Principle Over Numbers: A Moral Victory in the Bangsamoro Redistricting Vote
Bangsamoro Parliament recorded its redistricting vote: 49 yes, 19 no, 4 abstain. By raw arithmetic, the proposed MILF Central Committee draft did not pass. By conscience and principle, those who voted no have scored a different kind of victory.
Numbers are useful; they settle procedures. They do not, however, settle truth. Islam reminds us that rightness is not a matter of majority opinion but of adherence to revealed guidance, sound reasoning, and justice. The Qur’an warns against following the crowd when it errs, and the history of the Prophets shows that those who upheld truth were often few. The redistricting defeat for the MILF draft is therefore not merely a legislative outcome , it is a test of integrity, equity, and the moral compass guiding Bangsamoro governance.
What was at stake was not only constitutional compliance on paper, but whether district lines would entrench narrow interests or reflect genuine principles of equity and justice. Many MPs judged the bill through that lens and held fast. Their stand was not obstructionism; it was refusal to acquiesce to arrangements that would privilege the few under the guise of legality. To defend fair representation and to resist partisan engineering is to defend the foundations of a just polity.
This moment also clarifies leadership reality in the Bangsamoro Transition Authority: the BTA is no longer, if it ever was, monolithically MILF-led. The composition and voting behavior show an institution shaped by competing interests, constituencies, and convictions. That is healthy if it forces open debate and prevents any single bloc from imposing self-serving structures. It is dangerous if it descends into transactional politics that sacrifice the common good. The real challenge ahead is to translate this plurality into accountable, principled governance rather than merely a new set of bargains.
My salute to the MPs who stood firm. Your resolve echoes the Qur’anic wisdom. “ Perhaps, you dislike something which is good for you and like something which is bad for you. Allah knows and you do not know.” Remaining steadfast in the face of pressure is not always electorally expedient, but it is often spiritually and morally necessary. May Allah grant you sabr as you continue this path fi sabilillah.
A mujahid sincere to his cause wins whether in apparent triumph or in apparent loss. The election of conscience over expedience is itself a victory that shapes future politics more profoundly than a single enacted statute. Let this episode be a reminder that true legitimacy rests on justice, not on manufactured majorities.
In the end, this episode can be a turning point: a reaffirmation that democracy in Bangsamoro will be measured not by which faction prevails but by whether institutions protect equality, dignity, and the public interest. If leaders heed that lesson, the Bangsamoro’s future will be stronger for it.
Allah knows best. (Note: This article is shared by BMN/BangsamoroToday with the author’s permission, Abdullah P. Salik, Jr.)