Malaysian ambassador vows support for local businesses in Mindanao

MAGUINDANAO, Philippines - Malaysian Ambassador Dato Mohammad Zamri Mohammad Kassim assured to convince his compatriots to invest in viable local businesses in support of the Mindanao peace process.

Kassim, who toured Central Mindanao over the weekend, had told Al-Haj Murad Ebrahim, figurehead of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) that there are Malaysian businessmen he can entice to help push the peace process forward through economic interventions.

There are vast tracts of lands in Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur that are being developed now into Cavendish banana and oil palm plantations by local entrepreneurs using capitals poured in by their Malaysian contacts.

Kassim, Murad and the MILF’s vice chair for political affairs, Ghazali Jaafar, met over the weekend in Camp Darapanan in Maguindanao’s Sultan Kudarat town and discussed the prospects of the peace process.

Malaysia has been helping facilitate since late 2003 the now 18-year government-MILF peace initiative.

Besides its voluntary role as facilitator, Malaysia also leads the International Monitoring Team (IMT) observing the enforcement of the GPH-MILF July 1997 Agreement on General Cessation of Hostilities.

The IMT is comprised of Malaysian soldiers and policemen, military representatives from Brunei, Libya and Indonesia and non-uniformed conflict resolution experts from Japan, Norway and the European Union.

Kassim was accompanied to the MILF’s Camp Darapanan by the chief of the multinational IMT, Major Gen. Sheikh Mohksin, of the Malaysian Royal Armed Forces.

Kassim promised Murad and Jaafar of Malaysia’s continuing support to the GPH-MILF peace efforts during their meeting in the rebel camp.