Joma says to lie low on politics, impatient for successor

By LOUI GALICIA, ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau 02/10/2009 12:07 AM

At 70 years old, Jose Maria Sison has at last mellowed. The founding chair of the Communist Party of the Philippines gave an exclusive interview to ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau during his birthday celebration in Amsterdam on Saturday, a day before his actual birthday.

Sison told Balitang Europe that he will now keep a low profile in the raucous and high-profile political arena.

As he turned seventy, Sison who is chief political consultant of the National Democratic Front (NDF) in stalled peace talks with the Philippine government, said he plans to reduce his political statements in order to devote more time to writing.

“Dahan-dahan ‘yan. Diminishing my political expressions pero mananatili pa ako for a while bilang consultant ng NDF sa peace negotiations,” Sison said.

Sison’s most ardent supporters threw a big party to honor him. Sison told Balitang Europe however that it may be his last birthday celebration.

“Natural na may inclination ako na hindi na ko magbe-birthday party. After seventy, you have the tendency to conceal your age. I will not celebrate anymore birthdays not because I will pass away or fade away. I will make up. ‘Yong hindi ko nagawa, I will try to do,” Sison said.

Sison said he has decided that it is time to it take it slow on the intense political front.

After all, he said, it has already been fifty years now since he joined the “struggles of the Filipino people” and he is not getting any younger.

Four seasons
He summed up his achievements in those golden years by comparing them to the four seasons.

“Sa umpisa, in the spring of my life, ‘yong youth movement. Nag-contribute ako through Kabataang Makabayan. Pagkatapos pumasok ako sa trade union movement during that period. Tapos ‘yong tinatawag kong summer of my life ‘yong founding ng CPP,” Sison said.

Sison then explained that the sweltering part of his life happened when he moved against the Marcos dictatorship.

It was then that he was imprisoned and tortured.

He said, however, that the CPP still continued to thrive and grew stronger until the downfall of Marcos.

“Tapos ‘yong autumn of my life, dito na ako inabutan niyan. Masaya ako dahil natatanaw ko ang pag-unlad ng kilusan. Patuloy na pagkilos sa mga kasama at sambayang Filipino tungkol sa saligang problema nila,” said Sison who went into self-exile in the Netherlands in 1987 citing threats to his life in the Philippines.

“Pero palagay ko abot ko na ang winter. Pero nasisiyahan ako. Tawag ko sa isang poem. I feel the warmth of the flames of struggle,” Sison added.

Pass the torch

Sison also told Balitang Europe that after five decades, it is time to pass the torch. Sison however will not name names.

Sison said there are countless “Joma wannabees” out there who are already rightly equipped with ideas and inspiration to succeed him but nobody wants to just yet.

“Impatient na ko. Dapat completely mag-takeover na. Dalawang generations na. Two to three generations na tumatahak sa iginuhit nating linya tungkol sa kalagayan at hinaharap ng Pilipinas,” Sison said.

For Sison, whoever will be his successor is just out there, already acting and already leading.

“Ako kumilos sa kilusang rebolusyonaryo so pertinent for me to mention na may mga leader sa kilusang rebolusyonaryo. ‘Andiyan naman kumilos din ako sa legal. Maraming leader at aktibista sa legal struggle. Hindi na mabilang,” Sison said.

For the moment, Sison plans to devote more time to writing.

Nobody couldn’t be happier than his wife Juliet de Lima.

But when asked if her husband will be retiring very soon, de Lima said that it is not part of her birthday wish for Sison.

“Sa kagaya namin, walang tinatawag na retirement. Hanggang nabubuhay magusumikap pa rin na maging useful,” de Lima said.


as of 02/10/2009 3:43 PM

SOURCE: WWW.ABS-CBNNEWS.COM

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/02/09/09/joma-says-lie-low-politics-impatient-successor