CPI (Maoist) – Let us hail the revolutionary contributions of Comrade Jose Maria Sison and Commemorate his Memorial Day on 16th Jan, 2023 across the World

Let us hail the revolutionary contributions of Comrade Jose Maria Sison and Commemorate his Memorial Day on 16th Jan, 2023 across the World

Dear Comrades,

The Philippine Communist Party founding chairman and one of the brilliant leaders of the International Communist Movement Comrade Jose Maria Sison (8 Feb, 1939 – 16 Dec, 2022) is passed away on 16th December, 2022 in Netherlands at Utrecht hospital. Let us pay our rich tributes to our beloved and respected revolutionary leader, thinker, patriot and internationalist. Let us condemn the bourgeois media’s heinous labeling as a terrorist and responsible for bloodshed.

We lost one of the great Marxist intellectuals and leader of our time. Sison has departed but his legacy will continue forever. He propelled the Filipino people to make the country’s history and make success their aspirations for national freedom and people’s democracy. He re-established the Communist Party of Philippines on 26th December 1968 and formed the New People’s Army on 29th March 1969 for the armed struggle under the leadership of CPP to success the New Democratic Revolution of the Philippines. He led the establishment of the National Democratic Front (NDF) in 1973. Under his leadership, the people’s war spread like a prairie fire across the country.

In 1977, Com. Sison was captured by the Ferdinand Marcos dictatorship and faced 9 years to torture and solitary confinement before being released in 1986 after the overthrow of the Marcos dictatorship. In 1988, Sison was faced to seek asylum in the Netherlands after the Philippine reactionary government cancelled his passport while he was abroad on a speaking tour. Com. Sison obtained recognition as political refugee from the Dutch Council of State since 1992, and has spent 35 years in exile. While the people’s war continued, Com. Sison has faced repeated attempts at legal harassment and repression during his forced exile; he has battled and defeated and in the Dutch court system trumped up charges of multiple murder that were filed against him in 2007 — charges that were instigated by the US-Arroyo regime in the Philippines. Com. Sison later won a separate case before the European Court of Justice to have his name removed from the EU terrorist list, where it was placed in 2009. Com. Sison lived in Utrecht, Netherlands with his comrade and wife Julie de Lima with four children and grandchildren, surrounded by a community of migrant Philippine workers, and supporters and friends of the Philippine national democratic movement.

We must uphold the role played by Com. Joma as a Marxist-Leninist-Maoist icon who galvanized the proletariat engulfing the entire globe to shimmer the flame of the international communist movement as it penetrates a new phase of resurgence. Com. Joma was the principal guide in the historic two-line struggle (Second Great Rectification Movement) undertaken by the CPP in 1992 which have enabled the CPP to not divert from the revolutionary path. As CPP said “It is undeniable that in Philippine history, no one surpasses the work done by Com. Joma in rousing the Filipino people to stand up and fight. Millions of workers, peasants, petty bourgeois intellectual, ordinary employee and professional across the country rose up, joined forces and took action under the red flag and torch of the red flag. All national-democratic activists, Red fighters and Party cadres began their enlightenment and roused by the “Philippines Society and Revolution” (PSR), the most comprehensive analysis of the country’s history and conditions”.

Com. Joma’s contributions are more but these are the very important for the CPP and other revolutionaries of the world. The Philippines Society and Revolution, On Culture, Art and Literature, On the Philosophy of Marxism-Leninism-Maoism, Critique of Philippine Economy and Politics, On the People’s Democratic Revolution, On the Communist Party of the Philippines 1968-1999, On the Communist Party of the Philippines, 200-2022, On People’s War, On the United Front, On the GRP-NDFP Peace Negotiations, Socialism: Resistance and Resurgence, and On the Marcos Fascist Dictatorship, Philosophy of Marxism-Leninism-Maoism, Socialism : Resurgence and Resistance and Com. Joma wrote an invaluable essay on World Imperialism just one month before of his death. He has delivered the most insightful and lucid interviews and talks, encompassing every sphere of Marxism, Philippines and World Revolutionary movement. He defended the contribution of Marx, Engels, Lenin, Stalin and Mao from attacks of imperialists and their media. Com. Joma led and guided the international associations to advance the world socialist revolution like ILPA and ILPs. He lived for only revolution until his death. But we lost him physically on 16 Dec, 2022, nonetheless we had his rich contributions before us and glorious legacy to advance the Philippine’s revolution and people’s war.

Let us dedicate t 16th January to pay tribute to the memory of Com. Joma, the call given by the ICSPWI. Let us use this occasion to stand together, and reaffirm our determination to march forward and wave the Red flag of the revolution. Let us conduct seminars on his contributions and arrange public meetings to introduce him across the world as a great revolutionary of our time. Let us distribute leaflets and booklets with his contributions. Let us conduct cultural programs with singing songs and reading poems and performing dramas to uphold his contributions. Let the people’s armies give him salute with marching in the honor of his revolutionary life. Let us tight our belts to unite against imperialism and all its puppets to success the world revolution particularly the present danger of nuclear war or 3rd world war preparations.

Amrut,
I/C international affairs
Central Committee
CPI (Maoist)