CPN(M) - Worker #10
The Worker, #10, May 2006
Article
PROBLEMS OF CULTURAL TRANSFORMATIONKiran
Introduction
Culture is an ideological reflection of the political and economic system of the society in question. The questions like ideology, feeling, conduct, interest, custom, value, principle etc. fall under culture. In whole, culture is the synthesis of material and spiritual values of the society under discussion. In a class society, the character of such values is of class, hence, the character of culture too is of class. The way the political and economic system of a society influences the culture, exactly in the same manner the culture also influences the politics and economy of that society. In essence, the culture goes along the direction of political movement.
The problem of cultural transformation is one of transforming ideology, sentiment and culture of one class into that of another. It can also be said as the problem of ideological, sentimental and cultural transformation. In the concrete historical condition of present semi-feudal and semi-colonial Nepal, the objective of Nepalese cultural movement is respectively new democratic, socialist and communist culture. Precisely for this reason, this kind of cultural transformation in the present Nepalese society takes place in the course of two historical stages, the new democratic and socialist cultural movement.
The culture we look forward to is immensely different from the one the regressive and petty-bourgeois people think. Regressive people, relegating the labouring masses, vomiting poison against the great ideals of communism, and at the same time praising the anti-people state, system and promoting exploitation, oppression, while justifying state terror and massacres seem to take so-called law and order, values and norms and respect and etiquette as the ideal culture. We call it a shameful fraud and folly. The revisionists, who have fallen to reaction are confusing all cadres and the masses, vomiting venom against the great People's War and are lining up with class enemies. They conceive of defeating one by another in an extreme individualist and pluralist competition for power, luxury, individual career and self interest. And this they consider as the developed culture. We call it a culture of vagrancy and deceit which stinks of ideological pollution, perversion and discrepancy. Likewise, rightists and neo-revisionists, echoing with the regressive elements and characterizing the great People's War as an anarchy and hooliganism side with parliamentarian reformist culture. We call it a status-quoist cowardice culture. The culture we expect is the new culture inspired by and synthesized from advanced consciousness of proletarian class struggle, the great ideal of people's liberation and feeling of sacrifice. And its development can only be attained by struggling against all kinds of oppression, betrayal and selfishness.
We are firmly engaged in the process of material and cultural transformation of Nepalese society amid great People's War. At this juncture, a lot of cultural challenges stand before us. What should be the form and direction of new democratic culture? What type of culture of the political force, which provides leadership, should it have? What is the process of cultural transformation? These are the questions demanding special attention from us and it is necessary for us to make special effort for their correct resolution.
New Democratic Culture Vigorous struggle between regressive and new democratic culture is intensifying in today's Nepal. Regressive culture is built up from the amalgamation of feudalism and imperialism, where as the new democratic culture is being created by synthesizing the historical cultural tradition of Nepalese people and revolutionary culture of internationalist proletariat. Of these two, the regressive culture is falling day after day in crisis, where as the new democratic culture has been developing with its bright future. New democratic culture is the one of anti-feudal, anti-imperialist broad masses under the guidance of MLM and proletarian leadership. Its content is democratic, nationalist and scientific.
New democratic culture stands against feudalism. Nepalese feudalism has come up being expressed in the form of Hindu religious tenet, monarchy and Brahmanism. The material and ideological strength of broad Nepalese people is being gravely wrecked by this feudal oppression since long. This culture is full of pollutions like determinism, romanticism, incamationism, clericalism, resurrectionism, religious superstition, casteism and untouchability. Placing the indigenous people in the rank of Vaisya and downtrodden to Shudra, it has severely oppressed them. In the domain of literature, art, education and culture, feudal elitism is being encouraged till now. Although, Nepal is a multi-national, multi-lingual and multi-cultural country; and Hindu religion, Khas language and their cultures have been imposed here. These outdated notions are being maintained even in the Constitution that was brought after the restoration of multiparty system. In this situation, an end to entire discriminations including those based on nationality, sex, caste, religion and language, and provision of full democracy in political and economic domain, acceptance of right of the nations to self-dettrmination, and establishment of national and regional autonomy are closely related with the new democratic culture. Therefore, establishment of democracy and liberation of broad Nepalese people, women and nationality and downtrodden castes from the feudal autocracy has become the centre of cultural transformation today. For these reasons, it is necessary for us to raise strong voice for democracy and against feudalism in all the spheres of ideology, including literature, art and culture.
