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2nd AGJS: A BIG STEP FORWARD FOR THE IIRE-MANILA
The 21-day 2nd Asian Global
Justice School of the IIREManila,
last August 1 to 21,
2010, was a big step forward
towards the realization of the
mission of the institution. In
terms of the preparation, attendance,
participation, program and
discussion, no doubt it can be
concluded that the 2nd AGJS was a
big improvement from the previous
one.
It should be remembered
that the IIRE-Manila was established
two (2) years ago,
primarily to serve as a venue
where activists, progressive
forces and scholars in Asia
and the Pacific, from different
traditions, could come
together more accessibly
and spend time discussing,
debating and assessing different
experiences, frameworks and paradigms of different
movements towards the
emancipation of all oppressed
peoples of the
world.
The preparation of the 2nd
AGJS was more of a collective
one. Four (4) fraternal
Asian organizations, namely
the IIRE-Manila, the Hong-Kong based The Association for the Advancement of Research
in Marxism, the JRCL and the Labor Party Pakistan
(LPP), co-signed and organized the said school. They also
helped in raising finances and materials such as magazines and
books for the school.
The 2nd AGJS was attended by eleven (11) participants, five
(5) resource-persons/participants and six (6) resource persons.
Majority of these attendees came from different movements
in Asia; with different traditions and specific contexts.
The participants are as follows: four (4) from the Philippines:
three (3) from the Philippine section, all women (1 each
from the Bangsamoro, the Indigenous People particularly
from the Teduray Tribe, and from the Majority Nationality)
assigned to different lines of works; and one (1) from other
Left block the PMP (Filipino Worker’s Party)/SANLAKAS;
one (1) from Japan, a young sympathizer of the JRCL; one (1)
from Taiwan from the organization called Worker’s Democracy
Association – a contact of our section in Hong Kong;
two (2) from Indonesia: one (1) from the KPRM-PRD (The
Political Committee of the Poor-People’s Democratic Party)
which was formed in 2008 as a result of the expulsion of the
13 founders of the KPRM-PRD from the “old” PRD, and the
other one is from the People’s Solidarity Network (PSN),
mainly based in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, which was linked to us
by the JRCL; One (1) from the Labour Party Pakistan (LPP),
who is part of leadership of one of LPP’s Provincial formations;
One (1) from the Communist Party of Bangladesh–Marxist Leninist (CPB-ML), who is also in the secretariat of
their large peasant federation called the Bangladesh Kesiok
Federation (BKF), which was linked to us by comrade
Gerhard Klas of the ISL, who was able to visit them in Bangladesh
years back, and; One (1) from the NSSP, who is a journalist
and active in Journalists Union.
The program was also an improvement of the first school, as
it was more structured and more systematic. It was divided
into three (3) parts: context, movements and on alternative
organizing for change. The set-up of the program, as well as
the specific topics, opened the discussions on the most urgent
and pressing questions faced, not just by Asian movements,
but by all movements in the world. These are the developing
role of China, the Palestine question, on the LGBT
especially in the Asian context, fundamentalism, the struggle
for Climate Justice, on the different forms of struggles and
revolutionary strategies, the so-called 21st century Socialism,
among others. Discussions were also richer due to the mixture
of participants, who came from various traditions, experiences
and contexts.
With the success of the 2nd AGJS, a much better 3rd AGJS is
in the offing, as participating organizations committed to help,
in any way possible, for the realization of the 3rd AGJS next
year.
10 organizations likely to endorse the 3rd AGJS!
With much enthusiasm, participants of the 2nd
AGJS committed to lobby with their respected
organizations to endorse the 3rd Asian Global Justice
School targeted to be on July 17 to August 7
next year. The target date of the next school was
collectively suggested by the participants during
the evaluation period of the 2nd school.
These participants who were present during the
evaluation period, majority of them came from Asia,
are from the following organizations: the Japan Revolutionary
Communist League (JRCL), The Association
for the Advancement of Research in Marxism in Hong
Kong, The Workers Democracy Association in Taiwan,
the Political Committee of the Poor – People’s
Democratic Party (KPRM-PRD) of Indonesia, the People’s
Solidarity Network of Indonesia,
the Communist Party of Bangladesh–Marxist Leninist (CPB-ML),
the Labor Party Pakistan (LPP), the
NSSP of Sri Lanka, the Socialist Alternative
Politics of The Netherlands
and the New Anti-Capitalist
Party (NPA) of France.
