Interview with Joma
Land reform and peace talks will resolve insurgency
By LOUI GALICIA
ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau
ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau correspondent Loui Galicia interviewed Jose Maria Sison at the National Democratic Front international office in Utrecht on July 14 in connection with the European Union Court of First Instance's judgment ordering the EU to unfreeze the assets of Sison. Two articles from these interviews ran on this website. Galicia then conducted a second interview with Sison in an article she had planned to write in anticipation of a future crackdown by the government on CPP, NPA and the armed rebellion. President Arroyo announced on Friday a three year deadline for her administration to crush the communist insurgency, the Moro rebellion and "sheer terrorism".
Jose Maria Sison’s answer to President Gloria-Macapagal Arroyo’s problem against communist insurgency in the Philippines is simply land reform, reported ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau.
"If I were President of the Philippines and there is the NPA on the other side, I will just make a genuine move towards land reform. There will be no more basis for recruiting fighters for the NPA and I think the NPA will like me if I distribute land for free. I break up the big land holdings. You know, you don’t have to be a communist or Maoist to do land reform," Sison, said in an exclusive interview before his arrest on Tuesday.
The founding chairman of the Communist Party of the Philippines was arrested in Utrecht, Netherlands, by the Dutch police in connection with his alleged involvement in the assassinations of Romulo Kinatanar and Arturo Tabara that took place in the Philippines.
The CPP and its 7,000-strong armed wing the New People's Army has been waging a Maoist rebellion since 1969, in what is one of Asia's longest running communist insurgencies.
Last week, President Arroyo unveiled a plan for the Armed Forces of the Philippines to
crush the communist insurgency, the Moro rebellion and "sheer terrorism" by 2010.
Sison explained that people join the armed revolution because of their restless aspiration for improvement.
"Diyan mahina ang pag-iisip ng mga reaksyonaryo sa Pilipinas. Di sila marunong. Eh kung matutunan nila ang land reform, baka mamahalin pa sila ng NPA. First mawawalan ang NPA ng ground for recruiting dahil wala nang peasants na diskontento. May peasants who are happy with their share of the land reform. Tapos magugustuhan pa nila kung sino ang gumawa nun," Sison said.
He blames Arroyo for the surge of armed rebels.
"Pinagpapatuloy naman yung reaksyonaryong mga patakaran at maka-imperyalistang patakaran. Di ba nung bagong upo si Gloria, sinulatan ko pa. Pinagmalaki niya publicly sa Cabinet meeting. Sinulatan ko. Ine-encourage ko na tulad ng tatay niya dapat magkainteres siya sa land reform, etc. Dapat magmula noon...signal na yon na pwedeng mag-usap," Sison said.
He expounded that the rebels are not unreasonable people, if only the government will concede to a mutual understanding and agreement to solve the problems of the masses.
"Basta me national unity, common platform for broad range of political forces. Matagal ko nang sinabi to eh. Pag walang foreign aggressor na pinagkakaisahan, ang pagkakaisahan eh kung ano ang problema ng ating bayan, yun ang kalaban. Poverty, landlessness, joblessness, etc. Pwedeng pagkasunduan kung ano yung mga social, economic, political and cultural problems na pagkaisahan," Joma said.
For Sison, it doesn’t always follow that the communist rebels will always oppose the government but history has it that any new government seems to be continuing the mistakes of the previous government thereby creating mass discontent.
"’Andyan naman ang program ng CPP eh yung program for People’s Democratic Revolution. Kung yung nakaupo sa gobyerno eh interesado talaga sila, then they would know what they are up against and they know, knowing both ends, they will know how to build the post in between to make a bridge. Di naman absolute na yung line ng CPP eh laging naglulunsad ng sandatahang pakikibaka," Sison added.
He said that at present, the armed rebels are rapidly growing and their number will continue to rise because of the widespread abuse in the Philippines and the continued aggravation of the poor living conditions of the Filipinos.
As far as the state of the rebels is concerned, Sison said that it is okay and their only problem is the intensified military operations.
But then, Sison explained that the military too are not without problems.
"Their troops are not enough to cover the whole country so namimili ng mga areas kung saan sila maglulunsad ng military operations," Sison said.
Sison complains that if only Mrs. Arroyo worked on the stalled peace talks with the National Democratic Front then the problem would have long been resolved.
Peace talks between the government and the NDF, which is the umbrella organization of the underground and aboveground mainsteam communist movement in the Philippines, have bogged down since 2005 when Sison and other NDF leaders withdrew from negotiations, saying it expect the Arroyo administration to fall.
"Ano naman eh ang kilusang rebolusyonaryo pumasok na sa peace negotiations para tingnan kung ano ang mga batayan para ma-address ‘yung root problems of the armed conflict through reforms. Ang mahirap eh meron nang proseso yan pagkatapos siningitan nitong anti-terrorism campaign," Sison said.
Sison complains that the Arroyo government opted to use harsh measures or the military solution, in the name of anti-terrorism instead of continuing the peace negotiations.
"Biro mo yung panahong kong naaksaya sa pag-aatupag dito sa kaso ko eh kung naibuhos ko sa peace negotiations, eh di maganda sana ang resulta," Sison said.
Sison said that the CPP and NPA shouldn’t be feared by all.
‘"No hindi dapat katakutan yan. Maraming nare-recruit yan. As a matter of fact, isang congressman who was with De Venecia, I will not mention it, sasabihin na pinalilitaw ko siya na kontra sa gobyerno, sabi Joma wag basta-bastang magus-surrender ang NPA. Kinakailangan yan para me kinakatakutan ang mga mangungurakot," Sison said.
Sison stressed that it is those who are guilty of human rights violations who should fear the CPP and NPA.
"At the least pag me NPA, yung mga naapi at pinagsasamantalahan eh me inaasahan. Ngayon sabi ni Mao [Tse Tung], without the people’s army in the face of oppression, the people have nothing but at least they have hope and they have a chance of doing away with oppression exploitation, " Sison said.
At the end of the interview, Sison was asked about allegations hurled against him that he is directing the CPP and NPA from the Netherlands.
Sison replied, "Me trust yung mga nagdedelegate ng negotiating functions at saka pumayag na mag-advise ako. So you might say na may tiwala sila and you can express it in so many ways…. I think it can not be avoided because I was once the chairman of the CPP, I understand the program and then the other side thinks that I could facilitate agreements that's why kinakausap din naman ako."
SOURCE: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/
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