The buzzword now in the BARMM is entitlement. Some Muslim professionals have spent time trying to figure out its import but rejected the motive for its use. It’s a trending topic on social media. This has come about in light of the claim by some Mujahideen that they deserve to remain in (read: elected) and continue at the helm of the BARMM government because the lives sacrificed and the blood shed in the struggle for merdeka was theirs. Meaning, they claim the right of entitlement. This begs discussion.

There are factors that impelled their claim. To some analysts, the most compelling was the feeling that they could not stand up in the hustings against the traditional politicos who have established well-entrenched and impregnable dynasties. The spectacle of successive political events, especially the aborning grand coalition of governors who have an inarguably tight grip over their followers in their respective turfs, was a factor.

An entitlement could refer to “the right to have a particular privilege or benefit granted by law or custom.” I can venture to suggest also that if one harbors a right of entitlement it gives one a condescending attitude of being more deserving than others which could grow into a feeling of exclusivity. Meaning, you have invested so much in something that you believe you deserve preferential treatment.

In the General Assembly of the United Bangsamoro Justice Party held at Poona-Bayabao, Lanao del Sur, which was the most attended gathering, hands down, vis-a-vis other earlier political assemblies, boasting about 40,000 attendees, some of the speakers who are top Commanders of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and members of the Interim Parliament were overheard claiming they had a moral right to continue their dominance and stewardship of the BARMM because it was the fruit of their struggle and labor.

Stated differently, if government will not accede to the postponement of the parliamentary election that will extend their terms, the voters should have the heart to vote for them. Not a few eyebrows were raised upon hearing the claim.

Which brings us to the issue of who brought about the near fruition of merdeka to the Moros who instead settled for the creation of BARMM? It cannot be gainsaid that the MILF led the fight and the negotiations for peace. Nobody will dispute that. In the same manner that it is indisputable that there were countless, most of them unknown, who also contributed to the struggle.

In the first place, it was the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), the mother of all Moro secessionist movements, which provided the spark that ignited the campaign for the Right to Self Determination. The MILF was a splinter group of the MNLF, which seceded from the main secessionist movement after the Ramos Peace Deal with the MNLF. If there is any group that could claim a superior right, the MNLF is it.

But the MILF and MNLF rebels do not have a monopoly on Moro nationalism and patriotism. There are innumerable, mostly preferring anonymity, who contributed in the fight for the “Moro cause.” The students in Metro Manila universities who defied the martial law regime and bravely demonstrated publicly against the regime; the professionals in the bureaucracy; the Moro journalists believing their “pen is mightier than the sword” who help shaped public opinion to look kindly on the Moro cause; the Ulamas during Friday namaz bringing the issue of injustice to Muslims to the pulpit. And many others just as effective as those bearing Armalite rifles.

One Mayor recalled that during the campaign for a plebiscite on the creation of the BARMM, the MILF leaders had to court the politicians in the region, especially the dynast governors and mayors to vote yes for its creation. Without them, the BARMM would not have come into being. That’s undeniably axiomatic.

The SIAP regional party hit the mark when it made “inklusibo” or inclusive its shibboleth, referring to a BARMM government not only for the MILF or the Maranaws but for everyone regardless of tribal and political affiliation.

What do you say, readers?

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