Sison denies Duterte offered coalition govt with CPP

From The Manila Times (Dec 9, 2020): Sison denies Duterte offered coalition govt with CPP (By Dempsey Reyes)

COMMUNIST Party of the Philippines (CPP) founder Jose Maria “Joma” Sison denied President Rodrigo Duterte’s pronouncements that the CPP was eyeing a coalition government.

In a statement late Tuesday, Sison denied that neither the CPP nor the National Democratic Front and the New People’s Army (NPA), the political and armed groups respectively of the communist movement proposed the idea.

Sison responded to the President’s pre-recorded speech on Monday night, when he cited that the reason why he walked away from the peace negotiations was the rebels had demanded a coalition government.

It was at this time that Duterte said he would no longer think of declaring a ceasefire with the communists, which the Armed Forces of the Philippines welcomed.

But for Sison, the President’s remarks were not accurate, noting that it was Duterte himself who had insisted in forming a coalition government with the CPP.

“It was Duterte who kept blabbering about joining a coalition government with the Communist Party of the Philippines when he was an unreliable and unstable bureaucrat capitalist ally and was ingratiating himself with the revolutionary movement as a Davao City mayor and when he was seeking the support of the legal democratic forces when he ran for presidency,” the self-exiled communist leader said.

“At no time has the subject of coalition government ever been taken up with Duterte or any of his predecessors as president in the course of the peace negotiations,” he added.

Sison also said that Duterte was “lying” when he said that he “offered a place in what he imagines was an invitation to a coalition government,” adding the President “could not even qualify” as an NDF consultant.

Responding to the government’s decision not to declare a ceasefire, Sison said it would be “good” for the NPA to be reminded by no less than Duterte in walking away from the peace talks and even a truce.

He cited Duterte’s two proclamations issued in 2017 that terminated the peace talks and tagged the CPP-NPA as terrorist organizations.

“Imitating his idol Marcos, he [Duterte]has to go on an all-out war and on a campaign of state terrorism under the pretext of anti-communism in order to realize absolute power and absolute corruption,” Sison said.

https://www.manilatimes.net/2020/12/09/news/latest-stories/sison-denies-duterte-offered-coalition-govt-with-cpp/807415/