[From The Worker, #1, February 1993.]
Editorial
LONG LIVE MAOISM
The year 1993 marks the hundredth year of the birth of Com. Mao. The Mao centenary is being celebrated the world over. In the present stage of development of class struggle what could be & should be the principal objective of this celebration for the communist revolutionaries? This question assumes special significance if the Mao centenary celebrations are to be purposeful & effective, and not a mere formality.
In this context the question of utmost importance is whether or not to accept the contributions of Com. Mao as of a universal nature and as the new, third & higher stage of development of Marxism-Leninism, i.e. Maoism.
All the relevant facts, arguments & experiences have proved that Com. Mao has raised Marxism qualitatively to a new stage of Marxism-Leninism-Maoism. In the present day world nobody can be a true Marxist without simultaneously being a Maoist. Also, the principal ideological struggle between Marxism & revisionism now has centered around the question of whether or not to accept the contributions of Mao as Maoism. Today imperialists, revisionists & various brands of opportunists have been attempting to attract & undermine Marxism and revolution by attacking & undermining Com. Mao's contributions. We have seen in the communist movement of our own country that some opportunist & capitulationist elements have discarded the contributions of Com. Mao from their directive principles and others have sought to undermine it in this or that pretext and have run away from the difficult revolutionary path of dedication & sacrifice. In this context, to celebrate Mao centenary means in effect to intensify the campaign to establish Maoism as today's Marxism-Leninism.
In the world & in our own country, because of the temporary defeat of the proletariat in the struggle for power and because of intensification of attacks by the imperialists against Marxism in that pretext, there has been an increased tendency among the opportunists within the communist movement to reject the experiences of the proletariat and to capitulate before the reactionaries. Revisionism & opportunism have always sought to cover up such desertion and capitulation under the false banner of Marxism devoid of its true revolutionary spirit. This is what is happening now. This job the revisionists and opportunists have been doing in the name of 'drawing lessons from history', or that of probing the 'cause of defeat', of further that of getting more 'creative'. We say- lessons should be drawn from every history, but it should not be for running away from revolution but rather for advancing in the path of revolution. Similarly, causes of defeats should be probed into, or one has to be more creative too; but this should not be for rejecting or undermining the highest pinnacle of knowledge attained by the world proletariat, but rather for respecting & preserving the same. In sum, it is not in the footsteps of all revisionist renegades that reject the experience s of our own class and worship the enemy classes but in the footsteps of the great leaders of the proletariat from Marx to Mao, that we have to proceed. Hence we have to proclaim with full determination and unambiguity that Maoism is the highest pinnacle of science of revolution attained by the world proletariat. Those who undermine this science are the traitors for the proletarian cause. It is just impossible to expose & defeat modern revisionism by undermining Com. Mao's contributions and it is impossible to make revolution without decisively breaking relations with modern revisionism. Hence, to celebrate the Mao centenary is to carry forward the struggle for establishing Maoism and to march along the path of Marxism by attacking all sorts of revisionism.
To hold high the banner of Maoism in essence means to make revolution in one's own country as part of the world proletarian revolution. To make a revolution, the significance of the three instruments of revolution, namely a new type of Party, a people's army and a united front, as espoused by Com. Mao, is beyond any dispute. In the present era of imperialism & proletarian revolution, to advance revolution in any country the existence of a new type of and a militant Communist Party is essential precondition. Such a new and militant Communist Party can be built up only on the basis of Marxist-Leninist-Maoist theory and style of work. Also, without grasping and implementing the theory of People’s War as developed by Com. Mao as the universal theory of Marxist military science it is just impossible to defeat imperialism and its lackeys. Therefore, today, the single most important touchstone to differentiate a revolutionary Party from an opportunist Party has been its attitude towards the preparation & development of People’s War. The question of development of People’s War is now not merely a military question but a question of revolutionary theory. Building of a revolutionary Party and development of People’s War are intertwined in such a manner that without passing through a long process of People’s War the Party cannot be freed of revisionist cobwebs. Similarly, for the success of the New Democratic revolution the formation of a revolutionary united front under the leadership of the Party is absolutely essential. Such a united front cannot be built up mechanically but would come up during the process of implementation of the revolutionary political line of the Party, specially during the process of unfolding the People’s War. In recent years particularly after the Unity Congress, our Party has placed utmost emphasis on building these three instruments of revolution as outlined by Com. Mao and has made significant progress. Mao centenary celebrations this year should provide an opportune moment to make further progress in that direction.
Maoism is the mightiest weapon in the hands of the world proletariat to fight against reaction and opportunism. Let us grasp it more firmly in this centenary year of birth of Com. Mao. Long Live Maoism!
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