11-10-06, 9:02 am
We celebrate today the 76th Anniversary of the public proclamation of our Party in 1930. Also today, we join all progressive people throughout the world in celebrating the 89th Anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution which ushered a new era in the history of humanity --- the era of the proletarian seizure of state power, the era of socialism.
Today, we look back at the role played by our Party in the 76 years since our Party's public proclamation at a massive demonstration of workers and peasants at Plaza Moriones, at the heart of Manila's working class district of Tondo. On that occasion 76 years ago, in the midst of a grave and world-wide crisis of the capitalist system, our Party --- the political party of the Filipino toiling classes --- proclaimed its aim of leading the struggle for the immediate and complete independence of our country from US colonialism, and of leading the struggle for the social emancipation of the oppressed classes.
During the first decade of its existence, which included a long period of illegalization, our Party led the peasant struggles against the feudal 'hacienda' system In the countryside, while at the same time leading the workers' struggles against foreign and local capitalist exploiters in the cities.
At the height of the capitalist crisis, the Second World War erupted and spread to almost all countries. But even before the Japanese invasion of our country in December 1941, our Party had already undertaken united front activities against Japanese militarism, including the boycott of all Japanese goods, calls for an end to the export of Philippine raw materials and products to Japan, as well as activities in solidarity with China which was earlier invaded by Japan.
On March 29, 1942, our Party organized the People's Army against Japan (the Hukbo ng Bayan Laban sa Hapon, with the acronym HUKBALAHAP), which became the most active and most effective guerrilla force against the Japanese invaders. However, this guerrilla army became the target of repression upon the US reoccupation of our country and the return to power of the Filipino elite after the defeat of Japanese militarism.
The decade of the 1950s was a veritable nightmare for our Party, with the US imperialists and their local puppets using superior force to crush our revolutionary movement. But still, our Party was able to reorganize itself, and to rebuild mass organizations, by the middle of the 1960s.
Our Party thereafter regained strength among the masses, and continued to struggle, despite conditions of illegality which lasted until the mid-1970s. Towards the end of 1974, our Party totally abandoned the armed struggle. Since then, our Party has been existing as a legal party, and has re-strengthened its ties with fraternal Communist and Workers' Parties in other countries.
In the past 3 decades that the PKP-1930 has been legally and openly struggling, many mass organizations have been formed among the ranks of industrial and agricultural workers, farmers and fisherfolks, women, youth and students, intellectuals, the urban poor and the informal sectors. Issue-based alliances were formed in the struggle for peace, and in expressing solidarity and friendship with socialist countries.
The PKP-1930 always had an active role in campaigns concerning issues of national freedom and sovereignty, for the removal of US military bases, for a nuclear-weapon-free zone, for the defense of civil liberties and democratic rights, and against the exploitative dictates of the World Bank, the IMF, the WTO and foreign monopoly capital. Our Party was active in political exercises such as referendums and electoral campaigns. And our Party was also active in international campaigns for peace and disarmament, against the global arms race and against imperialist wars and acts of aggression.
In this short summary of our Party's 76 years of struggle, we have to mention that within 4 months from its public proclamation on November 7, 1930, our Party was declared illegal by the US colonial government. But despite illegality, our Party remained deeply rooted among the working masses which continued to nurture our Party. Mass support also gave strength to the HUKBALAHAP and its armed struggle in the dark days of the Japanese military occupation. Mass support can always be had while our Party is able to grasp the main issues that are at the heart of the masses --- such as the main issue of national liberation from US colonialism and Japanese military occupation.
During the post-WWII period, with the formal grant of 'independence' even while our country was shackled by US military bases and the 'parity rights' given to US investments, there came a period when illusions were sown among the masses as to the 'liberating' and 'reconstruction' roles of US imperialism. Goals set by the Party leadership then --- for the immediate seizure of power, in the face of state terrorism against all progressive organizations --- proved to be far advanced of the felt demands of the masses. The left-adventurist uprising of the late 1940s proved to be far detached from the pulse of the masses. The superior forces of US imperialism and their local puppets were able to strike a wedge between our Party and the masses, and that led to a debacle in the 1950s.
The lesson of course is that whether legal of illegal, a revolutionary Party will be able to struggle and even gain strength so long as it has mass support and reflects the demands of the masses. A revolutionary Party should never lag behind, nor be too far advanced of, the demands of the masses. To fail in correctly analyzing the pulse of the masses could have dire consequences for the Party and the revolutionary struggle. On the other hand, patient leadership in the day-to-day struggles of the masses are stepping stones in the revolutionary advance.
A lesson could be learned from the experience of Nicaragua, where the Frente Sandinista para Liberacion Nacional (FLSN) led by Daniel Ortega is winning the election held just the other day (November 5, 2006). The FSLN was able to win power through an armed struggle in 1979, but US imperialism used every dirty trick in its 'contra' war against the FSLN government. Made tired and demoralized by US imperialism's constant war of terror against the Sandinist government, the Nicaraguan masses voted against the FSLN in an election. The FSLN was unable to topple the US-backed parties in succeeding elections, despite the rampant corruption of all the US-backed regimes which succeeded the FSLN. But with patient organizational and educational work among the masses, and with open rectification of errors, the FSLN is winning this election despite the open imperialist support for the big business candidates.
Incidentally, the Communist Parties in Central and Eastern Europe met debacles at the end of the 1980s not only due to imperialist destabilization and the infiltration of imperialist agents who rose to leading positions, but also due to their failure in general to keep tab of mass sentiments. On the other hand, revolutionary Cuba was able to stay the course despite the tightening US economic war, due to the deep roots of the Communist Party of Cuba among the Cuban people. With strong mass support, socialist Cuba remains a model of steadfastness and pro-people progress.
As members of the PKP-1930, we should therefore be aware that the general advancement of our Communist cause can only be based upon the more energetic organizational and educational work of each one of us among the masses of our people. Patient mass work, and a relentless struggle against personal weaknesses, are keys to the strengthening of our Party and to the advancement of the revolution.
Let us therefore make this anniversary of our Party and of the Great October Socialist Revolution as an occasion for rededicating ourselves in facing all the odds and sacrifices of the struggle for the attainment of National Democracy, and eventually of socialism, in our country. PEDRO P. BAGUISA is the General Secretary of the Philippines Communist Party (PKP-1930)
