By CPP Information Bureau
The Communist Party of the Philippines again blasted Defense Secretary and National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales for weaving the psywar spin that CPP founding chairperson and senior National Democratic Front of the Philippines political adviser and peace talks consultant Jose Ma. Sison no longer has any leading influence in the revolutionary movement and thus has no worth in the peace process.
Gonzales said "The government is thinking whether it should continue with the peace talks because of reports that Joema Sison is no longer representative of the CPP."
"Arroyo's defense secretary, known for his fondness for prevarication, is now even making the false claim that because of this, the Norwegian government which acts as the third-party facilitator in the peace negotiations between the NDFP and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines, is now also reviewing its hosting of the peace talks," the CPP added.
The CPP said further that Gonzales is now pushing for "peace talks at the grassroots" or "localized peace talks", which is "really nothing but the reactionary puppet government just talking with itself."
"At any rate," said the CPP, "peace talks with the lameduck Arroyo regime are futile at this time, not only because it has only less than five months before its legal term ends, but because it has never really been serious about peace negotiations. In fact, it has done nothing but violate practically all agreements, including those made under its term," the CPP went on to say.
The CPP said that among the negotiators sent by the Arroyo regime to talk with the NDFP, Norberto Gonzales was the worst. "When, as Special Adviser for Special Concerns, he was dispatched by Arroyo in 2001 and again in 2004 to try to bring the NDFP negotiating panel back to the negotiating table, the peace process was all the more fouled up and never got off the ground. He was the least interested in the peace process and his clerico-fascist fangs kept on showing."
The CPP affirmed the leading role of "Ka Joema" as the NDFP's chief political and peace negotiations consultant. It said, however, that "positive developments in the peace process will depend on whether the next government will be serious this time with the peace talks."