New democratic culture stands against imperialism. There has been intense intervention and oppression from imperialism and Indian expansionism in all the domains of economy, politics, and culture against Nepalese national chaste, independence and integrity since long. In the realm of literature and art the hegemony of bourgeois modernism and post-modernism has been increased. In order to establish its commercial and cultural hegemony, the imperialism, victimizing Nepalese people of pessimism, despair, perversion and inferiority complex by way of influencing and utilizing various information media including TV, radio, cinema, publication along with entire domain of ideology, has been making destructive effort to keep Nepalese people away from revolution. Let us not talk about the exploiting class, a tradition of imitating imperialist way of life, thinking and style as an ideal to show one self civilized even among the petty bourgeois neo-elite class and intelligentsia has been speedily increasing. The imperialism, which snatches our Nepalese identity, cannot be superior and ideal for us. Therefore it is necessary for us, in this situation, to carry on intense ideological and cultural movement against cultural imperialism and to evoke patriotic feelings.
Now in Nepal, feudalism and imperialism have acted in a unified way. Therefore, Nepalese cultural movement too is required to come up in a unified way against feudalism and imperialism. In addition to this, a big section of revisionism in the world and in Nepal has already become regressive and it is necessary for us to carry out cultural movement against this too. Today, western Post-modemism is prevailing. Entire perverted revisionists and petty-bourgeoisie have become its promoter. The Post-modemism is based upon pluralism, factionalism and skepticism opposed to comprehensible dialectical and historical materialist world outlook. Not only has its impact reached to the sphere of literature, art and culture, but also to women, the downtrodden and the national liberation movements. In essence, Post-modemism is an expansion of the bourgeois modernist principle of literature and art and also it is regressive cultural thinking. By way of pretending to attack on exploitative system and state power it is servile to imperialism by standing against revolutionary ideology. This kind of factionalism is based on the imperialist thinking of "divide and rule" and so we must emphasize on "unite all oppressed people and fight to achieve new democratic power" against this.
The People's War developing in our country has brought about a number of changes in the process of creating and developing new democratic culture. It has been attacking physically and ideologically on the enemy. Disgraced people, taking history in their hands, are engaged in this struggle. They are fighting for a great ideal and several of them have become ideals. To fight for liberation and attain martyrdom has become the appraisal of life. Mutual empathy, help, friendship and love has been developing among the people in the midst of great People's War. They have been participating wholeheartedly in the responsibilities like those of collective work, developing material and ideological energy as the revolution requires. People are becoming resolute in their conviction towards revolution, patriotism, revolutionary optimistic outlook and capacity to face hardships etc. Against old traditions and conducts, new traditions and conducts have been developing in all of the spheres. The new reality created by People's War is being expressed powerfully in literature and art. In essence, people are becoming active in destroying the world decrepit culture and creating advanced new culture.
In fact, creation and development of the new democratic culture takes place in this way. Basically the questions like, secularism and religious freedom, transmission of scientific thinking, an end to caste and sexual discrimination and equal right in all domains, democratic education, respect towards labour and labouring masses, arrangement of comprehensive health pattern to develop material and spiritual energy of the people, mutual help, respect, empathy and love among the people, sense of patriotism, friendship towards international proletariat and oppressed people and development of democratic literature and art fall under the new democratic culture we look forward to. All of these questions are inseparably linked with the transformation to be done in the political and economic domains. In final analysis new democratic culture is an inseparable part of socialist culture and so flows in that direction.
Cultural Transformation Within Party
There is qualitative difference between the new democratic cultural transformation and inner party cultural transformation. New democratic cultural transformation is the anti-feudal and anti-imperialist one. Where as inner party cultural transformation is the one of political force of the proletariat that leads the new democratic cultural transformation. In fact, the internal cultural transformation of Party is based upon firm assimilation of proletarian culture and Marxism-Leninism-Maoism against feudalism, imperialism and revisionism, and in this sense, the leading force is required to be culturally superior and well-developed.
Most of the people take cultural transformation of the Party for granted. They think it is a thing that can be done by preparing a general code of conduct. Many of them think that once the cultural transformation takes place it is completed forever, but in fact it is not so easy. Until the classes exist in the society and class struggle goes on, till then the problem of cultural transformation goes on emerging till the party exists. When class struggle, dictatorship of the proletariat all cease to exist and socialism makes a leap into communism, then no Party exists and only then the question of cultural transformation should be comprehended by linking it with the question of continued revolution. Also, we should go on solving these questions amidst complexities, which go on emerging based upon the conditions of social development and concrete stages of revolution. In fact, the question of inner party cultural transformation is closely linked with the process of inner struggle and two line struggle in the relativity of People's War and class struggle.
