Message of Solidarity to the Japan Communist League
The National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) conveys our warmest and most militant greetings of solidarity to the Japan Communist League on the occasion of your annual public forum. We commend your determination to conduct a most important gathering in order to consolidate supporters from various ranks of the Japanese people especially the working class, youth and students.
Amidst the pandemic of the COVID-19 and its grave impacts to the people, particularly the toiling masses, the desire for a new and better system than the moribund stage of capitalism that afflicts the world is gaining ground.
Your theme for this year’s gathering – ‘Fight against war, racism and neoliberal offensives! Advance people’s struggle toward socialist future!’ – is most apt as only in the struggle for socialism can the system that exposes many people to multiple vulnerabilities as shown in this ongoing pandemic, be changed.
The world’s crisis is already deteriorating even before the COVID 19 pandemic hit. Economic recession has been in the offing as imperialists scramble to salvage their crumbling economies through even graver neoliberal policies and more vicious claiming of territories and resources. Stagnation and economic slowdown are the norms among the world’s superpowers that sharpen their contradiction with each other with the US desperately asserting its dominance over its rivals, chiefly China. Japan is no different as its slow economy is now further shaken by the pandemic with reported faster contraction of factory activities belying claims by the Abe government of economic recovery.
While there has been no direct confrontation yet, the contradiction among imperialists in military field is also intensifying through proxy wars and wars of aggression in the Middle East and in Eastern Europe, and the brewing arms race as military spending continues to increase.
The US maintains its strategic military presence through its 800 military bases and various military access agreements throughout the world including Japan and other countries in what it calls as “Indo-Pacific” area in order to contain China as the latter builds its presence in the South China Sea and East Africa.
However, the crisis is most felt by the working people and the people in colonies and semi-colonies of the imperialists. The pushback of imperialists against the crisis is dislocating more and more of the working class while also impoverishing the rest of the world. There is no way out of the crisis as capitalism continues to dig its proverbial own grave with every economic, political and military step it takes to stave off its impending collapse.
COVID 19 aggravated what the crisis of capitalism has done to the people. The pandemic exposed the ravages that neoliberalism has done to public health, labor condition, and food supply. It heightened racism and xenophobia already brewing in many countries where economic and social displacement is unfairly blamed to migrants and people of color.
Right-wing and fascist politicians are also now using the pandemic to strengthen their stranglehold over the restive people with repressive measures that are aimed to curb protests. As well, they use populist rhetoric to scapegoat the immigrants, refugees, minority groups and such to divert the attention of the people from the capitalist roots of this crisis. Meanwhile, bureaucrat capitalists are scheming to profit from resources allotted for COVID 19 response and monopoly pharmaceutical companies crave to corner medicine to cure or contain the pandemic. Universal health care has been proven a myth because only capitalists and those in position are the real beneficiaries.
But, everywhere, peoples’ struggles are in an upswing – from armed revolutionary struggles for national liberation and democracy, to massive protest movements against economic, social and environmental impacts of neoliberalism and war. Solidarity among the peoples is also ever-growing as common struggles are identified and united actions are forged.
The Philippine revolutionary movement itself led by the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) – MLM is surging guided by the resolutions and plans made in its 2nd Congress in 2016. Despite the fascism of the Duterte regime, the countrysides and the cities are rife with revolutionary work. The legal national democratic movement inside the Philippines and also among overseas compatriots is rising and advancing.
The COVID-19 outbreak in the country further revealed to the people the inept, corrupt, fascist and bankrupt nature of the Duterte regime who is now using the crisis to further clampdown on people’s rights and freedoms.
But the NDFP is fully confident that the Filipino people will continue to resist the Duterte regime’s repressive measures and gain wider and bigger international solidarity support. Moreover, we are confident that the national democratic struggle will move forward and achieve the socialist victory.
As the world faces a most urgent concern on public health, greater battle of resisting neoliberalism and war offensives that enabled the COVID-19 to become a global pandemic, remains. More so, the struggle to build a socialist system that truly protects the people from any form of disaster and crisis including health and environmental, should be advanced.
We fervently wish for the success of your public forum. We look forward to the further advancement of our people’s struggles and the solidarity between the Japanese and the Filipino people against imperialism and for a socialist future.
Struggle against neoliberalism and war!
Down with imperialism!
Struggle for socialism!
Long live international solidarity!
National Democratic Front of Philippines