QUEZON CITY (MindaNews / 25 February) — If only Maranao leaders persisted in taking a high moral ground like their forebears and did not totally prance politics with gobierno sarwang a tao and did not wholly abandon their warrior tradition these past decades, the Maranaw would have not been as orphaned these days. They could have secured their tradition as a proud people.
As shown with the war in Marawi, neo-orthodoxy and narco-politics are dangerous mix indeed with which many Maranaw leaders and youth have unfortunately fallen into.
Whereas the Maguindanaon and Tausug continued to organize armed groups projecting higher cause beyond their tribes while giving them edge in leading the Moro struggle as they gain some degree of respectability and recognition from the other including the Philippine government.
Unfortunately, very few respectable Maranaw personalities and groups have firmly stood as principled revolutionaries since the 70s. Many were eaten up by politics with the prodding of expediency while others have to invariably sway with either MNLF (Moro National Liberation Front) or MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front) that only vest them second fiddle roles in the struggle unfortunately. As such, the absence of that respectable group in Lanao was easily taken as opportunity by the radicals with their vain attempt to fill-in the void.
The Maute Group, if only it was ideologically equipped and was calculating in embracing the radical line of political Islam, could have been the first to become the brave Maranaw group that could have advanced the Moro cause in that part of the Lanao Region and could have secured the maratabat among Maranaw. Sadly, their fervor was nipped in the bud.
Now, by resorting to parliament of the street, it is doubtful if the gobierno sarwang a tao would listen to potential Maranaw youth. Clearly, there has to emerge respectable ones with the task to guide and inspire the young…
(MindaViews is the opinion section of MindaNews. Julkipli Wadi is a Professor of Islamic Studies at the University of the Philippines in Diliman).
