From the Central Committee
AB, twice monthly
Starting this March, the Central Committee will be publishing Ang Bayan (AB) twice monthly. This decision is based on a recognition of the important role AB plays as a regular political mass newspaper and the main medium for Party propaganda.
In this regard, we draw inspiration from the memory of Comrade Antonio Zumel, communist journalist and former AB editor-in-chief.
For the past several years, the Party has been using AB to sharply expose and resist the successive antipeople and pro-imperialist puppet regimes and the entire crisis-ridden semicolonial and semifeudal ruling system. AB has thus become an instrument to clarify our tasks in strengthening the Party and the revolutionary movement and advancing the mass movement, united front and armed struggle.
There is utmost need for AB's frequent and timely issuance so that the Party could promptly clarify its analyses, stand, policies and calls in the face of extremely volatile national and international issues and the revolutionary movement's accelerated pace.
AB likewise plays a very important role in promptly and continuously clarifying the principles and stand of the Party and the revolutionary movement on timely issues before Party members, the revolutionary forces and the people, for the purpose of effectively advancing revolutionary work in various arenas and of various scope, especially in the face of relentless onslaughts by US imperialism and local reactionaries. It must also serve as a quick medium for Party organizations and members and the revolutionary forces nationwide for exchanging news, information, calls, experiences and lessons in advancing the revolutionary movement in general and in their respective fields and areas of responsibility.
The Party, from the Central Committee down to the basic units, continually and thoroughly resolves a number of questions regarding AB's issuance. These efforts at all levels mirror how much we value AB as an important instrument in continuously honing the Party's political keenness. It is likewise important in forging the entire Party's ideological, political and organizational unity and its leadership over the revolutionary forces and the people in advancing revolutionary struggle.
We must decisively address and continue to resolve the following questions that are attendant to coming out with AB more frequently as well as tasks related to this endeavor:
- Further streamlining, expediting and expanding the system of direct and indirect reporting or correspondence to enable AB to promptly publish articles on the situation, issues and advance of the revolutionary movement in all areas of work nationwide. We take efforts to enable AB to respond to the most recent events and issues so it could assist in guiding us in our current tactics and practice.
Correspondents for various areas of work must be identified, including chief correspondents from leading organs. They are responsible for ensuring that news and information from their areas of responsibility that must reach the AB editorial staff immediately are promptly and efficiently sent.
- Further expanding AB's circulation to ensure copies not only for each Party member but also for fighters of the people's army, leaders and activists of revolutionary mass organizations. It is the obligation of leading Party committees to organize the newspaper's reproduction in their areas of responsibility and strengthen the machinery for this purpose in order to respond to the needs of the expanding mass base.
- Further expediting and streamlining the system of distribution. We must conduct careful studies and assess ways of ensuring that copies of AB reach its readers immediately and efficiently. All the effort and expenses that have been put into developing the newspaper's various aspects will come to nothing if AB ends up being piled in storage or in drophouses for weeks or even months. We must persist in eliminating obstacles and solving problems in the distribution system and continuously develop the system of mobilizing and coordinating the various sections of the movement for this purpose. Improvements in this area will be of benefit not only to propaganda work but to other areas of work and arenas of struggle as well.
- Further achieving basic unity on rules in translating the issue into its various editions. It is important to further invigorate exchanges and cooperation regarding AB's translated editions to ensure the continued development of our translation work.
In this regard, we would like to stress that AB is a widespread collective endeavor by the Party and the revolutionary mass movement�from sending reports, correspondence and articles to publishing, reproducing, distributing and using it for propaganda and education work among the revolutionary forces and the people.
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