Southern Nationalist Party (Britain Thrives)

The Mindanao Nationalist Party (Malay: Parti Kebangsaan Mindanao, Filipino: Makabayan Partido ng Mindanao, Chavacano: Partido Nationalista de Mindanao) or the MNP or Parti Kebangsaan in short, is a regional right-wing political party in the Philippines, particularly in the southern Philippines in Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago, also with a strong presence in Palawan and Cebu.

Its ideology is influenced by Moro and Southern Philippine nationalism, and was heavily influenced by Indonesian nationalism, and originated in the late 1940s by insurgents from Mindanao who fought the Japanese occupation, and rejected Mindanao and Sulu's status as Philippine territory. The party was responsible for the formation of the de facto Republic of Mindanao, that lasted from 1949 to 1967.

The party was found by Ahmad Salahuddin, a Moro nationalist who led militant-insurgencies against the Japanese occupation, and is seen as a political and cultural hero for people of the southern Philippines. Even after the Republic of Mindanao's dissolution, it remained active and eventually became one of Mindanao's most powerful political parties.

The party's goals are to protect the native culture of Mindanao and to resist Latinizing of Mindanao and Sulu, unite the people of the two island groups as well as Palawan, and preserve Malay language. The party was successful in getting many bills passed that would protect the culture of Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago.

Political allies include the Lakas-CMD Party, a center-right political party from Mindanao, as well as the Nacionalista Party.

History
The origins of the Mindanao Nationalists lie during the course of World War II's ending. Ahmad Salahuddin, a Maranaoan chief organized a militia known as the Mindanao Free Army (Malay: Mindanao Tentera Percuma) that fought insurgencies against the Japanese forces.

The Japanese surrendered to the American forces in 1945, and Mindanao was declared part of the newly-independent Philippines. The Moros of Mindanao, however, did not recognize Philippine ownership of Mindanao and declared a state of sovereignty.

Salahuddin was very influenced by the Indonesian independence movement, and temporarily lived in the Dutch East Indies (modern-day Indonesia) to not only support Sukarno's independence movement, but also to gain insight and inspiration, he eventually met face-to-face with Sukarno who would one-day, become the first president of Indonesia. Sukarno and Salahuddin spent a lot of time trading ideas, and both also shared a mutual interest in choosing the Malay language as the languages of their new republics.

In 1946, Salahuddin returned to Mindanao, particularly Cotabato City with other Moro chiefs in an event known as the Cotabtao City Convention (Malay: Konvensyen Bandar Kota Batu) on January 4, 1946 in which they discussed the Constitution of Mindanao, as well as the would-be national language, and political bodies that would govern the state.

They eventually declared that Malay was the language of independence, and had to re-educate the people of Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago to speak Malay, as 300-years of Spanish colonization as well as decades of American occupation had nearly eliminated Malay from the archipelago.

Over the next couple years, Ahmad Salahuddin went around Mindanao and Sulu to give speeches and gain support for an independent Republic. On January 3, 1947, the Second Cotabato City Convention was held, as Salahuddin wanted a unified party - of all Mindanao natives whether they be Muslim, Christian, Hindu or Buddhist. This convention was by-far larger than the first. It was not only attended by Moro chiefs, but also by Lumads, Hindus, Buddhists and event Visayan Catholics who lived in Mindanao. Several people proposed different names. Karimal Sayid, who would come the Vice President of the new republic, proposed the "United Mindanao Army". Christopher Francis, a Protestant from Zamboanga City proposed the Mindanao Democratic Party. However, it is Musinal Islam's proposal, the "Mindanao Nationalist Party" that won most of the votes. It is here that the Mindanao Nationalist Party was finally formed.

Republic of Mindanao 1949-1967
In 1949, Ahmad Salahuddin declared independence, this was the same year that Indonesia had gained independence. Salahuddin received the support of Indonesians for the independence of Mindanao. Ahmad was pronounced the President of the Republic of Mindanao, Karimal Sayid his Vice President and Christopher Francis - who was the Prime Minister.

Salahuddin sent the declaration to Manila and Jakarta. However the Philippines did not recognize them as an independent state, and sent Filipino troops to the south to consolidate Mindanao and Sulu's status as Philippine territory. This would begin the Mindanao Independence War. Indonesia, however, recognized them but did not send troops, being that the country was new, impoverished and Sukarno wanted to maintain neutral relations with the Philippines and wished for the Philippines to reach the best solution.

Republic of Philippines 1967-present
The Mindanao Free Army held out through four presidencies, until Ferdinand Marcos strengthened the presence of Philippine soldiers in Mindanao. In 1967, Karim Salahuddin and Ferdinand Marcos signed the Mindanao Peace Treaty, in which the Philippine government would protect the native culture of Mindanao if they surrendered, effectively ending the Republic of Mindanao. Marcos too, shared a mutual hate of Spanish culture and influence and saw Salahuddin as a key figure who would could help the Philippine government hasten the anti-Spanish pogrom through the whole archipelago.

However, Marcos turned back on his promise and began government resettlement programs, sending waves of Ilocano, Visayan and Tagalog migrants en masse to Mindanao. Though evidence points to Marcos, documents and wiretaped conversations had also pointed that Marcos himself never ordered the resettlement program, and it was merely the work of Hispanophilic and anti-Moro government officials using his name. Therefore, the insurgencies continued and the Filipino Armed Forces had actually given light on the idea of granting Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago their independence. However, Marcos refused and had made several attempts to explain his actions. Eventually, the migrants began to outnumber the natives in many cities. By 1986, they formed the majority in General Santos City, Cagayan de Oro and Davao City.

