Choosing Which Side of History by Erick San Juan

Choosing Which Side of History by Erick San Juan

The present administration will turn two years in a couple of months and there seems to be no real development in sight. So much for the corruption-busting but the issues that are very close to the ordinary Juan dela Cruz’s stomach were not given much priority despite the propaganda of  DSWD’s CCT program for the poor which make us more beholden to the IMF-World Bank due to high interest rates that we all have to shoulder out of these loans just to appease our underprivileged.

The much divided attention of PNoy especially on matters concerning foreign relations only prove that for almost two years now, the President has failed to put some of the right people in his cabinet that will help him run the country. Pundits believe that his leadership also lacks the foresight of things to come that will possibly put his governance in jeopardy.

One perennial problem that has come to our attention as an observer of events unfolding in our country is the issue in Mindanao, particularly our relationship with Malaysia. The government should sit down with Kuala Lumpur and talk not only about the GRP and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) peace agreement but also the issue of the heirs of Kiram. This age old problem has created a rift between the Philippines and Malaysia and must be addressed as soon as possible.

At this point in time, there are so many Kirams claiming as the real heir and worse of all, there are too many personalities meddling with the issue which makes it even more complicated.

The mere fact that several Kirams are claiming that they are the real heir, which one is the true heir and the one that should be given the just compensation. For so many years now, we are not even sure who's getting subsidy from Kuala Lumpur.

That is why Mr. President, please take this unsolicited advice seriously, the government should intervene to solve this age old problem by creating a crisis cluster of able men and women from your loop that will address the issue at hand with Kuala Lumpur. We just cannot afford if ever, another enemy in our neighborhood. There is already too much tensions going on in the South China Sea that adding another problem will put this country in real trouble.

I am referring to a possible balkanization if we will apply "noynoying" policy to this serious subject. This is not a joke, if this matter will go out of hand it will blow right in front of us and we will not even notice what hit us.

The government should take extreme caution in handling this matter to avoid conflict with Malaysia that might engage into some proxies in the process. I have read a lot of comments from the different blog-sites and websites tackling the issue of our Sabah claim. I have been to Sabah many times and I have seen how the people there are living comfortably and peacefully with no terrorist threats. They also enjoy the comforts of low cost of living and this also apply even to foreigners.

Let us face reality this time, Mr. President and stop daydreaming regarding our Sabah claim. Let us apply extreme diplomacy with Malaysia and help our Muslim brothers in the south get what they deserve, to live a better life benefiting from our good neighbor – the Malaysians.

If this diplomatic problem will be solve during your tenure as president, it would  be a great legacy in your name and all other negative perceptions against you will no longer matter.  God bless you, Mr. President  and may HE grant you wisdom to lead this country to the right path for the rest of your term.