By Jose Maria Sison
Chairperson
International League of Peoples’ Struggle
10 March 2012
Dear Colleagues,
1. Introduction. Since the last meeting of the International Coordinating Committee (ICC), the crisis of global capitalism has become worse. The imperialist powers have clung to the neoliberal economic policy and have continued to aggravate the economic and financial crisis. They make the people of the world suffer as a result of intensified plunder and wars of aggression. The people are therefore waging various forms of resistance.
More than ever before the International League of Peoples’ Struggle (ILPS) is needed to undertake political education, organization, mass mobilization and expansion of fraternal relations. The ILPS has engaged in various forms of educational work to shed light on the nature of imperialism, to show the direction of the struggle and to rouse the people to action. It has sought to expand and consolidate its organizational strength. It has engaged in campaigns and activities to mobilize the people in cooperation with other forces.
2. Political Education. In accordance with the ILPS Charter and the General Declaration proclaimed by the Fourth International Assembly, the Chairperson as chief representative and spokesperson of the ILPS has expressed the ILPS position on important issues through press statements, speeches, messages, letters and interviews. The list of these is attached hereto.
In their respective spheres, the commissions, the national chapters and member-organizations have issued statements and resolutions on issues. They have undertaken research, information campaigns, seminars and conferences for the purpose of political education. We receive today the reports which refer to these efforts at political education.
3. Organization. We are proud to have some hundreds of member-organizations . These make us one of the largest and most significant anti-imperialist formations in the world. But we wish to grow and become stronger. The ILPS By Laws and the pertinent memorandum of the Chairperson can sufficiently guide us in increasing our member-organizations and building the national chapters and global region committees.
The Chairperson has encouraged ILPS member-organizations to establish national chapters. The latest development is that the member-organizations in the U.S. are in the process of establishing their national chapter. The Chairperson has also authorized Ms. Julia Camagong as his special representative for Latin America and the Caribbean in order to oversee and facilitate the expansion and consolidation of the ILPS in various countries in the region.
We need to discuss how to to raise the general level of our organizational strength . In many countries, we still do not have member-organizations. We can discuss how to bring these about by scanning the global regions. Let us exchange ideas and information on how to start getting member-organizations in such global regions as Middle East, Africa, Central Asia and Eastern Europe and such countries as China and Russia.
4. Mobilization. The commissions, global region committees, national chapters and member-organization of the ILPS have taken initiatives or participated in calling for and carrying out campaigns and activities in order to mobilize the people on the basis of issues or sectoral and multisectoral interests. We hope that their reports and recommendations can give us good insights and overview to enable us to make decisions and resolution.
We expect that the reports on campaigns and activities for the purpose of mass mobilization refer to the issues and information drives, the co-participants and the various forms of activities, including forums, seminars, conferences and mass rallies. We pay close attention to the development of the united front on a sectoral, national and international scale. The united front amplifies the strength of the ILPS as well as that of the allies.
New committees as well as new organizations can arise as a result of united front work and the related campaigns and activities. Some of the commissions of the ILPS have succeeded in organizing international seminars and conferences and have gone as far launching new international organizations on the basis of issues and sectoral interests.
5. Fraternal Relations. In the spirit of international solidarity and in accordance with the united front policy, the ILPS maintains and develops fraternal relations with other international anti-imperialist and democratic formations, such as the International Action Center, the Asia-Wide Campaign, the International Anti-Imperialist Coordinating Committee (IACC, formerly the International Anti-Imperialist People’s Solidarity Committee), the International Coordination of Revolutionary Parties and Organizations (ICOR), the United National Action Committee Against War (UNAC) the Bolivarian movement in Latin America and various people’s associations for solidarity with Asia, Africa and Latin America.
The Chairperson has overseen ILPS relations with the ICOR, resulting in the issuance of joint calls for international action on the issue of nuclear power plants and weapons. He has authorized the Vice Chairperson for External Relations to attend the Dhaka conference of the IACC and establish the fraternal relations of IACC and the ILPS. The special representative for Latin America and the Caribbean is authorized not only to encourage the recruitment of ILPS member-organizations but also to develop solidarity relations with the Bolivarian movement.###