Condemn Economic and Financial Crimes, Intensify the Struggle Against Imperialism

Statement on the US and Global Economic and Financial Crisis

By the International League of Peoples’ Struggle

We, the International League of Peoples’ Struggle, take cognizance of the total discredit of the “free market” dogma, the unravelling of the policy of “neoliberal globalization” and the gravity of the current level of the economic and financial crisis of the imperialist powers headed by the US. We condemn in the strongest terms all the economic and financial crimes of monopoly capitalism against the people under the slogans of “free market” and “neoliberal globalization”.

Such crimes are as follows:

1. The systematic driving down of the wages and other incomes of the working people and the suppression of their democratic rights for the purpose of maximizing the profits of the monopoly firms in the imperialist and other countries;

2. The cutbacks on social spending by governments for education, health and other basic services, tax cuts, gilded contracts, subsidies and insurance for the monopoly firms, the privatization of state assets , deregulation to make way for the unbridled exploitation of the working people and the environment and the use of state power in the service of monopoly capitalism;

3. The use of cheap labour in the less developed countries like China and India in order to produce cheap raw materials and semi-manufactured consumer products for the imperialist countries and thereby maximize imperialist profits;

4. The accelerated accumulation and centralization of productive and finance capital in the hands of the monopoly bourgeoisie and the growing financialization of the home economies of the US and other imperialist powers, with the financial corporations rapidly increasing their share of corporate profits;

5. The unbridled use of debt financing for consumption in order to conjure the illusion of economic growth, to cover trade deficits and budgetary deficits, to fuel corporate speculation in stock and bond issuances, mergers and derivatives, to allow unregulated money creation and debt expansion by commercial and investment banks and to stimulate financial bubbles like the mortgage scam in the US and elsewhere and debt-based consumption by households amidst industrial decline and decreasing employment in the US and other imperialist countries;

6. The use of public funds as well as people’s savings deposits and pension funds to bail out the bankrupted mortgage banks, commercial and investment banks and insurance companies involved in the massive mortgage fraud in the US and the global spread of poisoned securities backed by bad mortgages; and

7. The continuing accumulation and concentration of capital in the hands of the strongest corporate giants and the redeployment of finance capital in food, fuel and minerals causing a new bubble in prime commodities and generating inflation and price gouging at the expense of the broad masses of the people amidst depression and rampant unemployment.

The financial crisis, ignited by the mortgage meltdown and characterized by the bankruptcies of banks, abrupt stock market falls and severe credit crunch, and the economic crisis involving the further stagnation and depression of production and consumer market are destroying the forces of production and wreaking havoc on the lives of the people on a global scale.

The crisis of the imperialist system keeps on worsening, as the imperialist powers and all reactionary forces strive to preserve the moribund system of oppression and exploitation. They incite extreme reaction and fan the flames of chauvinism, racism, religious bigotry, fascism, military intervention and wars of aggression. Under these conditions, the suffering people everywhere are increasingly compelled to fight for their democratic rights and for national and social liberation.

We, the International League of Peoples’ Struggle, call on the people of the world:

1. To expose and oppose the root cause, historical sequence and circumstances of the current economic and financial crisis and condemn the economic and financial crimes of the US and other imperialist powers;

2. To intensify the mass movement for national and social liberation and wage all forms of struggle against the imperialist powers and their puppet states in all their attempts to perpetuate the imperialist system of exploitation and oppression and suppress the people’s movement by fomenting chauvinism, racism, religious bigotry and under the guise of anti- terrorism unleashing fascism, military intervention and wars of aggression;

3. To take advantage of the adverse effects of the aforesaid crisis on the status of the US as the No. 1 imperialist power, the intensified economic competition and political rivalries among the imperialist powers and the general discredit of the imperialist powers and their puppet states;

4. To seek ways of alleviating the poverty and economic suffering of the people while waging struggles against imperialism and the local reactionaries; and

5. To strengthen all progressive and democratic anti-imperialist forces and build the united front for the purpose of advancing the revolutionary mass movement in order to fight and defeat imperialism and reaction establishing new revolutionary and democratic states within the foreseeable future.

We are greatly inspired and strengthened by the resounding success of the Third International Assembly of the International League of Peoples’ Struggle. We feel confident and ever ready to realize our prime objective of bringing about greater unity among the people’s organisations and greater advances of the people’s struggles against imperialism and all reaction.

We reaffirm our commitment and resolve to step-up our preparations for the coordinated series of campaigns and actions and intensify the various forms of struggle against the whole imperialist system and all reactionary forces in power. We call on all progressive, democratic and anti-imperialist forces to join us and to seize every opportunity to unite and intensify the common struggle along the consistent and militant anti-imperialist and democratic line.

Certified by:

Prof. Jose Maria Sison

Chairperson, International Coordinating Committee

International League of Peoples’ Struggle

13 October 2008

Ramdam ang Kahirapan

Dagdag kasinungalingan at pang-iinsulto ang sagot ng rehimeng Arroyo sa lumalalang krisis at kahirapan sa pagpapakalat nito ng mga higanteng tarpaulin sa lansangan kung saan idinedeklara ng nakangising mukha ni Arroyo na “Ramdam ang Kaunlaran.”

