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STRATEGIES FOR ACTION
SELF-UNDERSTANDING
OF WSCF-IMCS
1. We must situate our self-understanding
within the context of the Asian struggle: the struggle for a more just
and humane society.
2. We are MOVEMENTS, not
associations, clubs or fellowships. A movement does not belong to the status
quo. A movement works for change, for structural and personal change in
society.
3. Being movements
for change, we must be actively involved in the struggle of the Asian masses at
the national/local level. We must identify our interests with those of the
workers and the peasants.
4. We are motivated
by our Christian faith. This means that CHRIST is the common factor in our
motivation to engage in the Asian struggle. In this sense, we are a Christian
movement.
5. How does faith
relate to politics? To be involved in the struggle is to be involved in
politics; not to be involved is also a political option. Since faith demands of
us to be with and work with the people, we are necessarily, involved with the humanisation of people, which is a political task.
Nevertheless, our movements are not political parties.
6. Our
concerns:
a) We should seek for
more fruitful and relevant ways of involvement in the Asian struggle.
b) We should
seek a dialogue between faith and ideology.
c) We should
seek for new theological expressions of our involvement, particularly a demythologised understanding of the Bible.
d) We should create models of spiritual
growth and development which relate the struggle for liberation in society to
our faith.
e) We should seek
ways of revitalising our presence within the Church
and of renewing and co-operating within it by:
i) taking up the challenge of being a part of the prophetic
voice within the church;
ii) challenging the church to be prophetic in its action; and
iii) insofar
as we identify ourselves with the church (in whatever form), by proving to
society that faith/the Church has a contribution to make in the struggle for
liberation.
85
THE
ROLE OF STUDENTS
1. Education in our
countries is not our own creation. Actually such education is not useful to the
whole people; it caters and serves only a few, those who belong to the high
stratum of society.
2. Students belong to
the few who because of their opportunity to study find themselves in the high
level of the social structure. It means also that students get the opportunity
to influence the decision-making processes of society.
3. The role of
students come from
a) the
utilisation of their acquired practical knowledge and
skills in the service of people's movement and political action; and
b) the
motivation that springs from their faith and belief in the people's ability to organise themselves towards their own liberation.
4. Concretely, students can
a) continue
to undergo formation and training to enable them to work for and among the
people, and
b) create
and influence public opinion by mass protests and demonstration.
86
COMMUNICATIONS. RESEARCH AND DOCUMENTATION
1. Continue study and research on the nature of
societies in
2. Promote communication links with existing organisations and groups outside the region, which produce
both descriptive and analytical papers on the situation in
3. Facilitate and maintain inter-regional
exchange of information and documents with national movements taking the
responsibility of filtering down these
data/information to the grassroot level in simplified and popular language.
4. Publishing a regular vehicle of
communications which will document the people's struggle and which will appeal
to a larger readership by using the language, art forms and materials of the
people.
5. Continue to study the position of women in
the region, zeroing in on the following areas of research:
a) Tourism and its
link with prostitution
b) Study of women
minority groups in
c) Study of women
migrant workers
d) Study of women in
industries
e) Study of peasant
women.
6. Initiate studies and promotional materials on
the Asian concept of health, nutrition and medicine with a call to
re-discovering the nutritive values of local foods and exploring the value of
traditional medicine.
87
ACTION FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
1. Collect and distribute information both
nationally and internationally on domestic political repression, on activities
of subversion by foreign powers, and on activities of multi-national
corporations.
2. Urge actions of solidarity such as letters of
support to the appropriate people, letters and cables of concern to
governments, lobbying parliament to apply pressure on repressive governments,
etc.
3. Financial support to political prisoners and
their families.
4. Educating the people of their rights.
5. Conscientising the
churches and mobilising their support.