The commitment of the participants
is a great effort towards a more
collective project among fraternal
organizations in the Asia-Pacific. It
could foster closer and more dynamic
relations among these organizations,
which could go beyond
endorsing and co-organizing schools
in the future.
The endorsement of these organizations
is seen as very vital for the
success of the target 3rd AGJSl, as
it will aid in inviting more organizations
and in raising much needed
funds, especially for the airfare of
third world participants. Among
others, participants already committed
to contact their links and
networks in Australia, South Korea,
India, Nepal and Malaysia.
Other organizations interested to
endorse the next school are also
welcome.
Asian Global Justice School in Manila 2010: Putting the Pieces of World’s Problems
By Zely Ariane
The never ending traffic jams of Quezon
City, Philippines, found its ‘compensation’
in the second Asian Global Justice School
on August 2-2 1.
Representing the Political Committee of
the Poor-People’s Democratic Party
(KPRM-PRD), along with 10 other left
activists from Taiwan, the Philippines, Sri
Lanka, Bangladesh, Japan and Pakistan,
I participated in a three-week school in
Manila organised by International Institute
for Research and Education (IIRE)-Manila.
The participants came from a variety of
revolutionary organisations and parties
with different traditions, engaging in
different areas of national struggle. Some
were peasant organisers, labour and
women’s activists while others worked on
rural issues or conflict areas.
Covering 16 key topics, the school was
inspiring and rich in content, consolidating
revolutionary ideas and putting the
pieces of world’s problems together into
a revolutionary Marxist perspective and
posing socialist solutions.
No other phase in this civilised world
where discussing Marxism and Socialism
find its exactness in the ongoing world
crisis under capitalism and imperialism.
Fukuyama ‘end of history’ analysis has
also paralysed in the presence of ‘the
beginning of new history’ presented by
ongoing people’s resistance in Latin
America, especially in Cuba, Venezuela,
Bolivia, and Ecuador against imperialism
and, at the same time, struggling to create
something
new:
socialism in
21st century.
The topics
at the
school were
broken into
three categories:
the
context of
the struggle
which is
Asian in the
context of
the global
political and
e c o n omi c
situation, the movement of struggle and
organizing for change.
The first category covered: the Asia and
world economic crisis — which concentrated
on the China phenomenon; the
impact of imperialism and globalisation in
the past and present; international migration
— characterised by the history of
migration in relation to the development
of capitalism and the impact of the current
crisis; religion and religious movements
— how to differentiate reactionary
and progressive religious movements
in the context of national struggles;
class composition in Asia — who
are the working class in a planet of
slums?
In the second category covered six topics:
the rural question and the role of
the peasantry — which described the
present conjuncture of agriculture, and
what is peasantry today and its movements;
the opportunities for NGOs –
looking at their role in civil society and
the question of political power; feminism
— the specifics and class oppression
of women; trade union struggles in
Asia — the state of labour struggle in
Asia and the possibilities of moving forward;
nationalism and national liberation
– differentiating between the two
and the role of the working class poor
and other popular and oppressed sectors
in the struggle for national liberation;
Marxism and ecology — how to link
the two and unfolding ecological crisis
as a direct impact of capitalism.
The final category consisted of five topics
on revolutionary strategies with Latin
America examples – the strategy of
struggle for socialism with examples;
internationalism and the global justice
movement – looking at the state of the
international movement today and the
need for international cooperation;
movements and the dialectic of reform
and revolution on how to win revolutionary
programs by reaching out as many
as possible people in
the movements, as
well as the relationship
between the
party and the movements;
revolutionary
parties and the international
on the context
of building revolutionary
parties and
the need for international
collaboration;
21st century socialism
— how to build
socialism and learn from the mistakes of
socialism in the 20th century, and the
importance elements will be in creating
it. There was also an additional and importance
discussions were about lesbian,
gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT)
issues related to capitalism and an exchange
of country experiences.
