Uprooting the Roots of Insurgency

Retrieved from THE PEACE WALL
By Tasneem AbdulRauf

Insurgency, a deep-rooted problem in our country, needs to be resolved. To achieve genuine and enduring peace, decisions and actions undertaken to quell insurgency should effectively uproot the underlying causes of rebellion and armed conflict.
 
To draw an analogy, even conflicts within a family, for instance the rebellion of children against their parents, require the understanding of its causes for effective resolution.
 
Erring, rebellious children, who are merely whipped and punished, will not really stop their unruly behavior, because such violent means will not teach them a lesson.
 
I believe that successful and proper resolution of conflicts must be through non-violent means and must address the main issues at hand. Suppressing the other side will not end the conflict; worse, it will further degrade the situation and stir up violence.
 
Since childhood, I am already aware of the rebellion of armed groups in the country—through the media and my social environment in Mindanao. In my elementary years, although I didn’t fully understand the state of affairs, I knew that there were problems in our society that cause rebellion, which is, itself, a problem that should be worked out.
 
I was born in Marawi City, Lanao del Sur and studied in Mindanao State University-Integrated Laboratory School (MSU-ILS) until 1st Grade in 1996. Our house was located one block from the campus. In my young age, I was conscious of how different Marawi was to its neighboring cities, namely Iligan and Cagayan de Oro City (CDO) in terms of development. Back then, going to CDO would bring me excitement and joy because it was an opportunity to stroll and shop in several malls, dine in popular fast-food chains, and stay in nice hotels. Things I couldn’t do in our city because it lacked these business establishments—until now. And I knew development in Marawi was lagging behind.
 
As I grew up, I learned that Muslims distrust government due to a lot of factors, which include among others, the perceived neglect of the needs and concerns of Muslims in the country.  There are many perspectives on the causes of insurgency, but I believe that this is a major factor.
 
Now, I can say that the emergence of insurgency in a country implies that there are political and socio-economic issues which are sources of vexation and grievance to certain groups. In particular, insurgents hold causes and goals in their rising up to arms. This is the reason why countering insurgency necessitates positively confronting and addressing its roots to prevent further detriment to lives and property, particularly of civilians who are caught in the crossfire. Rebellion concerns us and it needs to be resolved, because it brings threat to lives, to national security, and to political and economic stability.
 
Uprooting the roots of conflict is imperative for peace to take effect and prosper.Peace, in my view, is not only freedom from war and other forms of violence, but also the existence of justice and harmonious relationships among people and groups in society in the political and social landscape.
 
According to Loreta N. Castro, Executive Director of the Center for Peace Education in Miriam College, peace is a holistic concept consisting of two main ideas: the idea of a ‘negative peace’ which refers to the absence of war and other forms of physical violence, and ‘positive peace’ which refers to the presence of non-exploitative relationships or conditions of justice and well-being such that the root causes of conflict are diminished.
 
Such definition of a holistic peace brings to light the importance in conflict resolution of addressing the underlying roots of insurgency in order to reach genuine and enduring peace which is not only devoid of war and violence, but is also devoted to the value of social justice.
 
I know that this kind of peace is not an elusive reality. Looking at how determined and confident the Aquino administration is in reaching “a very good resolution” to protracted rebellions in the country, I see a spark of hope that peace can be attained in my generation.
 
I have confidence in the current peace process pursued by the government as it is based on “a comprehensive understanding of the root causes of the conflict” and aimed at “a peaceful and just settlement of conflicts.”
 
Since peace is a mutual aspiration and responsibility of all—not only of the government—I hope that each of us will find and engage in ways that we can to achieve a just, humane and peaceful society.#