By Prof. Jose Maria Sison
Chairperson
International League of Peoples’ Struggle
27 January 2010
On behalf of the International League of Peoples’ Struggle (ILPS), I express warmest greetings of solidarity to the officers and member-organizations of Migrante-Australia on the occasion of its Second General Assembly.
We appreciate the aptness and timeliness of your conference theme: Boldly advance migrants’ rights and welfare and build a strong Filipino movement in Australia!
It is of urgent necessity that you aim to strengthen your alliance, expand and further consolidate your work among the Filipino migrants through united and coordinated actions.
You can anticipate bigger problems and bigger challenges as a result of the rapidly worsening crisis in the Philippines and the whole world. You must strengthen your ranks and develop closer solidarity relations with the host people and progressive forces.
We are hopeful that through the conference you can deepen your understanding of the Philippine socio-economic and political conditions which cause Filipinos to migrate to Australia and other countries.
The semicolonial and semifeudal character of Philippine society means the constant oppression and exploitation of the Filipino people by the imperialists and the local reactionary classes of big compradors and landlords.
The conditions of chronic crisis, underdevelopment and widespread poverty persist. There is no industrial development to provide jobs to the ever growing labor force. Thus, many people leave their families to work abroad.
But right now, the crisis of the world capitalist system is worsening at an accelerated rate. The economic and political conditions can become more difficult for the Filipino migrant workers. Thus, more than ever there is an urgent need for them to unite and fight for their rights and interests.
We urge you to exchange information and experiences about organizing work among your member-organizations and develop a comprehensive and profound knowledge of the situation of Filipino migrants in the whole of Australia.
We are confident that you further learn the skills for arousing, organizing and mobilizing the Filipino migrants and their friends and that you reaffirm and resolve to implement the GPOA 2012-2114.
You must hone your ability to evaluate and raise higher your consciousness, your organizing capabilities and your militancy in order prepare and strengthen yourselves fo carrying out your tasks.
We wish you the utmost success in your conference. May this lead to greater successes in your work and struggles to uphold, defend and advance the rights and welfare of the Filipino migrant workers in Australia.###
