The Department of Interior and Local Government’s "preventive suspension" of Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay and his entire city council based on flimsy administrative charges marks the height of the Arroyo government’s "mad dog" campaign to cripple the political opposition by all means.

This follows the government’s recent move to charge 50 civilians and military officers with rebellion including the former President of the University of the Philippines and the Chairperson of Laban ng Masa (Struggle of the Masses), Dr. Francisco Nemenzo. At the same time, the spate of political killings against leftist activists and personalities remains unabated.

Laban ng Masa views these series of attack on the political opposition as a schematic ploy of the Arroyo government to silence her critics by using an arsenal of legal, extra-legal and criminal means. The “preventive suspension" of the entire Makati city council manifests Arroyo’s grave abuse of discretion and disrespect for the rule of law and due process. The rebellion case that implicates academicians, businessmen and leaders of people’s movements like Dr. Nemenzo with the so-called failed coup de etat is a veiled maneuver to discredit legitimate political dissent. The extra-judicial killings of activists including most recently of Bishop Ramento are not only a threat on people’s civil and political liberties but are heinous crimes committed against unarmed civilians

Laban ng Masa calls on the people and all anti-GMA forces to mount a broad opposition to resist the Arroyo government’s heightened and multi-pronged policy of political repression.

According to Dr. Nemenzo, “if Gloria Macapagal Arroyo thinks that by harassing the leaders of the opposition, the people will stop protesting. She must be joking…"

“No threat of imprisonment, preventive suspension or extra-judicial killing will inhibit us from speaking out against her illegitimate, corrupt and oppressive regime", Nemenzo added.

Laban ng Masa affirms its conviction that the only way to resist political repression and for genuine justice to reign in this ravaged nation, is to get rid of this illegitimate regime and establish a broad-based and reform-oriented transitional revolutionary government.

Democratic Left in the Philippines:

Laban ng Masa (Struggle of the Masses) - http://www.labanngmasa.org
Akbayan! (Citizens Action Party) - http://www.akbayan.org/
Anak-Mindanao (Sons & Daughters of Mindanao) - http://www.anakmindanao.com/
BISIG (Union of Filipino Socialists) - http://www.filipinosocialist.org/
Freedom from Debt Coalition (FDC) - http://www.freedomfromdebtcoalition.org/
Institute for Popular Democracy (IPD) - http://ipd.org.ph/main/
Kalayaan (Freedom!) - http://www.geocities.com/makakalayaan/
KPD (Movement for National Democracy) - http://kilusan-para-sa-pambansang-demokrasya.blogspot.com/
Partido ng Manggagawa - PM (Workers Party) - http://www.partidongmanggagawa.org.ph/
Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates (PAHRA) - http://www.philippinehumanrights.org/
Youth Empowerment & Solidarity Towards Change (Yes2Change) - http://www.yes2change.org