Declaring war is stupid

IS there a plan to overthrow the Aquino administration by using Mindanao as a staging ground for more violence? It seems like it. Who are these forces maneuvering to oust this government? Are these forces linked with the former dispensation? Are these forces linked with Big Business names now dragged into alleged malfeasance committed during the past regime?

 

Several sources want the Aquino administration to engage the enemy by declaring war. War only benefits the rich, particularly those involved in selling arms and ammunition. It is the people who bear the brunt of human cruelty during wars. When violence is met by violence, it sparks an endless cycle of hatred, despair and human isolation. Humans forget their humanity during wars and commit endless violations of rights that last even after the war.

Obviously, those who call for war are just sitting on their armchairs, thinking of the benefits war will bring to themselves and not really mindful of what would happen to freedom-loving citizens, both Bangsamoros and non-Bangsamoros in those areas. Think about the children who will lose their fathers and their mothers in a war of attrition. Think about the destruction of properties and of nature if war is declared.

Obviously, those who want to replace this government want it to engage more closely in a war where no one really wins. If the Aquino administration listens to these hawks, a war would divert its attention from the greater task at hand -- hauling grafters and big-time thieves to jail and correcting the structural errors of the bureaucracy. 

What happens if, say, this administration decides to deploy more troops to Basilan, a place where most people are armed to the teeth? There will be more misery, more deaths and more destruction will take place. A further deployment of troops in Basilan will escalate the tension and transform the place into a regional battlefield of causes and ideologies -- a very dangerous proposition.

Basilan doesn’t have an overlord such as Maguindanao and other places in Mindanao. There is no strong hegemony there, only petty rulers and overlords who are very territorial and command small armies. When you deploy outsiders there, they will be killed. 

A war will affect the national economy especially the stock and money markets. This will further weaken the state and will affect economic growth. Those people who call for war are making these suggestions from the hip. They are not thinking straight. In a time where the country has been wrecked by natural disasters in the North and interlacing conflict in the South, declaring war is such a foolish thing to do.

(Issue of Oct. 17-23, 2011)