No let up against PGMA and elite politics

July 19, 2005



Workers take to the street again today to remind the country that despite the killing of the wiretap inquiry in the House of Representatives and the jueteng probe in the Senate, the calls for PGMA's resignation will not let up!

The seeming temporary respite she got from the apparent taming of the bishops' and military ranks will not dampen the outrage stemming from her discredited administration. At the end of the day, it will still be the majority of the people -- who cannot be assured that her continued stay in power will to lift them out of poverty -- which will oust her from Malacañang. The bishops and the military are not the people, and it is precisely for this reason that the Alliance of Progressive Labor (APL), in conjunction with the Solidarity of Unions and Labor Organizations for a New Government (SULONG-Laban ng Masa), are once more out on the streets to point out again and again that it is PGMA herself who is causing the gravest damage to the economy because of the political uncertainty surrounding her continued strangle hold on the Presidency.

This administration is in tatters precisely because on top of the scandals hounding Arroyo, her anti-worker policies have eroded public trust and unmasked her sustainable development rhetoric. From her government's fascist crackdown on legitimate dissent, to the unbridled liberalization of dozens of industries, resulting in retrenchment, depleted wages, and suppression of workers' rights, her connivance with big business and crony interests comes as no so surprise that PGMA remains unpopular. If we are to make a turn around, then it can only be if PGMA is out of the picture.

Yet we are equally aware that the ouster of GMA opens the gates to the assertion of the same elite politics that she represents at the moment. The only way to really move forward is by doing away with both the Arroyo camp and the equally suspect opposition, and letting the people decide on how they want to be governed. A purely civilian transition government can be put in place and pave the way for elections later that will replace the elite now in power with representatives from workers and other basic sectors. Without this process, we are doomed to repeat the failed opportunities of EDSA 1 and 2.

The Alliance of Progressive Labor reiterates that ousting PGMA must necessarily translate into the total repudiation of elite politics. There is a way out of this crisis, but the trapos holding sway over national discourse must not be allowed to remain in control. This is the essence of the message we seek to bring across as we rally in Ayala today in preparation for PGMA's SONA on July 25. Similar mobilizations of APL members in key cities, such as Cebu and Davao, will also take place today.

And for this message to ring louder and clearer, we will stage a nationwide paralysis on July 25 to counter the lies and desperate attempts to pacify the people's outrage under the guise of "ongoing reforms" that we expect GMA to peddle on her SONA. Workers under the APL and its allies in SULONG will not rest until GMA and her ilk are ousted from power and a genuinely worker-friendly government is put in their stead.