Interview:
Questions for Mr. Jose Maria Sison
Sharon Cabusao,
for Pinoy Weekly
April 20, 2003
1. How is your situation over there?
The Dutch government and the European Council are still harassing me on the orders of the American imperialists. I am still being listed as a "terrorist" in the papers of the imperialists who are the real terrorists. They are still withholding the social benefits due me as a recognized political refugee. But we are fighting back. We are defending our rights. Our position is even stronger because of the support of the broad masses and lawyers who are competent and respected personages in the whole world.
2. Does the so-called US military victory have any effects on the struggle of anti-imperialist asylum seekers such as yourself?
Regarding the aggression, occupation and seizure of the oil in Iraq, there is a rift between the US and British imperialist aggressors on the one side and France, Germany and Russia on the other. But in my case, they do not have any oil to quarrel over. The Dutch government is the most pro-US in mainland Europe. For quite some time now, it has had a policy of harassing asylum seekers in order to reduce the number of refugees. The tide of fascism is growing stronger in Europe because of the crisis of capitalism and at the prodding of the US since 9/11.
3. What are its implications to the course of politics in the Philippines? To the struggling Filipino people?
If we consider the "terrorist" listing, the Arroyo regime has already destroyed the peace negotiations between the GRP and the NDFP. What the US and the Arroyo regime did by calling the CPP, NPA and the NDFP chief political consultant as "terrorist" in order to coerce the NDFP to surrender and to sign that trashy piece of paper called the "final peace agreement," is madness. The US and Arroyo regime know that the revolutionary forces and the people will never surrender. What the US and Arroyo regime want is to intensify the counterrevolutionary violence. It is their policy to resolve the crisis in livelihood and the uprising of the masses by means of a high tech military solution.
4. Is it correct to say that the military victory of the US in Iraq has strengthened the standing of the US as a superpower?
Because of its military victory in Iraq, the US can more directly access the second largest oil reserve (Iraq) in the OPEC, more effectively control the entire OPEC, and place the Middle East under US and Israeli domination. But even now, France, Germany, Russia and China, and the Arab countries are strongly objecting to US greed and its oil monopoly.
It is disgusting to humanity that the US has launched a one-sided high tech war of aggression against a country that has long been destroyed by bombs and worn down by over 12 years of sanctions. It was even determined that Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction. It was the US that destroyed lives, livelihood, infrastructure and services (electricity, water, transport, hospitals, etc.), and US companies were the ones given the contracts for reconstruction and humanitarian aid to be paid by the Iraqi people and their oil.
The cowardly US imperialists are brutal and scheming, but in the future, the people of the world will make them pay for their arrogance, greed and overextension. The US is at its apex of being a superpower, especially as a military power. But there will come a time when the US will no longer be able to resolve its economic and financial crisis because of the aggressions that it commits. The US has been on a strategic economic decline since the 1970's. It was only able to cover up for this in the 1980's and 1990's by large-scale borrowing and being the sole military superpower, especially after the revisionist Soviet Union first rotted and disintegrated.
5. What, in your analysis, will be the course of world politics as a result of the US attack on Iraq?
The world will become more turbulent. The US will continue to assert that it can ably attack another country, bomb, make it a colony or puppet government, seize the wealth of the people, and dictate on all governments and countries. The US will bring harm unto itself with its bestial doctrine of pre-emptive war, bombing war with little US casualties, etc. The US imperialists are truly terrorist monsters.
But the struggle of the people who want revolution, nations that want liberation and governments that uphold their national sovereignty will intensify. With the worsening of the crisis of the world capitalist system and with the aggressiveness of US imperialism, the working class and oppressed nations will rise up. The imperialists will squabble amongst themselves and weaken in their tug-of-war over markets, sources of raw materials, fields of investment and spheres of influence.
In Iraq itself, the US entered a complicated situation. The US imperialists and their puppets cannot handle the Shias, Sunnis and Kurds. In the long run, the bodies of the US imperialists and their puppets will be exposed to the effective use of the rifles and RPGs. The use of these weapons will be far more effective now that the large formations and heavy weaponry of Saddam are gone and the US troops have no more reason to use weapons to destroy fixed structures and large military formations. The Iraqis have an historical experience in waging guerrilla warfare against British colonialism. The communists, secular bourgeois nationalists, anti-imperialist Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds can once again join together in struggle. #
(Original Interview in Pilipino)
Interbyu: Katanungan para kay G. Jose Maria Sison
Ni Sharon Cabusao,
para sa Pinoy Weekly
Abril 20, 2003
1. Kumusta na po ang inyong kalagayan dyan?
Ginigipit pa rin tayo ng Dutch government at European Council dahil sa utos ng halimaw na imperyalistang Kano. Nakalista pa tayong "terorista" sa papel ng mga imperyalista na siyang mga tunay na terorista. Iniipit pa rin yong mga social benefits natin bilang recognized political refugee. Pero lumalaban tayo. Ipinagtatanggol natin ang ating mga karapatan. Lalong matibay ang ating posisyon dahil sa tulong ng malawak na masa, mga abogadong mahusay at mga respetadong personahe sa buong daigdig.
2. May epekto ba ang sinasabing tagumpay militar ng US sa pakikibaka ng mga anti-imperyalistang asylum seeker na tulad mo?
