British Embassy Manila
"Don't give up hope. As soon as that happens, we're finished," said Rt Hon Paul Murphy, UK Parliamentarian and former Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and Wales, on peace talks.
Speaking Thursday at a public forum titled "Post-settlement and power sharing in divided societies: The experience of Northern Ireland and Insights for Mindanao and the Philippines" at the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) in Makati City, Murphy shared his experiences as "talks minister" for then-Prime Minister Tony Blair. It is hoped that some of the lessons he learned at the negotiating table in Northern Ireland can provide insights to help move the Mindanao peace talks forward.
Murphy identified "good signs" that point to the ripening of the peace talks. The Moro Islamic Liberation Front's submission of a new peace proposal to the Malaysian third-party negotiator means they are ready to talk, he said. Another positive indicator is a recent survey that majority of Filipinos are hopeful that a final peace agreement will be forged between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). President Aquino's meeting with MILF Chairman Al Haj Murad Ibrahim is also a step in the right direction, according to Murphy.
It is important for the people to become invested in the peace process, Murphy pointed out. He recalled a major breakthrough while talking to the people involved in the Northern Ireland peace process. "It was clear that the people had had enough of war and the conflict. They realised that they didn't want their children to see the same horrors that they experienced in their own lives... You declare war in your own country, you don't win."
Murphy said there was a time peace in Northern Ireland was deemed impossible by many, similar to how Mindanao is currently perceived by skeptics of the peace process. For 30 years Northern Ireland had been considered one of the most serious conflict areas in the world. Parallel to Mindanao, the Northern Ireland conflict had to address differences in cultures, religions and identities. It took many years, but those involved finally discovered a successful formula to achieve peace on the basis of trust, perseverance, intensity, parity of esteem and international dimensions. Today, Northern Ireland enjoys the "prize of peace," including prosperity and good governance.
The public forum was organised by International Alert with the support of the British Embassy and in co-operation with the Asian Institute of Management Center for Development Management (AIM CDM), TeaM Energy Center for Bridging Leadership and the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP).
The British Embassy is part of the International Contact Group for the peace process between the Government of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation front (MILF). In the spirit of friendship and co-operation between The UK and the Philippines, the British Embassy has since 2008 undertaken a programme of activities to share the experiences of the peace process in Northern Ireland. Paul Murphy's visit is the latest in a series of visits and exchanges between those involved in the Mindanao peace process and UK experts. During his stay in Davao and Manila, he met with the negotiating panels of the government and the MILF, government officials, business leaders and members of civil society.
Paul Murphy was dubbed the "talks minister" during the NI negotiations, and spent two years chairing some of the talks which led to the Good Friday agreement in 1998, the framework for peace in Northern Ireland (NI).
Trust
The single biggest challenge in the Northern Island peace process was establishing trust between the two sides, Murphy admitted. "Trust was the basis of the agreement. It took years for the trust and confidence to be built up between both sides."
Perseverance
"Peace can't be achieved overnight. The world is littered with examples of peace processes which have failed, because they thought they could do it quickly," said Murphy. "It took five years for talks to come to an agreement, and another decade for the agreement to be implemented. It's better to talk for 15 years than to fight for 15 years."
Intensity
Murphy stressed that talks needed to be intensive and full-time to attain success. "There's no substitute for proper dialogue between those people involved. You can't negotiate peace part time. During [NI] negotiations 200-300 people at a time were working in the talks building, and they worked every day, every week, every month, every year, until an agreement was made. That is the intensity of those talks. It was not part-time, it was a hothouse atmosphere - intensive, serious and stressful," Murphy recalled.
Parity of Esteem
"It means treating everyone as equal. It means a proper respect and recognition of other people who do not necessarily believe the same things you believe in, that they have a right to believe in what they do," Murphy explained.
International Dimensions
The Northern Ireland peace process involved independent chairs from the US, Canada and Finland, agreed by all the sides to oversee the talks. "The international dimensions are very important as well, thus, it may be important here too. Ultimately, every peace process has to be home grown. It doesn't work unless the people involved do it themselves. It can't be imposed, but you can help it. At the end of the day, the people who have to make the agreement are the people are affected themselves," said Murphy.
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