The road to Peace

MANILA, Philippines - The peace process between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has reached the stage that previous administrations could only dream of – and it has been a long, arduous road.

And while the progress of the talks has been widely hailed by various groups, including the international community, Mohagher Iqbal, the MILF’s chief negotiator, won’t take any credit for it.

 â€œI do not want to claim any reward for it. After all, it was my obligation to do it,” Iqbal tells STARweek in an e-mail message. Due to his very hectic schedule and constant traveling to hold consultations with stakeholders, the interview was done via e-mail.

 â€œIn a real revolutionary struggle, one never expects anything for himself except to serve the cause wholeheartedly,” he adds.

For Iqbal, who has been leading the MILF peace panel for more than a decade, it was a matter of doing one’s job and doing it well.

 â€œAny role assigned has to be played sincerely. One also has to prepare for the ultimate sacrifice,” he says.

Few, if anyone, can doubt Iqbal’s sincerity and commitment to the Bangsamoro cause, which he has been promoting for more than 40 years.

A native of Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao, Iqbal earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in political science at the Manuel Quezon University. He immediately joined the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) after his return from Manila in 1972.

In 1977, Iqbal joined the MILF, which broke away from the MNLF after the latter signed the 1976 Tripoli Agreement with the government.

The deal, which established autonomy in 13 provinces in Mindanao, was opposed by MILF founder Salamat Hashim, who believed that it would not solve the problem in Mindanao.

Iqbal’s writings also dealt with the struggles of the Bangsamoros. Using the pen name Salah Jubair, he wrote two books: “Bangsamoro: A Nation Under Endless Tyranny” and “The Long Road to Peace: Inside the GPH-MILF Peace Talks.”

At present, he is a member of the MILF Central Committee, sitting as chair of its committee on information and chief of the peace panel, a position he has held since July 2003.

He is also the chairman of the Bangsamoro Transition Commission, a body tasked to draft the Bangsamoro Basic Law that will create the political entity that will replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

It was clear to Iqbal that he was destined to become a negotiator for the Bangsamoros. In fact, he declined to speculate on what he would have become if he were not a negotiator.

 â€œThat cannot be argued because that did not happen. Destiny made me a negotiator, not the other way around,” he tells STARweek.

Hard road

Iqbal admits that there was never any relaxed moment during the entirety of their talks with the government, which started in 1997.

 â€œNegotiation is one human endeavor that is highly unpredictable. But after the signing of the Annex on Normalization and the issue of Bangsamoro Waters, our relationship with our counterpart from government is getting more relaxed,” he says.

The normalization annex, which provides for the gradual decommissioning of MILF combatants, and the deal on Bangsamoro waters were signed last January.

The signing of the two agreements is expected to pave the way to a final peace agreement, which officials say could be sealed in March.

 â€œNegotiations are always associated with emotions, especially if the topics are sensitive and touching. Impassés, walkouts, no shows, ‘shouting match,’ cancellations, etc. are part of the negotiations,” Iqbal shares. “Sometimes, they are part of the script or intentional, while others were done for real, meaning not intended. Successful negotiators are those who can manage their emotions.”

Indeed, the negotiation between the government and the MILF was not bereft of issues that fully tested the mettle of the negotiators.

From differences over the Malaysian facilitator and timetables to major debacles such as the voiding of the memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain and the Al-Barka clash, several trials had threatened to disrupt what is widely regarded as the only way to solve the decades-old Mindanao problem.

 â€œEven if you are frustrated with the turn of things, that should never be reason to abandon the path of peace,” Iqbal insists.

“I thank God for giving me strength in managing my emotions during all the trying moments in more than ten years as chair of the MILF peace panel,” he adds.

The art of negotiating

His long and extensive experience as head of the MILF’s peace panel has taught Iqbal a thing or two about the art of negotiation.

He believes the truth is a negotiator’s best weapon.

The best arguments are those that are based on truth which are solidly backed up by solid arguments and research. Bluffing is not a good tactic in negotiation,” he says.

Iqbal, who has earned the reputation of being a very private person, says a negotiator cannot engage in too much socialization.

 â€œNegotiation is always serious stuff, but there are always funny moments. But too much socialization is a no-no in real negotiation. Sometimes, even in laughter, one is negotiating,” the MILF official says.

Iqbal has also learned that patience is a requirement not only when dealing with people from the other side.

 â€œTruth is that sometimes it is harder to negotiate with your peers rather than with your ‘adversaries’ across the negotiating table,” he admits, without elaborating.

Preparation, Iqbal stresses, is also key to a successful negotiation. And an integral part of preparation is the acceptance that negotiation will never be a walk in the park.

 â€œBefore any of the annexes were signed, I already prepared myself for the hard engagements ahead. The spirit of struggle is our working norm,” Iqbal says. “Nothing is to be gained on silver platter.”

But the result of their negotiation this time around is surely a golden prize.