JCP lawmakers wage good fight: JCP Shii on closed Diet session

Japan Press Weekly

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JCP lawmakers wage good fight: JCP Shii on closed Diet session

As the 169^th Session of the Diet was about to close after being extended for five days, Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo reviewed the first half of the year, stressing how valuable the JCP’s struggle has been.

Speaking at the JCP Dietmembers’ general meeting on June 20, the day before the closure of the ordinary session of the Diet, Shii said there are three important points to consider concerning the JCP’s contribution.

First, he said in no past Diet session has the JCP’s activity drawn so many reactions, including support and encouragement, from the public, pointing out that the party’s efforts in the Diet drew considerable attention as shown by many comments published on web sites as well as commentary in the commercial media.

A major newspaper commented that the JCP’s fight deserves a “certificate of merit for putting up a good fight in its parliamentary debate” on the new health insurance system for the elderly aged 75 and over, he added.

Shii said, “This is an example that shows that the call of the JCP Program for democratic change is closely shared by broad sections of the public, a call embraced by the nation.”

Secondly, Shii stressed that the JCP’s parliamentary discussion, linked to the extra-parliamentary struggle, has influenced government policies.

On the revision of the Worker Dispatch Law, thanks to the JCP effort, the labor minister was forced to acknowledge the need to prohibit the use of temporary workers as day laborers. The temporary refusal of the extension of the law allowing road-related tax revenue to construct unnecessary roads and the government promise to take measures to solve the shortage of medical doctors were also results of the coordination of the struggle between the JCP Dietmembers group and the extra-parliamentary struggles.

He said that in the upcoming extraordinary session of the Diet, the JCP is determined to take the lead in the struggle to abolish the health insurance system for the elderly aged 75 and over.

He also pointed out that the ruling parties invoked the constitutional provision allowing the House of Representatives to override a House of Councilors rejection to have a bill enacted. The Democratic Party, which holds the majority in the House of Councilors, showed its weakness in boycotting deliberations and railroaded a bill through without it being discussed fully.

Shii emphasized the importance of the JCP’s firm opposition to any party using the force of numbers and its effort to drive the ruling Liberal Democratic and Komei parties into a corner. He called on the JCP Dietmembers to hold fast to the position of the JCP Program in the next phase of the parliamentary struggle.

The JCP chair said that the upcoming struggle on national policies will enter a critical phase that could involve the dissolution of the House of Representatives for a general election. He said the JCP Dietmembers’ group will work on two tasks before the start of the next session of the Diet. One is to cooperate with popular movements in various fields and on various issues, and the other to fulfill all the necessary tasks in order to achieve victory in the next House of Representatives general election.

Struggle in opposition to consumption tax increase

Criticizing Prime Minister Fukuda Yasuo for stating that it’s time to decide to increase the consumption tax rate, Shii said, “This is a very ominous remark.” He called for arousing public opposition to such a tax hike plan.

Noting that Fukuda also said, “I will try hard to take into account public reactions” to the tax increase, Shii stressed the need to quickly increase the movement to isolate the government which is planning the tax increase. “Let’s increase our efforts to foil the mass tax increase plan,” he said. - Akahata, June 21, 2008