Kabataan Partylist

Youth groups vow to defy ATL

Anti-Arroyo party list groups could be the first casualties of the Anti-Terrorism Law, a youth group warned.

Kabataan Party President Raymond Palatino said ATL gives the Arroyo government another opportunity to finally remove militant and anti-Arroyo party lists in the Lower House which emerged victorious in the recent elections despite government-initiated vilification campaign and massive vote rigging.

“Only a few marginalized groups were able to clinch representation in the 14th Congress. We fear that with the implementation of the Anti-Terrorism Law, they will be fewer before the next Congress can even start its formal session.”

He said progressive party lists like Bayan Muna, Anakpawis and Gabriela, and other anti-Arroyo groups in Congress had always been the subject of government vilification, harassment and even liquidation, as seen with the spate of extra-judicial killings and forced disappearances victimizing leaders and members of these groups.

“These groups could suffer the same fate as that of the representatives of the Democratic Alliance during the Philippine Assembly time who were expelled for their nationalist stance after being tagged as subversives. The only difference now is anti-Arroyo lawmakers will be called terrorists.”

But even more vulnerable are anti-Arroyo groups which were not able to clinch representation in this Congress and other progressive organizations, Palatino said.

“The vagueness of the law, particularly the definition of terrorism, allows more room for subjective interpretation and abuse. The human rights record and insecurity of this regime provide little assurance that this government will not use the law to go after its critics.”

Meanwhile, Palatino said Kabataan and other student groups have already started a massive information campaign in various schools in the country to expose the flaws of ATL.

“The youth and students will not be cowed and we are prepared and determined to defy any law that curtails civil liberties and political rights. We have already defied the No-Permit-No-Rally policy, Calibrated Preemptive Response and Presidential Proclamation 1017. No amount of intimidation and threat or any draconian measure can make us think otherwise.”

He said Kabataan Party and other youth and student groups will join the multi-sectoral rally against ATL on July 13.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 11th, 2007 at 8:57 am and is filed under News and Press releases, DemRights. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.