Tungkol sa agresyon, okupasyon at pag-agaw ng langis sa Irak, may hidwaan ang mga imperyalistang mananalakay o agresor na US at Britain sa isang panig at ang France, Germany at Russia sa kabila. Pero sa kaso ko, wala silang langis na pinag-aawayan. Ang Dutch government naman ay siyang pinaka-pro-US sa mainland Europe. At dati nang may patakaran na gipitin ang mga asylum seeker para bawasan ang bilang ng mga refugee. Lumalakas ang agos ng pasismo sa Europa, dahil sa krisis ng kapitalismo at tulak ng US matapos ang 9/11.
3. Ano ang implikasyon nito sa takbo ng pulitika sa Pilipinas? Sa nakikibakang mamamayang Filipino?
Kung isaalang-alang natin yong "terrorist" listing, bale sinira na ng rehimeng Arroyo ang peace negotiations sa pagitan ng GRP at NDFP. Kaululan yong ginawa ng US at rehimeng Arroyo na tawaging "terorista" ang CPP, NPA at NDFP chief political consultant para pilitin ang NDFP na magsurrender at lumagda sa pambasurang papel na tinaguriang "final peace agreement." Alam ng US at Arroyo regime na hindi susuko ang mga pwersang rebolusyonaryo at sambayanan kahit kailan. Pagpapaigting ng kontrarebolusyonaryong karahasan ang gusto ng US at Arroyo regime. Patakaran nilang lutasin ang krisis sa kabuhayan at pag-aalsa ng masa sa pamamagitan ng high tech military solution ng US.
4. Tama bang sabihin na ang tagumpay militar ng US sa Iraq ay makakapagpalakas sa katayuan ng US bilang superpower?
Dahil sa tagumpay militar sa Irak, tuwirang matatanganan ng US ang second largest oil reserve (Iraq) sa OPEC, lalong makokontrol niya ang buong OPEC at mailalagay niya ang Middle East sa dominasyon ng US at Israel. Pero ngayon pa lang, may malakas na pagtutol na ang France, Germany, Russia at China at mga Arab countries sa kasakiman ng US at ng kanyang monopolyo sa langis.
Kasuklam-suklam sa sangkatauhan na naglunsad ng one-sided high tech war of aggression laban sa isang bansang dati nang winasak ng mga bomba at linaspag ng higit na 12 taon na sanctions. Napatunayan pa na walang weapons of mass destruction ang Irak. Ang US ang nanira sa buhay, kabuhayan, infrastructure at services (ilaw, tubig, transport, ospital, etc.) at mga kompanyang Kano ang binibigyan ng mga kontrata sa reconstruction at humanitarian aid na babayaran ng sambayanang Iraki at ng kanilang langis.
Brutal at tuso ang duwag na imperyalistang Kano pero sa hinaharap dahil sa kanilang arogansiya, kasakiman at overextension madadali sila ng mamamayan ng daigdig. Sa rurok ng pagiging superpower ang US ngayon, laluna sa military power. Pero sa darating na panahon, lalong hindi malulutas ng US ang economic and financial crisis niya dahil sa mga agresyon na ginagawa. Patuloy na nasa strategic economic decline ang US magmula pa sa 1970s. Natakpan lang ito noong 1980's at 1990's dahil sa malaking pangungutang ng US at pagiging sole military superpower, laluna ng naunang nabulok at nawarat ang rebisyonistang Unyong Sobyet.
5. Ano po ang inyong pagsusuri hinggil sa magiging takbo ng pandaigdigang pulitika bunga ng pag-atakeng ito ng US sa Iraq?
Lalong magiging magulo ang daigdig. Patuloy na ipapalagay ng US na kayang-kaya niyang manghimasok sa ibang bansa, mambomba, gumawa ng kolonya o papet na gobyerno, mang-agaw ng kayamanan ng mamamayan at magdikta sa lahat ng gobiyerno at bansa. Ipapahamak ng US ang sarili sa kanyang mga makahayop na doktrina ng preemptive war, bombing war with little US casualties, etc. Talagang halimaw na terorista ang imperyalistang Kano.
Pero lalong iigting din ang paglaban ng mga mamamayan na nagnanais ng rebolusyon, ang mga bansang gustong magpalaya sa sarili at mga gobiyernong nagtataguyod ng pambansang kasarinlan. Sa paglala ng krisis ng world capitalist system at pagiging agresibo ng US imperialism, babangon at babangon ang uring manggagawa at mga inaaping bansa. Magbabangayan din ang mga imperyalista at manghihina sila sa kanilang agawan ng mga palengke, pinagmumulan ng hilaw na sangkap, larangan ng investment at saklaw ng impluwensiya.
Sa mismong Irak, pumasok ang US sa kumplikadong kalagayan. Hindi kayang tanganan ng mga imperyalistang Kano at mga papet nito ang mga Shia, Sunni at Kurds. Sa mahabang panahon, malalantad ang katawan ng mga Kanong imperyalista at mga papet nila sa mabisang paggamit ng mga riple at RPG. Magiging malayong mas mabisa ang mga gamit na ito kung kailan pa wala nang large formations at heavy weapons ni Saddam at wala nang dahilan ng mga tropang Kano na gumamit ng sandatang pangwasak sa fixed structures at large military formations. May historical experience ang mga Iraki sa paggerilya laban sa British colonialism. Pwedeng magsama uli sa pakikibaka ang mga komunista, secular bourgeois nationalists at mga anti-imperialist Shiites, Sunnis at Kurds. #
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