Introduction
Eversince
its inception on May 1998, the RPM-P has primarily tasked itself to the
theoretical study and practical application of Marxism-Leninism. All organs
of the Party in the islands of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao persevered in
this work along the lines of the RPM-P’s basic criticisms of Stalinism
and vulgarized Maoism espoused by the CPP-N
PA.
This is paralleled with careful study of the objective situation and
the particularization of revolutionary struggle for socialism in the
Philippines through our anti-imperialist, democratic transitional program.
It is always
an option for any armed force waging war to enter into a negotiated
peaceful settlement with its enemy. Presently,
the MILF and the CPP-NPA are two political forces that
engages the reactionary government in armed confrontations.
An immediate
concern faced now by the RPM-P/ RPA-ABB is the entry into peace
negotiation. The reactionary government uses this method to neutralize the
revolutionary forces amidst the advancement of the people’s struggle
against the onslaught of globalization. The reactionary government has thus
considered the RPA-ABB as one of the revolutionary forces that it needs to
negotiate with.
In this
regard, the central committee of the RPMP lays down the following
Marxist-Leninist principles and party regulations according to its
idelogical and political line and other immediate tasks. This will serve as
a guide to RPMP and RPA-ABB forces in the conduct of work with regards to
peace negotiations between us and the reactionary government.
For its
effective practical application in the over-all revolutionary struggle in a
given period, there are two fundamental bases of Leninism with regards to
peace and war. First, the basis for the assurance of maximum gains is the
objective balance of class forces. Second, the revolutionary interest in a
period of revolution which will determine the direction of war or peace.
In 1918,
when RSDLP was faced with the problem of declaring war or talking peace
with the conquering Germans, Lenin said: “the answer to whether we should
declare a revolutionary war at this period should be taken from our
estimation of whether the material conditions and the interest of socialist
revolution permits it…”
In the ensuing internal debates regarding correct tactics, Lenin opposed the view that a war should be declared by Russia against the Germans to accelerate revolution against the Germans despite the fact that there were also problems in the Russian army which was still not prepared for battle. According to Lenin: “Perhaps the authors believe that the interests of the world revolution require that it should be given a push, and that such a push can be given only by war, never by peace, which might give the people the impression that imperialism was being legitimized? Such a theory would be completely at variance with Marxism, for growing acuteness of the class antagonisms that engender revolutions. Such a theory would be tantamount to the view that armed uprisings is a form of struggle which is obligatory always and under all conditions....”
The correct
tactics to assure the maximum victory in struggle in a given period would
be determined only through the realistic estimation of the actual balance
of forces between reaction and revolution. It would be totally unscientific
and an erroneous vanguardism to determine the tactics based on the
subjective wish of driving the masses to wage war while they themselves do
not have a direct experience and decision.
Furthermore,
Leninism gave importance to the engagement in peace negotiation as a
revolutionary tactic that will serve in the advancement of revolutionary
struggle and objectives wherein, based on the balance of forces, the
objective condition dictates that the revolutionary forces will not be
victorious in its war against the enemy. Peace negotiations play a
particular importance in giving a necessary respite for revolutionary
forces to avoid greater losses and consolidate its gains.
Lenin said:
“History tells us that peace is a respite for war, war
is a means of obtaining a somewhat better or somewhat worse
peace.” He explained that many oppressed countries in history have
engaged in less certain peace negotiations but later were able to wage a
revolution and won. In the Russian revolution, Lenin waged a passionate
ideological struggle against what he labeled as “revolutionary phrase-making” and foolish adventurism that
propagates the slogan “Peace is
disgraceful, war is honourable.” Contrary to this slogan, Lenin
campaigned for the tactic of engaging in “annexationist peace
agreement” to avoid
greater losses in the Russian revolution and use the time to prepare for
war when the condition is ripe for this. He said “...If
I accept peace when the army is in flight, and must be in flight if it is
not to lose thousands of men, I accept it in order to prevent things from
getting worse.”
In Vietnam,
in a period of war for national independence against the colonial French,
the revolutionary movement, under the leadership of Ho Chi Minh, engaged in
peace negotiations to take time to rest and consolidate its first victory
of freeing North Vietnam. And in the period of its offensives in the
struggle to free South Vietnam from the imperialist Unite States, it
engaged in peace negotiations to put the US in a defensive position in the
eyes of the international community, to avoid greater losses and eventual
annihilation of the Vietnamese revolutionary movement, and with that be
able to end the war swiftly.
II.
THE PERIOD OF REFORMS AND THE OBJECTIVE SITUATION OF THE BALANCE OF
FORCES IN THE COUNTRY
“....Revolution is impossible
without a nationwide crisis (affecting both the exploited and the
exploiters...for a revolution to take place, it is essential, first, that
majority of the workers... should fully realize that revolution is
necessary, and that they should be prepared to die for it; second, that the
ruling classes should be going through a governmental crisis which draws
even the most backward masses into politics...”
Lenin considered this as the
fundamental rule of revolution. It is under this conditions that revolution
exists.
