After independence day

Okay, I also imagine to see and yearn to wake up to a day after Moro independence. We've believed the liberation movement this far. The celebration was a blast - we were euphoric and with smile on our face.

The following day, the people are asking - How's the spoil of independence be divided equitably among the 13 ethno-linguistic groups?

• What political system are we going to pursue? Republican or monarchy? What will be the political structure - presidential or parliamentary? Where will the royalists fit in? The religious, the liberals, the conservatives, etc? What to do with the traditional and the old political elites?
• How are we going to govern our areas? Create new divisions and alliances or continue the ethnic divide?
• What legal system to adopt? What degree of Common Law and the Shari'ah will be adopted and excluded? How do we structure our justice system? 
• How do we settle the age old quarrel among the traditional ownership, Regalian and the Torren systems? 
• What will be the feature of our economic system? How do we pay for the government bureaucracy and where are we going to source funds to support delivery of social services? Our banking system? Trading with our neighbors? How do we pursue agricultural development in the country? 
• How do we organize the socialization of these diverse 13 ethno-linguistic groups? Communication is important and language plays a big role. What will be our 'national language'? how about our national identity - what is it - Muslim, Moro, ethnic identities?
• How do we educate our Moro kids? What will be included and excluded in the national curriculum?
• How about our armed forces? The police?
• How do we frame and what will be our foreign policy - diplomacy, security and aid?
• How do we pay for all these expenditures and investments? 

Yes, this much to think about. This is why the purveyors of the liberation movement have to prepare for all of these now. Engage the people in public discussion to be able to frame policies toward this ends. Prepare a core pool of bureaucrats and technocrats.

Preparation comes not after, but before the facts. If not, it is tough battle to convince people with just empty rhetoric.