Political Strategy and the Political Negotiations

  • Pepe Manalo

Abstract

The paper discusses how revolutionaries must comprehend how the sudden shift in the political situation at the aftermath of the February revolution to prepare refinements in revolutionary strategy and utilize new forms of struggle. The fascist rule was replaced by a bourgeois democratic regime overnight, which made such promises: the new democratic republic will represent the interests of all classes equally; free competition of ideologies and political programs; naked force will not be the main instrument of political rule, and so on. The Communist Party has yet to qualitatively rebound from the loss of political momentum it suffered as a result of the boycott blunder. To regain initiative, the Party must enrich its understanding of the specific characteristics of the Philippine revolutionary process, wherein the framework of national struggle is against imperialism. History necessitated that the struggle against fascism and for a democratic government be pursued as a substage in the national democratic struggle – a transition form for eventual political dominance which in turn is the basis to proceed step-by-step to socialist transformation. The Party must determine the form of struggle most appropriate to the prevailing conditions. In this case, from armed struggle there is a need to shift to the unarmed form as a means to educate the masses, through their own political experience, ultimately seize revolutionary power by force. The paper proposes strategy and tactics to approach political negotiations with the current conditions and as well as an alternative to the peace negotiations.
Published
2007-11-28
Section
Features

Keywords

popular democracy; forms of struggle; class struggle; Marxism; political strategy; political negotiations