The militant Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) lambasted the Australian government for overly criticizing the Philippines for pulling out its troops from Iraq. According to Danilo “Ka Daning” Ramos, secretary general of the group, “the Australian government may itself want to pull-out its troops from Iraq but does not want to lose its macho posturing and is using the Philippine pull-out as an excuse,”

On Sunday, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, again blamed our country and Spain for a supposed al-Qaida affiliate which is demanding that Australia withdraw its troops from Iraq or face car bomb attacks in Australia.

“What Australia is doing is called “projection” by using the Philippines as an scapegoat to divert attention from what it is planning. It may want to pull out but does not want to lose face in the international community, because now it knows that the US war in Iraq is unjust and is garnering increasing condemnation from all over the world,” added Ramos.

As for his part Carl Anthony Ala, media officer of KMP, said that “it is best for Australia to also pull out its troops from Iraq because the war was wrong in the first place. The real terrorists are the ones occupying the war torn country now particularly the US,”

“Australia should now drop its gung ho attitude and heed the call of the people of the world and stop the war in Iraq, for it has only brought death and suffering to the Iraqi people,” Ala ended. # # #   
 

KMP - 27 July 2004