Report of the Chairperson to the 6th ILPS General Assembly

Dear Colleagues and distinguished guests,

Let me reiterate the warm greetings of welcome already expressed by our First Vice Chairperson Len Cooper at the opening of this historic event: the 6th International Assembly of our League.

This is a happy occasion to celebrate the achievements that have made our League the largest and most significant international alliance of mass organizations engaged in anti-imperialist and democratic struggle.

The Historic Role of ILPS

Since its founding upon its First International Assembly in Zutphen, The Netherlands from May 25 to 27, the International League of Peoples’ Struggle (ILPS) has grown in strength and proven itself as a reliable force of the people of the world in their struggle for greater freedom, democracy, social justice, all-round development and International solidarity against imperialism and all reaction.

We have stood firmly, spoken clearly and acted militantly in defense of the political, civil, economic, social and cultural rights of the people against the depredations of monopoly capitalism, the unbridled greed unleashed by neoliberalism, the ceaseless wars of aggression, and the plunder and environmental ruination by US imperialism and its allies and puppets.

Delegates of the ILPS 6th International Assembly give outgoing chair Jose Ma. Sison a standing ovation after his report to the plenary. The assembly declared JMS as Chair Emeritus of the ILPS, upon the end of his term as current chair.

We have seen how US imperialism took advantage of its position as sole superpower in a unipolar world in the aftermath of the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. It has generated crises, unleashed wars of aggression, and inadvertently undermined its own privileged position through reckless military spending, accelerated its strategic decline and given way to a multipolar world.

Since the financial meltdown of 2008, the accelerated US strategic decline has become conspicuous and the inter-imperialist contradictions have intensified. The rise of new imperialist powers like China and Russia, and the wanton abuse of finance capital in futile attempts to override the crisis of production have led to the escalation of the oppression and exploitation of the working people.

In view of these conditions, the broad masses of the people are increasing their resistance against imperialism and all reaction. They are fighting back even as the imperialists and reactionaries are resorting to all forms of schemes and devices, including reformism and terrorism, to head off the rise of the revolutionary movements of the people.

Jose Maria Sison
Prof. Jose Maria Sison is a Filipino patriot, a proletarian revolutionary and internationalist. He is a Filipino statesman, known for his experience in and knowledge of the people's democratic government and revolutionary forces in the Philippines. He is sometimes consulted by high officials of foreign governments and by presidents, senators, congressmen and local officials of the Philippine reactionary government concerning peace negotiations with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) and related matters.