Although, Party members' culture depends upon the social environment in concern, even then, it should be directed from the height of proletarian culture and communist principle. A communist must enrich oneself by the forward-looking consciousness of Marxism-Leninism-Maoism. S/he should go on divorcing her/himself from private property and the mentality emerging from there. S/he should take it as glory to get proletarianized. S/he should have a lot of faith in labour and working class people. As a result of this outlook towards private property and labour, new ideological depth develops in a communist and it is expressed in her/his entire conducts. S/he cannot have any interest other than the interests of class struggle of the proletariat and her/his entire individual and family interests are incorporated within this. Firm belief in country, people, principle and revolution, proletarian internationalist outlook, class conscious discipline, deep sense of responsibility towards Party decisions, uniformity in saying and doing, high sense of devotion, sacrifice and people's service, emotional relation among people, cadres and leaders, revolutionary acumen, politeness, farsightedness and high morale, good qualities like high ability to go ahead by acquiring victory upon hardships to understand and change the world are necessary qualities for a genuine communist. However, these qualities do not come in a readymade form, but develop amidst class struggle and inner struggle. Communists are not gods or devils of Puranas. They are sons and daughters of the masses in this earth. Humans in general certainly have several shortcomings, weaknesses and limitations and it is very difficult to become real communists, even then, they are real communists, who, by correcting their weaknesses and being inspired from great ideal of communism, go ahead and keep on working firmly along the path of continued revolution.
It is necessary for us today to pay special attention to the aforesaid facts for cultural transformation. Now, we are in the stage of new democratic revolution. There are lots of poisonous elements of regressive and petty-bourgeois culture with us. Apart from this, the poison of revisionism also attacks us constantly. In this situation, it is necessary for us to go ahead by waging firm struggle against feudal, imperialist and revisionist thinking and culture, and enrich constantly by Marxism-Leninism-Maoism.
What we have clearly understood from the experiences of history of the International and Nepalese Communist Movement is that individualism is a deadly disease of inner party cultural transformation. Individualism is basically expressed in bourgeois imperialist and petty-bourgeois thinking. Sometimes, individualism gets expressed in the form of feudalism also. Against the interest of proletarian class struggle, to make self-interest a criterion of everything is individualism. It thinks individual ego as everything. This is also related with the imperialist thinking of Nietzsche's wish of power. Against slave morality, it backs master morality and great men against the masses. Conscious class discipline is not tolerable for this. If people infected by individualist disease remain within the communist movement they place bureaucratic centralism against democracy, ultra-democracy against centralism and a certain individual against collectivity of the party organization. They do everything for individual post, prestige and career against the interest of country, people and Party. If they fail to maintain their dominance in the Party, they can turn escapists, capitulationists, betrayers and even regressives. Therefore, paying attention to this bitter lesson and while talking about inner Party cultural transformation, it is necessary to be especially cautious on conducting continuous struggle against individualist thinking.
Right here, what we should also understand is that to struggle against individualism is not to devaluate and displace leadership ranks. In the past there have been several weaknesses of devaluating leadership in the name of opposing individualism. In fact, an adept leadership of proletariat class is unavoidable to accomplish revolution in today's era of imperialism and sharp class struggle of proletarian revolution. In this context, it is necessary to grasp firmly the Marxist-Leninist concept in relation to people, class, Party and leadership. Revolution demands not only organizational and political leadership but also the leadership of ideological authority and according to historical materialist outlook that kind of leadership becomes a historical necessity. However, we must not grasp this in a mechanical and metaphysical manner and we should clearly understand the importance of the fact that Party leadership is a collective leadership. On the question of conducting great Peoples' War in Nepal and leading it forward to the direction of victory, the question of establishing and developing leadership in an even better way has got special significance. The questions of conducting struggle against individualism and establishing leadership must never be grasped by equating them. In fact, the task of building, developing and establishing an adept leadership can be fulfilled in the midst of class struggle by relentlessly struggling against the entire wrong trends including petty-bourgeois individualist mentality.