Also participating in the school were left
speakers from a variety of backgrounds
such as Peter Wang from the Association
for the Advancement of Research in
Marxism in Hong Kong, Kenji Kunitomi
from the Japan Revolutionary Communist
League (JRCL), Piet Engelschman and
Alex de Jong from the Netherlands Socialist
Alternative Politics (SAP), Pierre
Rousset from the New Anti Capitalist
Party in France, Philippines left-leaders
Ricardo Reyes and Frank Pascual, Philippines
women’s activists Yennah Torres,
Walden Bello Ph. D representing the Akbayan
Party List from the Philippines,
Wilson Fortalesa from the Philippines
Partido ng Manggagawa and Richard
Solis from IIRE Manila.
The warm and comradely discussion between
participants was enhanced by
placing the topics in the context of Asian
countries, or the semi-colonial countries,
where we are conducting our day-to-day
struggle. The topics such as Religion &
Religious Movement, Rural Question,
NGO’s, Women and LGBT issues, Nationalism
& National Liberation, Strategy and
Latin America Examples, Party and The
Movement, and 21st Century Socialism
were the most interesting discussed.
Asian countries have the largest number
of poor in the world (and the most smallfarmers
and peasants) with the biggest
number of NGO’s intervening, with some
of the most backward cultures and dynamic
people’s movements
and left organisations. Much of the
discussion related to
how organise these
into the movement of
revolt.
There were however
many issues that
needed to be discussed
further, particularly
with regard
to economic relations
and class, imperialism, the oppression of
women and LGBT, and revolutionary
strategy. And this need became clear
over the discussion during the
school. It was also an occasion
to recharge and challenge
ones understanding of both
theory and practice and essential
for the future of revolutionar
y soc ial i s t s t ruggle.
There are many new and
young left activists joining the
movement and revolutionary
organisations, often without
really understanding the history
of their own left traditions,
or in countries with no specific
left tradition.
The school was an excellent opportunity
to put forward different approaches and
views but did not attempt to create a
uniformity of perspectives. Rather, it was
a tool for learning from each other and
bringing these lessons into the national
context of struggle and challenging them
in the nat ional di scus s ions .
It was also an opportunity to learn and
discuss historical revolutionary lessons in
order to build the revolutionary party and
the movement for today that is democratic,
broad but at the same time radical.
Zely Ariane is the national spokesperson
for the Political Committee of the
Poor-Peoples Democratic Party; member
of Free Women organization.]
IIRE-Manila, Asian Organizations to organize Series of Seminars
Inspired by the various discussions during the 2nd Asian Global
Justice School, the IIRE-Manila and some Asian organizations
are planning to have various seminars within this year and
early next year before the targeted date of the 3rd AGJS.
The seminars are intended to give more in-depth and focused
discussions on issues and questions related to the Rise of
China, the Migrant Workers in/of Asia, the Bolivarian Revolution
and its Fight against US imperialism and the Electoral
form of Struggle in the Asian Context. Hopefully, the proposed
seminars could open more rooms for cooperation and partnership
within and among participating organizations in relation to
the questions at hand.
The respective seminars, which will be held in Manila, will be
two to three days each. Participants will be from fraternal Asia-
Pacific organizations and from the broad left and civil society
organizations in the Philippines, but also open to other interested
organizations. Invitations, programs and concept papers
will be sent out soon.
A THANK YOU NOTE
The IIRE-Manila and the participants of the 2nd
AGJS would like to express our collective gratitude
to all those who supported the 2nd school,
either morally, logistically and financially. Without
your support, the 2nd school would not be as
fruitful as it was.
Thank you so much!
CALL FOR DONATION
The IIRE-Manila is still building up its resource
materials. We will be happy to accept donations
in the form of books, magazines, publications,
manuscripts, electronic copy documents and
multi-media resource materials. Donors will be
acknowledged. Rest assured that the resource
materials will be putted to progressive
use. Donors can contact us through email at
iiremanila iire.org.
IIRE-Manila
IN THE
SERVICE
OF ALL
PROGRESSIVE
FORCES IN THE
PHILIPPINES,
IN ASIA
AND THE
WORLD
80-A Malumanay Street,
Teacher’s Village West,
Diliman, Quezon City,
Philippines
Phone/Fax: (02) 434 -7351
Email: iiremanila iire.org
www.iiremanila.org
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