Submission to Australian Dept of Foreign Affairs on the listing of the Communist Party of the Philippines

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Remove the Communist Party of the Philippines from the terrorist list for financial asset freezing.

The Communist Party of Australia (Marxist-Leninist) demands the immediate removal of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) from the DFAT terrorist list.

The CPP is not a terrorist organization, but a legal party representing the interests of the working class and farmers of the Philippines.   Despite its legal status, it is subjected to violent suppression by the reactionary Filipino ruling class. 

The guiding ideology of the CPP is Marxism-Leninism-Mao Zedong Thought. Marxism-Leninism condemns acts of terrorism and distinguishes between these and the armed struggles conducted by oppressed peoples. It is a characteristic of the latter that they do not indiscriminately target ordinary people, and that they are conducted according to ethical standards upheld by the revolutionary leadership.

In particular, a Communist Party guided by the ideology of Marxism-Leninism-Mao Zedong Thought is expected to base its actions on the needs and desires of the broadest sections of the population, and not act in any way that could lead to the isolation of the party from the masses.

This was explained in these terms by Mao Zedong:

"To link oneself with the masses, one must act in accordance with the needs and wishes of the masses. All work done for the masses must start from their needs and not from the desire of any individual, however well-intentioned. It often happens that objectively the masses need a certain change, but subjectively they are not yet conscious of the need, not yet willing or determined to make the change. In such cases, we should wait patiently. We should not make the change until, through our work, most of the masses have become conscious of the need and are willing and determined to carry it out. Otherwise we shall isolate ourselves from the masses. Unless they are conscious and willing, any kind of work that requires their participation will turn out to be a mere formality and will fail.... There are two principles here: one is the actual needs of the masses rather than what we fancy they need, and the other is the wishes of the masses, who must make up their own minds instead of our making up their minds for them." 
"The United Front in Cultural Work" (October 30, 1944), Selected Works, Vol. III, pp. 236-37.

The CPP is not a terrorist organization and does not engage in indiscriminate acts of terror.

It has been placed on the DFAT list because Australian governments slavishly follow the dictates of US imperialism.  No justification for the CPP’s inclusion on the list has been offered by DFAT except for the following statement jointly issued by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Attorney-General on October 28, 2002 :

“The latest list includes organisations and individuals linked to Al Qaida and the Taliban and a number of internationally recognised foreign terrorist organisations, including Jemaah Islamiyah and the Communist Party of the Philippines.

“Similar action has been and continues to be taken by the United States, the European Union and other countries”.

This is entirely lacking in credibility, lacks any pretence at justification, and merely confirms that Australia lacks the capacity for independent decision-making in respect of foreign policy.

The Communist Party of Australia (Marxist-Leninist) expresses its solidarity with the CPP and calls for its immediate removal from the DFAT list of terrorist organizations and individuals.

The Australian Government must cease interfering in the internal affairs of sovereign nations, cease acting as a cheerleader for US imperialism, and display some self-respect as a sovereign and independent nation in its own right.

Central Committee
Communist Party of Australia (Marxist-Leninist)
July 11, 2013

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