Establish the principled basis of unity first - CPP
January 3, 2003

The Communist Party of the Philippines expressed "apprehensions about the viability of a 'government of national unity' without any clear principled basis of unity."

CPP Spokesman Gregorio "Ka Roger" Rosal was reacting to the proposal of de Venecia to form a "government of national unity" to include the opposition parties as well as representatives from the Left, notably Jose Ma. Sison. President Macapagal-Arroyo has reportedly approved the proposal for implementation in 45 days.

"We must first discuss and resolve the issues that have in the first place led to this proposal and clarify the basis of unity behind such a government. Otherwise, it will only be a combination of opportunist bedfellows," Rosal added. "Without any clear principled basis of unity, this so-called government of national unity will only lend credence to and prolong the life of the isolated and tottering Macapagal-Arroyo government. An unprincipled government of national unity will only give the regime wider leeway to proceed and even step up its acts of puppetry, repression and corruption."

"The government must first show that it is prepared to make a 180 degree turnaround from its current foreign, economic, political and military policies to make any sense of inviting revolutionaries to join the so-called government of national unity," Rosal said.

"In the immediate instance, this should find expression in Macapagal-Arroyo's opening up to the resumption of formal peace talks with the NDF and reversing the policies and actions of her government that actually scuttled the peace talks," Rosal added.

Rosal said further that "this necessarily includes the following: immediately putting a stop to her all-out war of terror and pulling back the vicious ongoing military operations of her troops against the NPA and its mass base; removing the 'Damocles' sword' of a terrorist tag on the CPP-NPA-NDF, revolutionary leaders and peace negotiators; affirming and implementing all previous NDFP-GRP agreements; scrapping that draft document of surrender posing as a "final peace agreement" that they are thinking of imposing on the revolutionary movement; and junking the 'single-process' method and proceeding instead to seriously discuss and reach agreements in regard to the original four-part basic reform agenda."

"Can you imagine us participating in a 'unity government'," Rosal asks, "when Malacanang and the AFP insists on treating revolutionaries as terrorists and viciously carrying-out its war of terror?" ###

Reference:
Anne Buenaventura
Media Officer
Cellphone Number: +63910-240-3553

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Establish the principled basis of unity first - CPP January 3, 2003

Establish the principled basis of unity first - CPP
January 3, 2003