To go on applying firmly the things, which are helpful and necessary to advance the great People's War in the correct direction consistent with the communist consciousness, is the central question for our Party culture now. Party has emphasized on carrying out ideological struggle, debating and discussing the weaknesses and transforming Party amid healthy inner struggle against several wrong thinking including capitulationism, adventurism, vacillationism, subjectivism, anarchist individualism, adulterism and conspiratorial working style presented in the documents, decisions, circulars and instructions on behalf of the Central Committee, Politburo and Central Headquarters and it is necessary for us to grasp very deeply the sensitivity and sentiment of those things. It is necessary for us, on the one hand, to grasp firmly the dialectical method of comradely criticizing mistakes and weaknesses of comrades and on the other, helping them correct those mistakes.
Honesty is essentially a necessary main element for revolution but honesty only cannot make the revolution go ahead. For this, revolutionary aptitude is also required. People's War has risen up to a very high level; in order to go further ahead as to attain newer heights one after another, it is necessary for our party to transform into higher level from the standpoint of knowledge, skill and ability. Not only is this a question of developing knowledge and capability, it is also a matter of serious sense of responsibility towards country, people and the revolution. Today, the developed culture, which we are looking forward to, should be manifested not only in words but also in deeds and for this it is necessary to reach to the depth of knowledge. The question of resolving new problems that go on developing in all the domains of Party, United Front and military is inseparably linked with the world outlook, capability and matters related with the sense of responsibility.
In Mao's word, Party is not a pond of still water, but a current of Yangtze River that flows continually ahead with tremendous roar. Party, in the name of monolithic unity, is not a thing that remains stationary at a point, but is a thing that in the midst of sharp class struggle and inner struggle goes on developing constantly by way of having leaps one after another and traversing the course of higher unity, struggle again new unity in a new basis, and the process of cultural transformation of the Party also is exactly like this. The basic law of unity and struggle of opposites of dialectics applies fully in Party life, and to overlook this scientific law is clearly metaphysics. When one mentions that this kind of law is applied in Party life, a number of people take it as a complex two line struggle or in the sense of split also. However, it is simply ignorance. In fact, inner Party struggle is Party's motion and Party's life. If someone talks of a Party without inner struggle, then we should understand that s/he is not talking about Party's life, but about its death. Law of unity and struggle of opposites that applies in inner Party struggle or Party life is an unavoidable element of Party life, and contrary to it the causal factor of Party division and unhealthy two-line struggle is the revisionism. We must understand correctly the difference between these two and must not be afraid of dialectical law that applies in Party life.
Healthy inner struggle should be conducted to go ahead by being victorious over one's weaknesses and being inspired by positive objective of raising oneself to a new height. To realize it correctly is, in fact, an important cultural transformation for us and it renders a new height to our cultural level.
Becoming victorious one after another over different kinds of perversions, discrepancy and pettiness of petty-bourgeois thinking, individualism, liquidationism, factionalism, status-qouism and revisionism, defeating different shades of opportunists and synthesizing Party on the basis of unity by grasping the science of MLM, we have now arrived here in this great expedition of People's War. This is also a great and unprecedented cultural achievement in the history of Nepalese Communist Movement and we should take it as a matter of glory. However, revolution is going ahead. This is not enough for us. Confronting various physical, ideological and psychological attacks of feudalism, imperialism and revisionism and petty-bourgeois thinking and custom present within oneself, it is necessary for us to be more advanced and enriched ideologically, emotionally and culturally to assume great historical responsibility of revolution. Only then, can we go forward achieving victory one after another.
Hence, we should understand, on the one hand, correctly the dialectics of unity and struggles of opposites for inner party cultural transformation and on the other should pay special attention to the question of applying the theory of democratic centralism and grasping firmly the process of self-criticism and criticism. Apart from this, it is necessary to carry forward, as required, special forms of rectification campaigns for ideological, sentimental and cultural transformation of the Party. We should understand the process of cultural transformation, not as a stationary thing, but a process that goes on constantly developing until a leap into communism.
Historic Lessons Of The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution
Our orientation of cultural transformation should be guided by the advanced lessons of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution. We should understand the lessons of this great revolution as the essence and synthesis of the enriched historic experiences of the International Communist Movement. This is such a historic experience of class struggle and inner struggle in the stage of socialist revolution that has completed the process in which Maoism has developed as a qualitative summit of Marxism-Leninism.
