Aquino hopes Malaysia help in peace process continues amid protests

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, center in back row, and Philippine President Benigno Aquino III, right in back row, congratulate Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) chief negotiator Mohagher Iqbal, following a signing ceremony for a tentative peace agreement between the MILF and the government which Malaysia helped broker, at Malacanang Palace. Others are Malaysian peace broker Tengku Abdul Ghafar, right back to camera, and MILF chair Al Haj Murad. AP FILE PHOTO

With Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak in hot water because of a corruption scandal, President Benigno Aquino III has said he hopes nothing will change in the two countries’ joint efforts for peace in Mindanao.

Aquino, during the Meet Inquirer Multimedia forum on Tuesday, said he has not been in touch with Najib “except [during] formal meetings in Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations).”

“And I haven’t discussed this particular problem with him,” he said.

“What I know for a fact now is that we have Prime Minister Najib, who has been very instrumental ever since I got into this office, in moving this peace dialogue forward and we hope that this policy of Malaysia doesn’t change [from] being really of tremendous help in resolving this long, long problem that has been festering since the late 60’s,” he added.

Malaysia has been instrumental in the peace process between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), serving as a third party facilitator.

A number of talks between the two parties have been held in Mindanao, and Najib himself was present at the signing of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro in Malacañang.

READ: Philippines, MILF sign peace agreement

During the Asean summit in Kuala Lumpur in April, Najib said there should be no turning back from the peace pact of the Philippines and the MILF.

“The recent progress on the Bangsamoro peace process has been so important, and we must not pause in our efforts to bring a permanent resolution to a conflict that has led to so much loss of life and displaced hundreds of thousands over the years,” Najib has said.

But in the past months, Najib has been facing his own battle after being investigated for mismanagement of the state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad. Around $600 million was allegedly deposited to the Prime Minister’s private bank account.

Late last month, tens of thousands of protesters dressed in yellow demanded for the resignation of Najib.

Some Filipino netizens have linked the issue to the Philippines with some criticizing Aquino for working with an allegedly corrupt government. Others, on the other hand, claimed that the money in Najib’s account was used to bribe the Philippine government to craft a Bangsamoro Basic Law that is favorable to the Malaysian government amid the dispute pertaining to Sabah. However, there has so far been no proof to the said accusation. No personality or group, besides a number of netizens, had made the same claim. JE