GMA won’t rile Mahathir over Anwar

KUALA LUMPUR (via PLDT) – President Arroyo will not rile Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad over jailed oppositionist Anwar Ibrahim as former President Joseph Estrada did during an international summit here in 1998.

The assurance appears to have healed a rift between Malaysia and the Philippines since Estrada received Azizah Ismail, Anwar’s wife and chief campaigner for his release from prison, after Anwar was jailed in 1998.

President Arroyo made the assurance at a news conference winding up a three-day state visit, which she described as having moved "beyond ceremony to a meaningful step in the Philippine journey toward lasting peace and prosperity."

Before flying back to the Philippines via Davao City yesterday, Mrs. Arroyo said she will consult Mahathir before she grants Azizah an official audience, unlike Estrada who even received Azizah during the 1998 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ Summit here.

"If ever a similar thing would happen, I would notify the Office of the Prime Minister and find out their reaction being a guest of the Prime Minister. If he gave so much as a hint he would not be happy, I would not go through with it," she said.

Anwar has been tried and convicted of sodomy and corruption and sentenced to 15 years in prison but he claims to have been framed to prevent him from challenging Mahathir.

Azizah leads the National Justice Party, which is part of an opposition front that made gains against Mahathir’s government in elections in 1999 although the ruling coalition retained power.

The President also heaped praise on Mahathir, Asia’s longest serving leader, calling him a "broker of peace" and "the brother who helped close many fissures between Christians and Muslims in Mindanao."

Mrs. Arroyo stressed she was extremely happy that there were two peace agreements signed between the government and secessionist groups Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) during the state visit.

Although both the President and Mahathir opted not to witness the signing of a supposedly "frail" ceasefire agreement with the MILF in Putrajaya, Mrs. Arroyo said the agreement was still a step forward in the peace process.

"I don’t want signed papers for the sake of signing papers. I don’t want floppy agreements. That’s the same thing that Mahathir wants," the President said.

The other peace accord was a "unity" agreement between the MILF and the MNLF. The MILF is a breakaway group of the MNLF, which signed peace accord with the government in Jakarta, Indonesia in 1996 in exchange for autonomy.

Mahathir went out of his way to publicly warn his fellow Muslims in the MILF that armed rebellion and secession would not solve the problems of Mindanao.

"He (Mahathir) expressed this in unadorned yet meaningful words. This reflects my own dictum of governance, which is plain talk and common sense," Mrs. Arroyo said.

"As far as the Philippines is concerned, he is a brother to us, a brother to me, helping out to bring in the peace process as far as he has done in this particular visit," she added.

The President admitted she personally sought Mahathir’s help in reviving peace talks with the MILF which Estrada junked in favor of an all-out war policy.

At the same time, she lauded the Malaysian government’s commitment to the non-intervention policy of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

While the activities of Filipino-Muslim rebels have spilled over to Malaysian territory several times in the past, the President lauded Malaysia’s readiness to help when its assistance is requested.

The President also ruled out negotiations with the Abu Sayyaf over ransom for the dozens of hostages they hold, including at least two Americans, but left the door open to negotiations for their surrender.

"The idea is to stop giving in, for the government to bite the bullet, once and for all, and get this behind us," she said.

"Negotiation for coming into the fold of the law, that’s alright but negotiation for ransom is always ruled out," she added. — Marichu Villanueva, Edith Regalado