It is the Macapagal-Arroyo regime that is chiefly responsible for the wretched fate that has befallen our countrymen who are now being expelled from Malaysia

Gregorio "Ka Roger" Rosal
Spokesperson
Communist Party of the Philippines
September 01, 2002

The Communist Party of the Philippines strongly condemns the Mahathir regime in Malaysia for its inhumane expulsion and abuse of hundreds of thousands of Filipino evacuees in Sabah, Malaysia. The Filipino people must express their collective condemnation over this outrage, demand its immediate cessation and ask for damages for the thousands that have been victimized.

But the Communist Party of the Philippines condemns even more the Macapagal-Arroyo regime and the puppet regimes it succeeded. They are chiefly responsible for the wretched fate that has befallen our countrymen who were forced to evacuate their homes and live in Malaysia. The main reasons behind their migration from the Philippines to Malaysia are the terrible consequences of the reactionary government�s negligence as well as its incessant military operations due to the regime�s insane attempts to suppress and crush the legitimate struggle of the Bangsa Moro people.

The puppet regimes, both past and current, have been utterly cowardly in confronting any foreign government and fighting for the welfare of Filipinos living and working in other countries. But it is even more cruel to its own citizens when the latter air their grievances and fight for their rights.

Macapagal-Arroyo has long been aware of imminent plans to deport Filipinos living and working in various areas of Malaysia, also because of the economic crisis that the latter and its other neighboring countries have been undergoing. But just as her regime has neglected the plight of other Filipinos working overseas, she has not lifted a finger with regards to this case even as she busies herself with gimmicks to ensure her election in 2004 and with deranged campaigns of suppression against her critics and those who openly resist her regime.

Macapagal-Arroyo made a show of taking some action only recently, when news of the Malaysian authorities� excesses and abuses towards Filipinos living and working there hit the media. And now that the issue is hot and protest actions have been waged against Malaysia�s cruelty, it is the Macapagal-Arroyo clique that appears to have taken the role of pacifying our enraged countrymen and an apologist for the cruel and repressive Mahathir regime of Malaysia.

Our brothers and sisters from Mindanao who have migrated to and lived in Malaysia and are now victims of the Mahathir regime�s brutal treatment are victims of two repressive governments. Like the majority of the Filipino people, they are victims of the utter negligence of past puppet regimes in the Philippines and lately, of the repressive Mahathir regime in Malaysia. Now they have been forcibly repatriated to the Philippines only to be subjected to continued and further repression and exploitation in their own country. Even now, instead of looking for permanent solutions, the chief puppet Macapagal-Arroyo is using the videos that document their wretched situation for her own political gimmickry.

There is no other solution for our countrymen working in other countries anywhere in the world but to forge ranks, take collective action and link their struggle with the revolutionary struggle of other exploited and oppressed sectors of the Philippines.

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