Message to the Participants in the Launch of Volumes I and II of Struggle against Terrorism and Tyranny
By Jose Maria Sison, Author
Dear Friends,
First of all, I wish to thank the sponsors, the guest speaker, the book reviewers, the reactors and all who are present for enabling this launch of Volumes I and II of Struggle Against Terrorism and Tyranny.
These volumes include all the significant writings that I did in 2018 in various capacities, mainly as chief political consultant of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines and as Chairperson of the International League of Peoples’ Struggle.
They follow up my earlier books, People’s Resistance to the Reign Of Greed and Terror and Combat Tyranny and Fascism which include my writings in 2016 and 2017, respectively. All the four volumes give you a clear view of major developments in the Philippines and abroad since 2016.
As NDFP chief political consultant in peace negotiations with the reactionary government, I have been a close witness to the unfolding of the Duterte regime as one with a president claiming to be “left” and “socialist” to the complete opposite with the vile character of being treasonous, tyrannical, murderous, corrupt and mendacious.
We are confronted today by a cabal of murderers and plunderers in power who are now inflicting state terrorism and tyranny on the people and who are hell-bent on imposing a full-blown fascist dictatorship under the pretext of rabid anticommunism in order to stay in power beyond the limited lifespan of a physically, mentally and morally sick president.
We are challenged to stand up and fight for national independence, democracy, social justice, genuine development and cultural progress. The Filipino people are obliged to wage all forms of struggle against a regime that engages in mass murders in the name of a bogus war on drugs and increasingly in the name of anti-communism against critics and political opponents.
As Chairperson of the International League of Peoples’ Struggle in 1918, I observed closely major international events, especially the worsening of the crisis of global capitalism under the auspices of neoliberalism and neoconservatism, the intensifying inter-imperialist contradictions (chiefly between the US and China) and the oppression and exploitation suffered by the people.
I have sought to understand the most important social, economic and political phenomena to arrive at and express the basis for raising the consciousness and militancy of the people of the world in carrying out anti-imperialist and democratic struggles for a better world of greater freedom, democracy and socialism.
In the last few years, we have witnessed the rise of fascist regimes and movements as a result of the failures of social democratic, liberal democratic and other reformist regimes. But today it is heartening to see that the broad masses of the people and the anti-imperialist and democratic forces are rising up in mass protests all over the world.
All these make us wish that the anti-fascist, anti-imperialist and anti-feudal mass movement in the Philippines raise the mass struggle to a new and higher level comparable to the First Quarter Storm of 1970 and the mass actions of 1983 to 1986 that ultimately brought down the Marcos fascist dictatorship.
The current upsurge of the anti-imperialist and democratic mass struggles in so many countries today indicate that we are in transition to a world in which the oppressed and exploited peoples and the forces of national liberation, democracy and socialism rise up in mass struggles to unprecedented levels of intensity and scale and win ever greater victories in the the forthcoming years and decades,
Once more I thank you for the opportunity of making my brief remarks.
Mabuhay kayong lahat!
Carry forward the struggle against terrorism and tyranny!
Mabuhay ang sambayanang Pilipino!
