MERGED: CPP-NPA-NDF Discussions (Issues, Updates, etc.)

[tru^norf]

---

The Filipino youth should advance the struggle to help themselves. That is what I just did, in all regimes from Marcos to Arroyo. Now, I'm one less helpless Filipino. Go Filipino!

[giddyboy]

The Filipino youth should advance the struggle to help themselves. That is what I just did, in all regimes from Marcos to Arroyo. Now, I'm one less helpless Filipino. Go Filipino!

yeah! sometimes not joining in the political noise and instead focusing on another endeavor is another way to help our country. "entrepreneurship" as what henry sy and john gokongwei jr. profusely stressed to the youth is one of the best ways...

[giddyboy]

if the a set of laws continously marginalize a people, if a justice system continues to be inutile and defeats the very purpose of its existence by being used primarily as a tool to maintain the imbalance of power, who are we to blame the victims when they have learned not to trust in it, as much as they have given up on those who hold power?

we really can't blame those marginalized people...it happens to every democratic & non-democratic countries, or even the superpower USA...what matters is how they act on their grievances and the way how the gov't corrects the imbalance, perception-wise or reality-wise.

and if that leads few people to take arms & join the NPA, that will be too sad, in my opinion...there are a lot of other venues that doesn't require taking up arms, or getting collaborative and sympathetic to their unpopular cause.

because this is the case; the government has ceased to serve the interest of the people, plain and obvious. it has the mandate of the people, yes, but that does not translate that the government will automatically represent the people's interests.

well, optimistically, i don't think it will happen again. we already learned the hard way during Marcos' dictatorship & Erap's plunderings...the gov't at those points in time ceased to serve the interest of the people.

As for Arroyo's admin, i don't think it ceased to serve yet.

political propaganda, advertising, pulpit preaching, 'information campaigns', mass media, and everything else that attempt to shape public opinion is worthless, empty and ineffective if it does not somehow reflect current realities.

i agree on that general argument. but if we refer it to our present situation, will be on a case-to-case basis.

where to base our perspective? simple. the interest of the people. the opinion of the people may run counter to their interests - it is not always that the opinion of the majority is right, and you know that. and i bet you know very well how the opinion of the majority is influenced and swayed against their very interest.

of course, opinion of the people is different from the interest of the people...still we have to base both to the majority in almost all cases. and if u r talking about swaying or influencing the opinion of the majority, it depends on the issue, the situation, time and how the ones in authority deals w/ it.

it may surprise you that "communism" and the "broad Left" have so many things in common. in fact, "communism" is but a faction of the Left. there are significant ideological differences between the factions within the Left, but their similarities outweigh their differences.

it's already a given that communism and the "broad left" has so many things in common. and of course, communism is a faction of the left...and that the only clear line separating it from the rest of the Left is the Maoist ideology.

i hope this is not another knee-jerk reaction to the word "communism", as demonized by many who support its opposite ideology. this kind of reaction does not in any way help to understand what this is all about.
the use of terms and concepts like "equality", "social justice", "social emancipation" and "liberation" aren't just monopolized by supposedly democratic countries you know. it should also be worthwhile to see how the term "democracy" is defined, used and applied among countries with supposedly different political systems.

of course, "equality", "social justice", etc...are terms not monopolized by democratic countries...we know that.

we also know that communism is a different approach in governing a state, which we can say, worked well in China & N. Korea.

and we can't really blame many pinoys from "demonizing" the NPA's. it has been a perception long way before. and this is proof that their ways & means has not been working here, or put it correctly, nag lisod gyud...and if by miracle they could change the majority's perception on how they view communism here in the Phils., then i could say the NPA is doing a miraculous job...

so now it seems that you agree with the gist of the whole message, sans the whole "propagandistic flair". the CPP-NPA might not agree with you on how you view communism, but it is certain that you are not their enemy.
it is after all a political bulletin, propagandistic flair is a given. same with pulpit preaching, product advertising, government press releases (but not mainstream media, as it still pretends to be 'balanced and unbiased').

i couldn't say i will agree coz eliminating the propagandistic flair will also somehow change the whole message...

and yes, all political bulletins have propagandistic flair. and it will be the individual's judgment if they come to accept it or not.

u could also say that i am not one of the NPA's enemy coz their enemy is the Phil. military.