Sa totoo’y walang kapantay na paghihikahos ang dama ng mamamayan sanhi ng napakalalang krisis panlipunan. Desperasyon ang kahulugan ng krisis para sa marami kung ikokonsidera pang nasa 80% ng mamamayan ang nabubuhay sa mas mababa sa P80 kada araw.

Umabot na sa 9.6% ngayong Mayo ang tantos ng implasyon o pangkalahatang pagtaas ng presyo ng mga bilihin sa bansa. Ito ay sanhi ng patuloy na pagsirit sa presyo ng pagkain at langis. Ayon pa sa ilang mga ekonomista, maaaring sa pagtatapos ng Hunyo sa taong ito, aabot pa sa lagpas 10% ang tantos na ito.

Halos lingguhan na ang pagtaas ng presyo ng langis. Hindi pa nangangalahati ang 2008 ay lagpas P15 na ang kabuuang itinaas na presyo ng gasolina, krudo, at gaas. Dahil dito, kaka-apruba pa lamang ng P8 minimum na pasahe ay nakaamba na naman ang higit pang pagtataas ng pasahe sa dyip.

Kasabay ng pagsirit na ito sa presyo ng gasolina at pamasahe ay ang patuloy na paglala ng krisis sa bigas at pagkain. Normal na ang mahahabang pila sa ating mga palengke para sa P18.50 kada kilong bigas na ibinebenta ng National Food Authority. Umaabot mula P45 hanggang P51 naman ang halaga ng “well-milled” rice.

Umaabot na ngayon sa P871 ang pangangailangan ng isang pamilya

At dahil wala namang pagtaas sa sahod, higit na madaragdagan ang bilang ng lulubog sa kahirapan. Umaabot na ngayon sa P871 ang pangangailangan ng isang pamilya habang P382 lamang ang minimum na sahod sa Kamaynilaan. Kaya naman higit sa 2.3 milyong Pilipino ang bumabagsak sa antas ng maralita sa bawat 10% na pagtaas sa presyo ng pagkain.

Sa mga paaralan, patuloy ang programa ng komersyalisasyon at paghuthot ng tubo ng mga ganid na kapitalista-edukador. Aabot sa 378 pribadong kolehiyo ang magtataas ng matrikula sa bansa sa halagang 10%. Patuloy din ang pagbagsak ng enrollment rate sa elementarya mula 108.31% noong AY 2002-2003 tungong 99.87% sa AY 2006-2007 at sekundarya mula 83.55% (AY 2002-2003) tungong 79.50% (AY 2006-2007). Aabot sa 11.6 milyon o 34% ng kabataang may edad 6-24 ang hindi na pumapasok sa paaralan.

P7 kada estudyante kada araw lamang ang iginagastos ng gobyerno.

Ang lumalalang krisis sa edukasyon ay sanhi ng patuloy na pag-abandona ng rehimeng Arroyo sa responsibilidad nitong pag-aralin ang mamamayan. P7 kada estudyante kada araw lamang ang iginagastos ng gobyerno. 2.26% lamang ng Gross Domestic Product ng bansa ang inilalaan ng gobyerno sa edukasyon, malayo sa international benchmark na anim na porsiyento.

Sa pagnanais na isalba ang sarili nito, naglulunsad ang rehimen ng mga programa tulad ng P500 subsidy sa kuryente at paglalaan ng isang bilyong pesong subsidya para sa edukasyon.

Malinaw na pagpapapogi lamang ang mga pakanang ito ng rehimen ang ugat ng nararanasang krisis ng mamamayan. Patuloy ang pagpapakatuta nito sa interes ng mga imperyalista, kartel ng bigas at langis, at mga kapitalista-edukador.

Kasabay ng pagkalantad ng kabulukan ng rehimeng Arroyo ang pagtindi ng galit ng mamamayan at ang kanilang kapasyahang kumilos para sa agaran nitong pagpapatalsik.

Sa harap ng napatinding krisis panlipunan, nakaatang sa atin ang tungkuling higit na imulat, organisahin at pakilusin ang masang mag-aaral at igiit ang mga interes ng mamamayan. Sa ating pagpasok sa paaralan, dapat nating itransporma ang krisis sa isang daluyong ng kilusang masang magpapatalsik sa rehimen at magsusulong ng pagbabagong panlipunan.

Dapat maging handa ang ating mga balangay sa pagrerekluta ng laksang bilang ng mga mag-aaral sa ating hanay at pangunguna sa mga kampanya’t pakikibakang masa sa mga susunod na linggo. Nararapat lamang na ilunsad ang mga walk-out at boykoteo sa mga paaralan laban sa napakatinding kahirapan at pambubusabos na ipinapakana ng rehimen.

iparamdam natin sa rehimen ang galit ng mamamayan at dumadagundong na kilusang masa

Ramdam  sa kasalukuyan hindi ang kaunlaran kundi ang walang kasingtinding kahirapan. Walang kasingkatwiran na iparamdam natin sa rehimen ang galit ng mamamayan at dumadagundong na kilusang masa laban sa kabulukan ng sistemang panlipunan at patuloy na pagsalanta ng iilan at dayuhan sa kabuhayan at interes ng mamamayan. #

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