DND's Gonzales wants ARMM elections held in May 2010

Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales proposed on Monday to hold the election for the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao ARMM) in advance, synchronizing it with the national and local elections in May 2010. Gonzales said an early election for ARMM is needed to firm up the peace and order that martial law has started to establish not only in Maguindanao but also in the entire autonomous region. Removing the Ampatuans from their government posts will create a vacuum of civilian leadership in ARMM and this vacuum is better filled up by "good Muslim" leaders rather than the clan’s constitutional successors who are most likely its allies, Gonzales added. “It’s about time there is change of political leadership in Muslim Mindanao," Gonzales said. He noted that the Ampatuans have ruled not only Maguindanao, but the entire ARMM, with absolute power for many years. The defense chief said the move will also impact the peace process in Mindanao as it will give Muslim rebels the opportunity to bring their advocacy into the electoral arena rather than remain in the battlefronts. “I would like to encourage the Moro Islamic Liberation Front to think ahead, consolidate its constituency and compete democratically," Gonzales said. Gonzales stressed that the government campaign to end warlordism in Muslim Mindanao will go beyond Maguindanao and the Ampatuans. He said that government security forces will continue efforts to retrieve loose firearms and dismantle private armed groups even after the lifting of martial law in Maguindanao. - Carmela Lapeña/JV, GMANews.TV