Greater Malaysia (by Manuel L. Quezon III)

MLQ3 argues, in sum, that the present imbroglio on the Mindanao Question arises from the hegemonic policies of the United States and Malaysia… (This is just a short note for lack of more time…)

The noted Philippine analyst Manuel Luis Quezon III (MLQ3 hereafter) just posted a fascinating and, might I say, distressing analysis of the controversial Memorandum of Agreement between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. Whatever one’s opinions on the matter, his perspective and those of commentators he cites are worth careful consideration.

In sum, MLQ3’s post entitled Greater Malaysia (complementing the more domestic focus of his earlier post The Perils of Partition) argues that the present imbroglio on the Moro Question arises in part out of the greater geopolitical situation, specifically the hegemonic policies of the United States of America and the Federation of Malaysia. MLQ3 says that both the U.S. and Malaysia are, beneath their protestations of friendship and alliance with the Philippines, deliberately sacrificing Philippine national interests in furtherance of their respective goals: to obtain an ally and a launching ground for their forces in Southeast Asia against China, in the case of the U.S.; and to obtain a greater sphere of influence, in the case of Malaysia.

And there you have it [MLQ3 concludes]: she [Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo] has a region rattled, governments scrambling to keep up, a situation unraveling, and for what? An expanded menu of political options under the smokescreen of a concept she neither fully comprehends or has ever genuinely subscribed to.

For my part, I have not yet decided where precisely to stand on the issue: I have some sympathy for the desire of many Moros for the recognition of their entitlements as a people, though not for the idea of a fully independent Bangsa Moro; and, since I am skeptical of nationalism as an ideology, I honestly have no regard for the nationalist leanings of any of the players in the conflict. I’ll post my thoughts on the Mindanao Question when I may, but for now, I wish to mention the 2 other geopolitical currents that are relevant to the issue: the present pan-Islamic Reformation, and the accelerating retreat of Western power. The second is self-explanatory and needs little elucidation, but the first is largely overlooked and will therefore be discussed in a separate, subsequent post.

C’est tout–‘have to rush to a meeting–but always, may God bless us all.