Bulatlatan
Written by: Ka Denny Mapatalang
Published: Bulatlatan, August 7, 2009;
Source: Bulatlatan snapshot at the Internet Archive;
Markup: Simoun Magsalin.
What is this double-speak and historical distortion? The NDF statement on the death of Corazon Cojuangco Aquino smacks not of historical materialism but of idealism, pure and simple.
Let’s go back to 1987, and the Party stand on the US-Aquino regime’s constitution.
Ang Bayan January 1987 Editorial:
OPPOSE THE US-AQUINO SCHEME TO STABILIZE THE REACTIONARY RULING ORDER !
“US imperialism and the Aquino regime are hell-bent on having the (1987) constitution ratified. …Since the last quarter of 1986, their campaign has been in full-swing—a campaign that smacks of nothing less than the reactionary politics of old, if not of the Marcos fascist clique’s political gimmickry. …
“The Aquino regime and its imperialist backers harp so much on the restoration of formal democratic rights and processes after the downfall of a regime of tyranny and open terror, even as they steer clear of the fundamental questions.
“The task of all revolutionaries is to expose the vicious scheme behind the US-Aquino regime’s all-out drive to get this constitution ratified—the scheme to prolong imperialist domination, landlord-comprador rule, and thus, the people’s misery and oppression.”
Now, look at this:
Philippine Revolutionary Web Central, August 2009,
http://www.philippinerevolution.net/cgi-bin/statements/stmts.pl?author=ndfnp;date=090802;lang=eng
“The 1987 constitution, which was framed under the Aquino administration, contains provisions which may be used to counter land reform. But it also carries provisions which uphold human rights and restrain the proclamation of martial law, retain national restrictions on foreign investments and prohibit foreign military bases, foreign troops and nuclear weapons on Philippine soil.”
I couldn’t believe it when I read the statement. This is crass right opportunism, of pandering not to the political consciousness of the advanced segments among the workers and peasants, but to the backward spontaneous masses.
Now, all of a sudden, our great, glorious and wise leaders in the central committee are—save for the land reform issue—batting for the 1987 constitution because it is now no longer a “scheme to prolong imperialist domination, landlord-comprador rule, and thus, the people’s misery and oppression?” They have devolved into foolish old men who got tired of removing the mountains of oppression and exploitation!
That the right thing to do is not to push for armed struggle but for con-ass or a constitutional convention to push for land reform?
Are these foolish old men tired of armed struggle, they now want to reconcile with the opposition bureaucrat capitalists who want a shot as top (lap)dogs in the reactionary puppet state?
Or maybe with the fascist GMA running dogs who want to amend the reactionary charter so they can stay longer in power?
Furthermore, the CPP-NDF leadership issued a statement of sympathy on Cory Aquino’s death with insincerity and shameless hypocrisy:
NDFP MESSAGE OF CONDOLENCE ON THE DEATH OF FORMER PRESIDENT CORAZON AQUINO
Negotiating Panel
National Democratic Front of the Philippines
August 2, 2009
The National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) Negotiating Panel and its Consultants convey their heartfelt condolences to the family, relatives and friends of former President Corazon Aquino on her passing away yesterday.
Corazon Aquino was an outstanding and inspiring figure in the anti-fascist alliance against the Marcos dictatorship, especially after the assassination of her husband, Benigno Aquino. She was openly critical of the longrunning support of the US for the Marcos dictatorship in exchange for the aggrandizement of US economic interests and the continuance of the US military bases.
Upon assuming the presidency after the fall of the dictator Marcos, she fulfilled her commitment to release all political prisoners, including Prof. Jose Maria Sison, founding chairman of the Communist Party of the Philippines and the Chief Political Consultant of the NDFP.
She engaged the NDFP in peace negotiations, but the military and police caused the termination of the ceasefire agreement between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the NDFP when they indiscriminately fired on the peasants and their urban supporters marching for land reform on January 22, 1987.
The 1987 constitution, which was framed under the Aquino administration, contains provisions which may be used to counter land reform. But it also carries provisions which uphold human rights and restrain the proclamation of martial law, retain national restrictions on foreign investments and prohibit foreign military bases, foreign troops and nuclear weapons on Philippine soil.
Beset by coup attempts and threats by pro-Marcos and pro-Enrile factions of the military and police, then President Corazon Aquino sent Congressman Jose V. Yap to NDFP officials in The Netherlands in September 1990 to explore the holding of GRP-NDFP peace negotiations. These efforts were, however, derailed by Generals Fidel Ramos and Renato de Villa.
After she finished her term as president, Corazon Aquino strongly opposed the grossly anti-democratic policies and actions of her successors, Fidel Ramos, Joseph Estrada, and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. In this regard, she was willing to join up with the patriotic and progressive forces of the people in mass protest actions.
Though suffering from failing health, she condemned the anti-democratic machinations of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to cling to power beyond her term ending in June 2010. From her sickbed, she sent a powerful message of support to thousands of demonstrators protesting Mrs. Arroyo’s Con-Ass scheme. She called it “a shameful abuse of power!”.
The NDFP Negotiating Panel and its Consultants express their solidarity with the family, relatives and friends of former President Corazon Aquino in their time of mourning and grief and wish them much strength and courage.
(Signed by Jose Ma. Sison, Luis Jalandoni and 10 other CPP leaders posing as NDF Consultants)
The worst part is that they signed using their names, not the nameless, faceless central committee. This is supposed to be the sign of iron-clad unity within the Party? Unite for right opportunism and tailism to get into the good graces of the middle forces and the backward masses who turned out in millions for Aquino’s funeral?
It seems flipflops are not what we wear casually; it’s what our leaders are trying to do!
Ka Denny Mapatalang
As emailed to Bulatlatan
The editors