Friday, August 31, 2007 Speak out: Arrest of Jose Ma. Sison By Teddy Casiño Bayan Muna
MY party and I are shocked at what appears to be a gestapo-like crackdown on Prof. Jose Maria Sison and his colleagues in the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) peace panel by agents of the Dutch government yesterday.
We believe that the crackdown is politically-motivated upon the behest of the Arroyo government with the objective of further undermining the peace talks between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the NDFP.
It is of public knowledge that the hawks in the Arroyo Cabinet, led by National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales and Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, as well as the top brass of the Armed Forces of the Philippines led by Gen. Hermogenes Esperon, have shunned the peace talks and pushed for the escalation of military actions against the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-NDFP.
For them, the peace talks are for the sole purpose of demanding the surrender of the NDFP without addressing the root causes of the armed conflict, which should be the main objective of any serious peace process.
We are saddened that the Dutch authorities have allowed themselves to be used for this insidious plan to vilify Sison and the NDFP and scuttle the peace talks.
We believe it is highly irregular for the Dutch government to have arrested Sison, searched his home and office and seized his files and equipment as well as those of his colleagues' without so much as a case filed against them in any Dutch court.
We call on the Dutch government to fully respect the rights of Sison, the NDFP peace panel and their staff.
We call on the Philippine and Dutch governments to stop the crackdown and the continued political persecution of Sison and the NDFP peace panel.
We call on the Filipino people to be vigilant against similar efforts to scuttle the peace talks and vilify persons and groups struggling for genuine peace based on justice.