The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution is a political revolution which is based upon the principle of continuous revolution under the dictatorship of the proletariat so as to go forward to acquire victory over ideology, sentiment, habit and tradition, preventing restoration of capitalism and uprooting revisionism. It is targeted against the capitalist roaders that infiltrate in Party, army, government, education and cultural field. New concepts of cultural revolution that have developed up to the period of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution are basically as follows:
a. To put politics in command It means to impose dictatorship of the proletariat and to go on developing it as a continued revolution. It means to accomplish revolution in a planned way in the domain of economic, ideological and cultural sector under the command of politics. It embodies politics as the main element for the transformation of entire sectors of superstructure, not the economic base only.
b. Let hundreds of flowers blossom It means to conduct, in a planned way, the ideological struggle in the domain of literature, art and culture based on the dialectical law of unity and struggle of opposites. Embodying the fact that it dialectically resolves the struggle between truth and untruth, noble and ignoble, and beauty and ugly elevates to a new height in the field of appraising culture.
c. To become red and expert Red means to be a revolutionary and expert means to be skilled. It means that one must be efficient in the entire realm of economic, technical and scientific knowledge for the socialist transformation and communist transition, but it is not enough. One must be revolutionary along with efficient and of these two becoming revolutionary is the main. Talent is based upon mass line and collective expertise.
d. To train revolutionary successor In the situation, when restoration of capitalism took place in the socialist countries including Soviet Union and its possibility was perceived in China, Mao emphasized on the necessity of training revolutionary successors. The criteria and conditions he discussed to train such successors are noticeable. Those criteria and conditions are:
a) To be a genuine revolutionary Marxist-Leninist, not revisionist,
b) To be a genuine revolutionary that serves heartily the masses in China and the world over,
c) To unite with broad masses and to be a capable political fighter,
d) To become ideal to apply democratic centralism and to be efficient in leading based on the mass line, from the masses and to the masses,
e) To be polite, prudent and have the feeling of self-criticism.
Of these five hallmarks, Mao has presented the first one with the sense of principle and orientation. How are revolutionary successors generated? In reply to it Mao says: "They emerge from struggles and come up amidst storms of revolution." In this way, the criteria which Mao has established are especially noteworthy for the ideological, sentimental and cultural transformation.
Mao's aforesaid concepts are based on the scientific principle that ideological, sentimental and cultural transformation takes a long time and is accomplished in the midst of several cultural revolutions on the basis of continued revolution under the dictatorship of the proletariat. It is necessary for us to understand very deeply the sensitivity and significance of all these questions. In fact, the task of cultural transformation can be accomplished by way of putting politics in command, resolving the ideological problems of class struggle and inner struggle on the basis of dialectical method, acquiring efficiency in all domains based on revolutionary outlook, taking masses together, grasping firmly Marxism-Leninism-Maoism against revisionism and having leaps to new level. It is the real essence of the historic lessons that the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution has given us.
Conclusion
The problems of cultural transformation and methods of its resolution, which had been discussed, are worthy paying special attention. Although we are going forward amid the process of new democratic cultural movement today, but for correct orientation it is necessary for us to enrich ourselves by the proletarian culture developed till the Great Proletariat Cultural Revolution and Marxism-Leninism-Maoism. Culture cannot be pure culture alone. It is synthesized with entire aspects of economy, ideology and politics and the various processes of class struggle and inner struggle. Therefore, the problems of cultural transformation can only be resolved under the political leadership. We all i.e. all of the leaders, cadres, artists, writers, guerrilla fighters, cultural activists and intellectual comrades should understand very well the significance of this question. The expedition of transforming material and spiritual values of the entire society is the essence of cultural transformation. To propel forward this expedition it is necessary for us to forcefully attack upon the regressive and revisionist thinking on the one hand and carry out struggle against entire ideological and cultural pollutions existing within oneself on the other. For this, firm courage is required within us.
Paying attention to this very context at the time of Great Cultural Revolution, Mao had said there are some comrades, who wage ruthless struggle against others but don't do so against oneself. They can never go ahead with this method. It is a question of igniting one's own body and to fan the flame to blaze it. Do you have courage to do this? Because, it will burn your own body.
While talking in our country's context, we have already ignited the flame of People's War to accomplish New Democratic Revolution. In order to go ahead by developing it towards a correct direction, it is necessary for us to transform ourselves to a higher level, and for this we must have courage to fight with self as Mao had pointed out. We must comprehend the seriousness of this process of social and cultural transformation that has been going on amid great People's War. With this feeling and courage, we are firmly confident that we will continue to get transformed.