World | Philippines
Communists slam officials over Sison rumours
Leaders of the communist insurgency on Saturday slammed government security officials for allegedly spreading "disinformation" about the supposed ouster of party founder Jose Maria Sison from the 40-year-old movement.
- By Gilbert Felongco, Correspondent
- Published: 20:12 January 3, 2009
Manila: Leaders of the communist insurgency on Saturday slammed government security officials for allegedly spreading "disinformation" about the supposed ouster of party founder Jose Maria Sison from the 40-year-old movement.
In a statement posted on its website, www.philippinerevolution.net, the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) deplored National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales and his deputy Avelino Razon Jr "for feeding nothing but malicious disinformation to the media in a vain effort to sow intrigues against Comrade Jose Ma Sison and the Party leadership.
"Aside from being total lies and intrigues, Gonzales and Razon's statements are full of self-contradiction, and only reveal the utter desperation they and their US and Malacanang [presidential palace] bosses have turned to in their failure to stem the growth and advance of the Party and the revolutionary movement under its leadership," said yesterday's CPP statement.
Earlier, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita told reporters at a palace briefing that a wedge is developing between Sison, the 69-year-old founder of the CPP, and political leaders of the mainstream communist movement, over the conduct of the insurgency.
There had been rumours that overseas-based CPP leaders led by Benito Tiamzon and Luis Jalandoni, chief negotiator of the National Democratic Front, had ousted Sison from the communist underground movement leadership.
But the CPP denied such reports as lies peddled by Gonzales and Razon.
"We officially state outright that there has been no recent change at all in the central leadership of the Party. The Party's central leadership remains united and strong," the statement said.
It further said that report that there are cracks and discontent in the CPP central committee "is pure hogwash."
Since his release from government detention in late 1980s, the Philippine military said Sison had gone on a self-imposed exile and had led the CPP from his office in the Netherlands.
Touch with reality
Some critics said this was the reason why the former political science professor lost touch with the reality in the Philippines and a rift has developed between him and his followers back home.
The military also said most of the guerrillas of the CPP-led New People's Army (NPA) who were literally "born into the revolution" had known no other life besides fighting the government from their mountain strongholds.
But the CPP said Sison remains the leader and that it sees the struggle he is waging as valid.
"They continue to make impossible his safe return home in order to keep the the distance between him and the revolutionary forces in the Philippines. Still, 'Comrade' Sison continues to ably serve as a highly respected teacher and guiding beacon of the entire party and revolutionary movement and to all patriots, democrats and anti-imperialist fighters in the Philippines and around the world," the CPP said.
It added that the government had tried in vain to assassinate Sison in 1994.
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