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Withdraw from all military and ‘security’ accords with Australia
Statement by Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP - Solidarity of Filipino Workers) - December 5, 2002
In a blatant show of imperial arrogance Australian Prime Minister John Howard has declared that he would launch "pre-emptive" strikes against terrorist threats in South East Asia. "Preemptive strike" is nothing more than a code word for brazenly violating the national sovereignty of Third World nations, which is now the centerpiece of the post-September 11 doctrine of the Bush gang in the White House, as it seeks to strengthen US global hegemony and world domination. The Australian government intends to piggyback on the US, in order to grab for itself a piece of the action.
Australia has historically always assumed the role of regional super-cop policing the Asia-Pacific region in the interests of imperialism. It has been the United States’ loyal junior partner, assisting the US in its wars of intervention against every single attempt by the peoples of the region in their struggles to overthrow the yoke of foreign domination, from Malaya and Korea, to Vietnam, Cambodia, East Timor and Bougainville. Australia has also played a key role in backing the Suharto dictatorship in Indonesia. Australia dominates the economies of the Pacific, being the number one exploiter of the economies and the peoples of countries such as Papua New Guinea and Fiji. Australia is also an integral part of the US global military network, through its membership of the ANZUS alliance and other military agreements that have provided key military facilities, including bases, for US intervention in different parts of the world. Australian bases at Pine Gap in South Australia will be used against a US war on Iraq.
In the last few decades Australian capitalism’s investments in the region have increased substantially, and it has sought to increase its own regional hegemony vis-à-vis other powers in the region, especially Europe and Japan. It has sought to increase its markets in Indonesia by backing the Suharto dictatorship (until the embarrassing end), is the largest investor in East Timor and the main contestant for oil in the Timor Gap, is positioning itself for a slice of the Chinese market, and is a major threat to rice and sugar producers in the Philippines. The Australian government has now gleefully seized the opportunity provided it by the post-September 11 events and the Bali terrorist attacks to increase its regional hegemony.
It’s not easy to take the puny Australian Prime Minister seriously and one is even tempted to brush aside his comments. But John Howard not withstanding, the Australian government’s record in the region indicates that this is the thinking of Australia’s capitalist rulers and they are serious about using every opportunity to put their plans into action.
Any military or security agreement that the Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (GMA) regime signs with the Australian government will only benefit Australian capitalist interests and will be detrimental to the interests of the Philippine nation and its people.
The GMA regimes response should go beyond mere words of indignation and if its words are not mere rhetoric, then it must act. It should immediately withdraw from signing any accords under the pretext of combating terrorism. No to the signing of any military and/or "security" pacts with Australia!
We also demand that the GMA regime review all existing trade agreements with Australia and withdraw from those that are detrimental to the Philippines and its people. Already our rice farmers, sugar farmers and other food producers are reeling under the impact of cheap Australian agricultural products that are flooding the local markets.
Finally, we can only be cynical about the words of indignation by the GMA regime to John Howard’s statement. After all, Australia is merely following the Bush gang’s doctrine. While the government condemns (albeit only through words) the Australian government, it praises the US government’s actions and kneels at Washington’s feet with begging bowl in hand in a sickening display of servility to US interests. Now that the US has given its support to John Howard’s threat of attacks against Philippine sovereignty, will the GMA regime backtrack even on its words? It will come as no big surprise if it does.
The BMP has just marked Bonifacio Day on November 30. One of the lessons of the 1896 revolution is how the ilustrados betrayed the people and the nation. The ilustrados’ regime of GMA is merely continuing this treacherous tradition as it betrays the people and the nation’s sovereignty. Statement of the Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipin
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