as ordinary civilians, we are just caught in between the warfare. it just so happens that i'm one of the majority that hates the idea of pushing an opposite Maoist ideology into a democratized country like ours, and that includes the lawless violence it generates due to its armed component.

personally, i hate it too. but as an attempt at critical thinking, these things should pose as challenges. it is precisely because we attempt to think critically that this kind of loquaciousness should not affect how we view the gist of the message. taking the message 'as is' in these situations where propaganda is involved is to fall into a trap where there can only be two possible reactions; blind obedience or utter contempt.

i'm crossing my fingers that you are not one of those who fell in.

i hate it, and it's not a surprise that u hate it too. my posts could somehow show more focus on putting negative adjectives to the message, but it doesn't mean that i didn't do critical thinking...in fact, that was the result of my critical thinking.
as for me, it is an eye opener. and it is therefore a challenge for the present gov't to enhance their efforts more for a better democratic Phils...one, by crushing the CPP-NPA...hehe

[gareb]

we really can't blame those marginalized people...it happens to every democratic & non-democratic countries, or even the superpower USA...what matters is how they act on their grievances and the way how the gov't corrects the imbalance, perception-wise or reality-wise. and if that leads few people to take arms & join the NPA, that will be too sad, in my opinion...there are a lot of other venues that doesn't require taking up arms, or getting collaborative and sympathetic to their unpopular cause.

of course we should not because the people's legitimate concerns will find expression in any means necessary. the very presence and persistence of the underground movement only hints of the ineffectiveness of the above-ground means to address their grievances.

well, optimistically, i don't think it will happen again. we already learned the hard way during Marcos' dictatorship & Erap's plunderings...the gov't at those points in time ceased to serve the interest of the people. As for Arroyo's admin, i don't think it ceased to serve yet.

it seems that you are judging administrations based on the personal misdeeds of the president, as well as how the people acted on it. that's quite an after-the-fact observation.

more than personal misdeeds, i am taking about actual economic policies if indeed they are working for or against the interest of the people. it would be interesting to compare the major policies, concerning the youth for example, of each administration, from marcos to arroyo, and see for ourselves if indeed these served the interest of the people.

but if we refer it to our present situation, will be on a case-to-case basis.

care to elaborate?

of course, opinion of the people is different from the interest of the people...still we have to base both to the majority in almost all cases. and if u r talking about swaying or influencing the opinion of the majority, it depends on the issue, the situation, time and how the ones in authority deals w/ it.

precisely. and there are major issues and specific situations on how the opinion of the majority was shaped (or at least attempts were made) to run counter to their very own interests by certain powers. significant economic policies (not to mention elections) almost always fall under this category.

the solution for this kind of dis-information is simply to provide the correct information that could shape an opinion that aligns itself with the people's interest, thereby empowering them to make the right decisions.

it's just that nowadays, when you provide the correct information (which may happen to run counter to what the powers that be wants to show), you are automatically labeled as a misfit, a 'deviant', a 'rebel', a 'terrorist', a 'destabilizer', a 'communist', thereby justifying your elimination. and by 'elimination' i mean 'death'.

and that the only clear line separating it from the rest of the Left is the Maoist ideology.

... which, as you understand it, is?

we also know that communism is a different approach in governing a state, which we can say, worked well in China & N. Korea.

China is essentially no longer a 'communist' country. North Korea may retain a socialist structure, but it is mired in Kim's dictatorship; it is not exactly a model for socialism.

and we can't really blame many pinoys from "demonizing" the NPA's. it has been a perception long way before. and this is proof that their ways & means has not been working here, or put it correctly, nag lisod gyud...and if by miracle they could change the majority's perception on how they view communism here in the Phils., then i could say the NPA is doing a miraculous job...

it's not a surprise that CPP-NPA is demonized really. granted that it has made terrible mistakes in the past, but propaganda wars alone, the GRP has an edge.

as ordinary civilians, we are just caught in between the warfare. it just so happens that i'm one of the majority that hates the idea of pushing an opposite Maoist ideology into a democratized country like ours, and that includes the lawless violence it generates due to its armed component.

we can only be "caught in between the warfare" if we become too apathetic to know where we stand. i still do not know in what context do you use the term "Maoist" and "democratic" so i really don't know what you're referring to. and 'lawless violence' is really relative to who uses the term.

and it is therefore a challenge for the present gov't to enhance their efforts more for a better democratic Phils...one, by crushing the CPP-NPA...hehe

sad as it may seem, there is a historical lesson that we have never learned. no matter how the government tries to crush the underground movement, as it did from Bonifacio's KKK, and the HUKBALAHAP in the 50-60's, as long as large segments of the people are marginalized by an elite class, armed revolution will always resurface. crush the CPP-NPA now and there will be something else that will take it's place. prune old branches and fresh new growth will always appear sooner or later.

the problem, ultimately, is not the CPP-NPA, it is the marginalization and destitution that become the fertile ground to legitimize armed revolution as and expression of a people's frustrations.

