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| Southeast Asia |
| Slain Muslim solon ruled with iron fist |
| 2007-11-14 |
| Muslim Representative Wahab Akbar, who was killed by a bomb at the Batasan complex Tuesday night, ruled his southern island province with an iron fist. Akbar, 47, who helped plant the seeds for what would later become the Abu Sayyaf, was killed as he left the House of Representatives in Quezon City. Three other people also died. Elected earlier this year as a congressman for Basilan, he built a formidable family dynasty in less than 20 years. His first wife Jum succeeded him as governor and his second wife, Cherry-lyn, was elected mayor of the capital, Isabela City. Muslim men are allowed four wives in the Philippines. In an interview a few years ago Akbar said he was prepared to "instill terror in the hearts" of the people of Basilan to bring peace and development to his "godforsaken land." Born on April 16, 1959, in the village of Lantawan, he joined the struggle for an independent Islamic state in the southern Philippines at the age of 14, fighting alongside his father in the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) headed by Nur Misuari. Although he was from a poor background, his father managed to send him to an agricultural school, where he cultivated a flair for public speaking. He became a Muslim scholar and preacher studying in Syria and Libya where he met Abubakar Abdurajak Janjalani, an MNLF comrade who shared the same belief that the group had betrayed the Filipino Muslims, according to sources. Together, they launched the Abu Sayyaf and in the 1990s the group made international headlines by launching random bombings and kidnappings targeting foreign tourists and missionaries. Akbar cut his ties with Janjalani, who was killed in a police raid in 1998. He then became one of the government's staunchest supporters in the war on terror. Akbar's reason for changing sides is not clear in the murky world that is Philippine politics. Sources say the government had no alternative but to embrace him due to his connections on the island. While he commanded a strong following in Basilan, he also accumulated a long list of political enemies. For decades the rugged jungles of Basilan have provided protection for the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf and elements of the Jemaah Islamiyah, the Southeast Asian terror network responsible for the Bali bombings in 2002 that left over 200 dead, many of them foreigners. Since late last year the Philippine military, assisted by US Special Forces advisers, has waged a relentless campaign against the Abu Sayyaf on Basilan. At least two of Akbar's associates were said to have been involved in the beheading of 10 Marines earlier this year in an ambush on Basilan, an accusation Akbar denied. |
| Posted by:tipper |
| #2 They just don't make iron-fisted solons like that anymore. |
| Posted by: Mike 2007-11-14 11:45 |
| #1 Somewhere the world's smallest violin is playing. |
| Posted by: Excalibur 2007-11-14 09:08 |