This kind of
condition of class struggle is clearly not present in the country at this
period. In reality we see that the bourgeois rule remains strong despite
the growing sentiments of the people against the reactionary state.
The present
administration effectively controls the government despite the issue on
crony capitalism which bring about the ire of less favored sections of
local bourgeoisie. While the issue of corruption within the government is
publicly know, any seemingly serious efforts to deal with prove to be
cosmetic and are done to cover the stink of bourgeois rule.
As a whole,
the bourgeoisie are united in protecting and promoting their rule and in
advancing globalization in the country. But if the present regime fails now
in arresting the widening
discontent of the masses due to worsening povert and the failure of the
government to alleviate it, it is possible that the bourgeois rule will be
put in jeopardy.
The masses
of the working class composed of the proletariat and semi-proletariat in
the urban and countryside has been experiencing severe poverty because of
unemployment and inflation. Their abject poverty put them to greater
oppression, strangled by capitalist exploitation and subjugation.
The
organized section are now looking for alternative while the bourgeoisie
continue its attacks against trade unions and while the CBA are being
disregarded amidst the widespread unemployment and labor contractualization. The organized forces among workers comprise a mere 9% of
the over-all number of workers in the country and this number is fast
declining as a result of contractualization and massive lay-offs. Worse,
the biggest unions and federations are being controlled by labor
aristocrats.
A large
section of the unorganized workers are influenced by the reactionary
hierarchy of religious institutions through its programs that give them
temporary relief from their everyday needs.
For this reason, a significant number among the masses participate
in mobilizations and activities spearheaded by religious institutions.
There is so
much to do in organizing the masses of workers for them to be able to learn
from their own direct experience that would call for their organization at
conscious class struggle against the bourgeoisie. We need to seriously
engage in the organizing of their struggle for reforms to bring about
concrete gains to alleviate their condition, bring them to believe in their
own organized strength and lift their morale in pursuing the struggle
against capitalist exploitation and oppression.
But
presently, the forces who are actively engaged in movement for social
transformation remain divided. Confusion and distrust prevail between them
– the civil society groups, the vulgarized Maoists CPP-NPA at the PMP are
waging their own sectarian political agenda. While showing a wrong
impression of milintacy in struggle, the CPP-NPA bring damage to the
socialist interest of the working class as it continues to advance the
vulgarized Maoist line and strategy as a form of organizing and mobilizing
the masses.
The struggle
of the Moro people for self determination against the exploitative rule of
the bourgeois state is also faced by the problem of disunity wherein the
MILF and the MNLF take separate paths of struggle. While the masses of Moro
people experience dislocation and great suffering as a result of sustained
and escalated military operations waged by the reactionary armed force.
Peace negotiation is an integral part of our revolutionary mass movement. Peace negotiation as a revolutionary unarmed tactics can help advance the over-all strategy of revolutionary mass movement. Leninism has defined the that entering into a peace agreement is part of the revolutionary tactics, which serve to advance the revolutionary tasks and objectives in a given situation when the balance of forces does not permit the forces of revolution to win a war against the enemies. It has the particular role of providing respite to the revolutionary forces in order for them to avoid worse loses and consolidate success.
But current conditions and level of class struggle in the country
remains that of a non-revolutionary period when the following three
conditions for a revolution to take place are absent; one, the readiness of
the working masses to rise up in revolution and seize state power; two, the
ruling class is experiencing a government crisis that has weakened it and
makes possible its immediate overthrow; and three, that all vacillating
forces have taken the side of the revolution. Marxism-Leninist principles
further defines that tactics must be based on a truthful appraisal on the
balance of forces of revolution and forces of reaction.
The RPMP has, therefore, defined that our tactics must fit the
present non-revolutionary condition in order to advance the tasks of
building and strengthening the strength and raising the political
consciousness of the proletariat in the transition program of the
anti-imperialist and democratic struggle for socialism.
Armed struggle, in general, is a form of struggle that is advanced
in a revolutionary war period. But the revolutionary armed force of the
RPA-ABB that the Party inherited after its split from the dogmatic Maoist
CPP-NPA undoubtedly expresses a high level of political strength for the
socialist forces as it recognizes the Marxist-Leninist leadership of the
RPMP. The RPMP-RPA-ABB cannot do otherwise but maximize this armed strength
not in waging a lonely destructive war against government military forces
but in advancing and defending the mass movement of the working masses for
the socialist transformation of the Philippine society.
In defining this orientation, the Party has therefore decided to
engage in a peace negotiation with the bourgeois government in order to
maximize the armed strength of the RPA-ABB in the struggle for the
well-being of exploited and oppressed working masses. At the same time, it
will also serve the objective of maintaining and further strengthening its
armed force to be able to continuously serve and protect the interest of
socialism.
However, the Party sees this as an indomitable task that will be a
difficult and complicated process as it fully knows that the bourgeoisie,
especially the ultra-rightists and militarists, have no other desire but
the complete destruction of the revolutionary armed forces.