That same year, Ferdinand Marcos was ousted, even help even from opposing political parties such as the Conservative Party, a far-right party that promotes the full Latinizing and Catholicizing of all the Philippine islands. Corazon Aquino, the following President supported the native culture of Mindanao and established ties with the Parti Kebangsaan. With help of the Lakas-CMD, a fellow right-wing political party in Mindanao, Republic Act No. 5422 was passed which set limitations and restrictions of migrations of people to Mindanao. Migration was temporarily suspended for two years. This law was known to have saved Mindanao's native culture from becoming a minority.

Upon this, the Mindanao Nationalist Party began to garner support from the Nacionalista Party, who then adopted Malay as an official language of the party, to embrace a national conservatism in the Philippines by embracing all of the country's important languages. The Philippine government made a clear distinction between the Parti Kebangsaan Mindanao, as in the the Mindanao Nationalist Party, and the Parti Kebangsaan, the direct Malay-language translation of the name Nacionalista Party.

The next push was to officiate Malay in the Philippines, to accompany Filipino and English as official languages. In 2005, under the leadership of Mohamadal Baguinda, Republic Act. 5423 was passed under the presidency of Glorya Macapagal-Arroyo which allowed Malay to be taught in schools. It also allowed media in Mindanao to be broadcast in Malay. However, it lacked the support of major Philippine television stations such as ABC-CBN or GMA Network. Due to the lack of social support, Malay was virtually unknown outside of Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago, and overseas Filipino organizations continue to use and promote Filipino and English as their business languages, with the exception of those in Indonesia and Malaysia where most overseas Filipinos feel ethnically closer to the natives.

In 2012, after the the Philippines acquired Sabah, the Parti Kebangsaan was again, successful in accomplishing a major goal: the state officiating of Malay. The acquisition of Sabah from the Borneo War had doubled the size of the Philippines' Muslim population. It also incorporated an ethnic Malay population, in Sabah. Under the leadership of Halima Ashraf-Abdullah and the presidency of Gilbert Teodoro from thea Lakas-CMD Party, Republic Act No. 5424 was passed which designated Malay as a third official language of the Philippines.

Despite Teodoro giving Sabah its independence in 2015, the president stated that Malay would retain its official status.

Same-Sex Marriage
Members of the Mindanao Nationalist Party are opposed to same-sex marriage, as it goes both against Islamic and Christian religious tradition. The party supports the banning of all LGBT activities in Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago.

Culture and language
The biggest goal of the Mindanao Nationalist Party is to protect the natives cultures of Mindanao and Sulu Archipelago, and to prevent assimilation of the two islands into mainstream Filipino culture. They aim the preserve the Malay language as the lingua franca of Mindanao and Sulu Archipelago, preferring Malay over Filipino, seeing Filipino and English as mere languages to communicate with non-Moros, and Malay as the true unifying language of the south.

The MNP also wants to restrict and liimit Catholic Evangelical activities in Mindanao, stating that it is an offshoot of the Spanish Inquisition, whilst vowing to protect non-Catholic Christian sections.

Three of the biggest accomplishments of the Parti Kebangsaan was the passage of Republic Act. 5422 passed by president Corazon Aquino, which set severe restrictions and limitations on migrations of non-natives to Mindanao. The next was the passage of Republic Act. 5423 during the presidency of Glorya Macapagal-Arroyo, which allowed Malay to be taught as the language of education in Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago. The first Malay-language news station, the Berita Selatan, opened in Cotabato City. In 2012, Republic Act. 5424 was passed under the presidency of Gilbert Teodoro which Malay became the third official language of the Philippines, alongside Filipino and English.

Gun rights and "people's army"
The MNP also takes a rather pro-gun stance when it comes to gun rights and gun control. During the party and the de facto Mindanao Republic's founding, Ahmad Salahuddin established a unified armed resistance and also supported independent armed militant and vigilante groups, to protect communities in the island group.

When Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law, Ahmad Salahuddin and the MNP refused to surrender their weapons as per the conditions of surrendering sovereignty to the Philippines. Marcos reluctantly accepted the condition.

The party opposed Benigno Aquino III's new gun control measures in 2012.

Farmers rights
Mindanao has a strong agrarian culture, and the MNP opposes government interference in the lives of rural people in Mindanao. Often-not, Mindanao has been referred to as the "bread-basket" of the Philippines. Many of the MNP's leaders and politicians belong to agrarian backgrounds, such as Ahmad Salahuddin himself whose father was a wealthy but rural landlord.

The Mindanao Agrarian Protection Organization (Malay: Mindanao Pertubuhan Peladang Perlindungan, Filipino: Proteksyon Samahan sa mga Magsasaka sa Mindanao) was formed by rural chiefs, both Moro and Lumad alike to protect Mindanao's agrarian culture. The durian industry is almost completely-controlled by Moros and Lumads.

Sovereignty The MNP stresses in full sovereignty of the State, and opposes any foreign political interference. The MNP opposes the Philippines' membership in the Latin Union. They also oppose Philippines-Spanish Friendship Day, and found the Mindanao Sovereignty Day to counter this holiday.