[The_Child]

for around 39 years the protracted war still remains a standstill.

when they had the chance during the martial law, they were too unprepared, another chance during the fragile Aquino Administration, still, they were too unprepared to seize the opportunity.

somebody is in Utrecht. and how is that suppose to make the farmer with a Kalashnikov in the Front happy?

Now, the situation is totally different and still they are stuck with obsolete idealogies.

God knows, many of the so-called "progressive minds" in the rank of the Youth, from respective universities, still thinks that the world revolves around the Modern Paradigm. They think Marx's analysis on the social condition, the seeds of Leninist, Trotsky-ist, Maoist et al thinking, is still fully compatible with the current situation.

To sum it all up:

The revolution some people are bannering is simply not working. It is has been tried and tested by time and experience.
And of course, the idealogy is obsolete. They need to cope up with Postmodernism and its paradigm.













...that is of course my humble opinion.

[gareb]

The_Child:

well said.

unfortunately, there are doubts on whether postmodernism can be correctly applied and be useful to actual struggles involving communities and societies stuck in "modern" conditions, granting that there is a wide development gap between and within many societies.

[LytSlpr]

wa pa gyud mahusay kini nga topic?

di na lang ta magtuyok-tuyok. puro na sila kawatan lagi. ang ato-a na lang, ang kinsa ang nakabuhat ug "arang-arang" para sa atong nasud and that is unquestionably, PGMA.

kung gusto gyud mo ug change, mamatay na lang inyong apo sa lapa-lapa di gihapon na mahitabo. ngano man? because we have a culture of corruption, dili lang atong mga leaders. mao bitaw, mao na sila atong leaders.

kamong mga tawo nga gusto ug radical change, ayaw mo pag sige ug dokdok diri sa Istorya.Net, buhata ninyo. pagpanahon lagi ni erap, wa man lagi mo maningog nga hapit na matuwang atong nasud ato?! aber?! ang problema man sad gud ninyo, naa man sad mo'y political color ug hidden agenda. kay kung tinuod pa na nga para gyud na sa tinarong inyong gibuhat, daghan na unta ni suporta ninyo ug hagbay ra unta kaayo ng na malampuson inyong kawsa.

[The_Child]

The_Child:

well said.

unfortunately, there are doubts on whether postmodernism can be correctly applied and be useful to actual struggles involving communities and societies stuck in "modern" conditions, granting that there is a wide development gap between and within many societies.

doubts indeed, but there are also those who feel otherwise, like me for example.
I for one doubt that there is still a "modern" condition in prevailing societies. Not included of course, primitive societies such as the Tasadays and others, taking into consideration their special situation. The obliteration of Space and Time in communication is evidence enough of this Mcluhanesque enivronment, a global village, makes even Nepal, among many others so forgive me for saying, a part of this global village.

[brownprose]

The_Child:

well said.

unfortunately, there are doubts on whether postmodernism can be correctly applied and be useful to actual struggles involving communities and societies stuck in "modern" conditions, granting that there is a wide development gap between and within many societies.

and i wonder how many of your young people today know or would have the time to understand the myriad "isms" (imperialism, feudalism, bureaucrat capitalism...) these "revolutionaries" have been fighting against - not to mention the isms they are also fighting for - ever since they were organized.

[baby_grace]

Encouraging the youth to join in mass actions and struggles against the government is one way of promoting lawlessness in their generation. If you teach the youth to participate in these struggles against the Arroyo administration you teach them to become offenders of the law, advocates of chaos, and future leaders of rallies and protesters. What must be taught to the youth of today is how to adhere to simple laws, teach them not to violate it and advise them how to exercise every right and freedom they have.

Teaching the youth to advance struggles against the government is like giving them the very reason to destroy their future. Then here comes again the elders saying that the children miss out on their education. Well who is to blame? It is the groups and individuals who encourage the youth to take part in extra legal activities.