Macapagal’s Ouster or Defeat in 2004 Possible --Joma
By Ace Alegre
Bulatlat.com

BAGUIO CITY - Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founding chair Jose Maria Sison called for the ouster of former president Joseph Estrada when he proposed a million protesters to march to Malacañang on January 19, 2001 to force him out of office.

After more than a year, Sison now raises the possibility of either Macapagal-Arroyo’s ouster before 2004 or her defeat in the next presidential polls.

In an statement last July 20, the Utrecht-based National Democratic Front (NDF) chief political consultant said, “it is correct to raise the slogan “Oust the US-Macapagal regime!'” He says that, “the broad masses of the people welcome the call because they suffer the ever-worsening socioeconomic crisis and are outraged by the puppetry, corruption, mendacity and repressiveness of the regime.”

Sison said, “If she can somehow overcome the presidential bid of a retired general like DND secretary Angelo Reyes, supposedly favored by the US as a ‘law and order’ candidate, the broad united front will still have the chance to chase her out of office after 2004.”

He argued, “the revolutionary cause stands to be benefit from the people’s wrath and strength. As of now, the US-Macapagal regime is stinking to high heavens because it has aggravated the crisis of the entire ruling system.”

He however, recognizes that some major reactionaries who are critical of the regime are still hesitant about joining the broad united front to oust the US.-Macapagal regime and are publicly saying that they do not wish to join it lest one more overthrow of a president would totally discredit the reactionary constitution or entire ruling system.

Fragile Regime
Sison said that Macapagal’s regime is fragile, “as evident from the delicate balance of followers and opponents of the Macapagal-Arroyol ruling clique in the Philippine Senate and in the Lakas-NUCD ruling party.” Any attempt of the ruling clique to augment its strength, assert its autonomy or paralyze current opponents in any way will only tend to upset the balance of forces within the reactionary government.”

He said that changing loyalties of the military and police officers might be tilted anew as in the final days of Marcos and Estrada. “The officers of the reactionary armed forces and police are extremely factionalized according to conflicting political loyalties and ambitions as well as according to competing interests in lucrative criminal activities, including kidnap-for-ransom, smuggling,! drug trafficking, jueteng and white slavery.”

Sison also revealed that Macapagal has indefinitely suspended the GRP peace negotiations with the NDF in preparation for scrapping them and has reportedly long given the orders to the armed forces and police to escalate their campaigns of suppression against the people and New Peoples Army (NPA),” in utter subservience to the US line of pursuing large-scale terrorism under the pretext of combating the small-scale terrorism of such disgruntled assets of the US. CIA like the Abu Sayyaf.”

Violence on Monday?
Sison also warned that they have received a report that Macapagal has authorized military and police forces to bully, provoke and disperse the rallyists on Monday in an apparent show of her “iron fist” on the issue of peace and order. “She cannot stamp out the criminal gangsters because they are in cahoots with her military and police officers. And yet she arrogantly calculates that she can assault with impunity unarmed and peaceful demonstrators.”

He added that such moves by Macapagal will be counter-productive against her regime, “It will only cause the intensification of all forms of resistance by the revolutionary forces and people,” he said.

In Baguio City, militant groups led by the Kilusang Mayo Uno, local chapters of GABRIELA, Bayan and Bayan Muna partylist marched down Session Road on July 24. (Bulatlat.com)

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