VI. The Revolutionary Agenda in Peace Negotiation
In engaging in one of these fields of revolutionary struggles as a
revolutionary organization, we must have a clear agenda as the reactionary
state has also its own agenda. In this field of struggle, we are directly
dealing with the enemy of the working class, the instrument of oppression
and exploitation of the ruling bourgeois class which has a clear agenda to
dismantle and smash the revolutionary mass movement.
Our general agenda in entering peace negotiation is very clear in
our framework, which is mentioned, above re: advancing the revolutionary
mass movement in the framework of struggle for reform. Through this
engagement, it will give the RPMP an easy way to openly present and
propagate to the masses and to the general public about our transitional
program, our orientation, our conduct and framework of the revolution, and
the socialist alternatives. In this case, the masses and the conscious and
progressive elements will be enlightened of our great differences with
other Maoist and Stalinist, and neo-liberal Civil Society organizations. It
will also serve to consolidate our own forces and organize and mobilize the
masses of the working class along with their own demands and interests.
Aside from these, we will maximize the peace negotiation to expand our mass
base, allies, and networks of the revolution. Along with this, we could
propagate openly to the general public the legitimacy of our revolutionary
struggle and socialist alternatives.
Another part of the revolutionary agenda is to reduce the cost of
war and preserve human and material resources. Moreover, negotiations or
the pursuit of a negotiated solution can bring about or facilitate
significant gains in the political field diplomacy united front,
propaganda, mass struggle etc. and in the humanitarian conduct of the war
itself.
Negotiated solution has become a world phenomenon in addressing
national conflicts. For instance, diffusing East-West tension were done
through negotiated solution and eased out the nuclear-arms race of the
two-super power nations. In the Middle East, the Iran-Iraq territorial
conflict was eased out through peace negotiations. In Africa, the African
National Congress (ANC) had a peace settlement with Apartheid regime and
enthroned into power through election as part of the peace accord; the
Zimbabwe African National Union PTRIOTIC Front (ZANUPF) also enthroned into
power through electoral exercise as part of the peace settlement processes;
and the South west African Peoples Organization (SWAPO) of Namibia won and
was placed into power through a negotiated political settlement via
election.
V.
THE IMMEDIATE REVOLUTIONARY TASKS AND THE PEACE NEGOTIATION
RPM-P
believes that class struggle, through the mass struggle of the working
class, is the only way for the the working class to liberate itself from
the slavery of capitalism. In this period of reforms, revolutionary
organizing and the upliftment of the class consciousness of the masses of
the working class should be pursued relentlessly
through their painstaking organizing, mobilization and education in various
forms of struggle for them to obtain their immediate demands. By this the
masses will then learn from their own experience the necessity of
revolutionary change.
From this,
the open and legal mass movement will strengthen the organizing and
leadership of the working class under the transitional program of
anti-imperialist and democratic struggle for socialism. Accordingly,
parliamentary form of struggle should also be taken that will support our
work in education, organizing and the leadership of the class struggle.
We have
repudiated the old strategy espoused by the bankrupt leadership of Jose
Maria Sison of the CPP-NPA. While our revolutionary army continue to
operate, this does not mean that will wage a revolutionary war against the
state at present. The RPMP has determined the immediate revolutionary task
is the work of consolidating the RPA-ABB that supports the working class
movement. Military actions are being waged solely for the defense of the
working class and the revolutionary forces against the direct attacks of
the enemy.
The question of engaging in peace negotiation with the reactionary state as part of our tactic should be understood based on the prevailing objective situation, tasks and other requirements of our transitional program to socialism. Our fundamental principle is that the objectives and duties of the RPM-P/RPA-ABB serves for the interest of the class struggle against social injustice at inequity against the capitalist system. Under the present objective balance of of forces and in a period of reforms, we have no other option but to engage in a negotiation if only to win demands of the masses that will eventually benefit the revolutionary forces and the masses.
Hence, the
correctness at success of our conduct in peace negotiation will be measured
according to how it will advance the anti-imperialist and democratic
transitional program and ensure the gains to serve our revolutionary agenda
at present.
In this
light, our conduct with regards to peace negotiations with the reactionary
government should be in accordance with the following objectives:
1. To obtain
concrete gains for reforms in some particular issues of the working class,
both in the urban and rural, that will accelerate the organizing and
upliftment of the consciousness of the masses under the leadership of the
RPMP.
2. To
demonstrate the correctness and justice of the struggle being waged by the
RPMP/RPA-ABB for the interest of the exploited and oppressed masses of the
working class.
3. To
propagate the socialist alternative as the only viable solution to the
social ills of the capitalist system.
4. To
convince and gain more friends
and allies; and
5. To give the RPA-ABB a necessary respite from the attacks of the reactionary armed force and allow them to effectively undertake the task of consolidation.
ARMED
STRUGGLE
NATIONAL
QUESTION
ELECTORAL
and PARLIAMENTARY STRUGGLE
AGRARIAN
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