 1969 is one of the longest running conflicts in the world. But over the past five to six years, the communist insurgency as well as the Islamic insurgency in the southern island of Mindanao has gained international prominence given the involvement of the United States of America in Filipino politics.
The endless decades-long conflict with the New People’s Army (NPA) proves the inability of both the Filipino government and the insurgent groups to address the root causes of the bloody insurgency. Many south-east Asian political analysts believe that by internationalizing the insurgency, the Philippines has failed to resolve the issue peacefully.
Moreover, by inviting foreign aid on both sides, Manila and the NPA have been able to reinforce their military resources rather than investing large sums of money in political negotiations and strict law enforcement steps to bring about a constructive peace deal.
Filipino president Gloria Arroyo has ordered the army to finish off the communist insurgency by the end of her presidential term in 2010, but this seems to be highly ambitious given the support the communists enjoy within the deprived population of the Philippines. The problem can hardly be solved by sheer military power.
The insurgency has survived many military actions before also. The problem lies elsewhere. Filipino insurgents have always been motivated by the fact that the country’s political approach has always been influenced by foreign governments, starting from the Spanish in the 16th century to the Japanese in the Second World War to the Americans since September 11.
Much of the government, particularly local government officials do not have the sense of urgency in formulating a legitimate peace plan in the impoverished insurgency-prone areas. It seems as if years of conflict have made bureaucrats and officials view the insurgency as usual business.
The Filipino government should abolish the idea of foreign help in dealing with conflicts as local issues can only be resolved if steps are taken in a localized manner keeping in accordance with the Filipino culture and tradition.
Link: Reuters
