AL-MUHMINAT Prayer Rally for the IDPs of Zamboanga City March-Rally from Masjid Dakula to Zamboanga City Hall and Plaza Pershing 8:00 – 12:00 A.M. , April 2, 2014 BISMILLAH AR-RAHMAN AR-RAHIM. In the Name of Allah, Most Beneficent, Most Merciful. WE the various Muslim women sectors led by the religious alimat and asatidzas of Zamboanga City joined in solidarity by those in Sulu and Basilan islands have come to make our voices heard and declare that WE HAVE HAD ENOUGH! 205 DAYS homeless is long enough. 120,000 PEOPLE displaced is too much. 107 people died in congested evacuation center is far too many. One more person displaced is too much, one more death is too many. We have had enough! Too many figures. So much statistics have been reported and presented by government and various agencies. But in the end, they do not count when what count are our lives and our homes and our peoples’ belongingness to a community of our birth. We have been promised that our life in evacuation is but temporary. In eight months, the Honorable Mayor promised, we shall be back in the comfort of our homes. Not a single soul will be displaced, she said. In eight months’ time, his Excellency, the President, rejoined in the promise of a Z3R plan that its various offices are scheming. New and shining communities shall rise, he said, and we shall see the “Built-Back-Better” Rio Hondo, Mariki, Santa Catalina, Santa Barbara and Talon-Talon communities on its feet again. EIGHT MONTHS, and that was in December 19, 2013. But when does the count-down towards the promised eight months begin? They could not even give us exact dates and clear time-table. Instead, we are asked to wait some more while there is even no clear temporary relocation for the displaced. We are made to wait until they are done with more scheming and planning. But we have waited long enough. We have had enough of waiting. Too many promises, too many scheming, too much planning. We have had enough! YES, We are for building better our communities. YES, We are for redevelopment, but we are against relocation. We ask that the Zamboanga City Government shall keep to its promises to return the IDPs to their homes now. STARTING TODAY, we refuse to count the dead anymore. We will stop waiting for the close-door meetings and scheming. Instead we shall continue keeping vigil and watching the so-called leaders of this City and count how many times the local and national governments keep breaking its promises. We shall count every minute of government inaction, ineptitude and neglect of their responsibilities and accountabilities to the IDPs whom they have forced out of their homes and continue to be caged and die a slow death in congested evacuation when the cause for displacement (i.e. Zamboanga Crisis) has long been over. We shall continue to raise our voices. WE HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF PROMISES AND SCHEMING! We demand that Government bring the IDPs HOME NOW! TODAY, April 2, 2014. We are in this Indignation Rally that the government and their agencies take heed. May Allah bless our efforts and forgive our shortcomings. SIGNED: Name Barangay Affliation /or/ Organization Signature
Posted on: Wed, 02 Apr 2014 03:04:44 +0000
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