[From The Worker, #7, January 2002.]
ARTICLE
INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATION OF THE PROLETARIAT IS AN URGENT TASK
-Gaurav
"There is one, and only one, kind of real internationalism, and that is working wholeheartedly for the development of the revolutionary movement and the revolutionary struggle in one's own country, and supporting (by propaganda, sympathy and material aid) this struggle, this, and only this, line in every country without exception." -Lenin
"NEW WAR" SITUATION
US imperialism the only super power of the world today, has started its "new war" against Afghanistan. It is making a big show of lethal weapons that the US imperialism has, to the people of the world, in order to frighten and terrorise them against its military superiority. The arrogant super power has imposed this cruel war in the pretext of taking revenge against the September 11 attack on the twin towers of the World Trade Centre, the symbol of US financial might and Pentagon, the symbol of military brutality against the world people. But who has the right to take revenge against whom is not yet really decided, because it is none other than US imperialism itself, who is responsible in creating the 'attackers', against whom it is shamelessly yelling of taking revenge". Thus this right of 'revenge' goes to the American people to punish their own rulers, who are the main guilty [ones] of this horror.
The cry of "war against terrorism" is a mockery, it is a fraudulent slogan of the imperialists, who are the real terrorists, and architect and patron of terrorism. It is aimed at establishing total control over the world and expanding its empire, in order to intensify and expand its exploitation and plunder unbridled. Both Bush and Laden have declared this war as a crusade. Even then the governments of Islamic nations except the Taliban of Afghanistan, have knelt down to US imperialism by participating in the war directly or indirectly, against their own religion, which fantasy they are always playing to hoodwink the Islamic masses. And the US bombing on Afghanistan, killing thousands of innocent Afghan people, is going unrestricted.
There is no doubt that this war is a reactionary war and people have nothing to gain but only to lose from this war. But the imperialists are crushing a poor third world country and butchering thousands and thousands of innocent people, to which we communists can never be mute spectators. We have to expose and attack vigorously against imperialism in general and US imperialism in particular. Also it is necessary to study deeply about this latest expression of imperialism, so that it may be possible for the communist revolutionaries to draw a correct line to fight a decisive battle against it. It does not mean that this war of aggression has changed the situation dramatically. It has rather reaffirmed our previous opinion that US imperialism is the number one enemy of the world today.
Destructive and deadly bombs are being dropped by B-l, B-2, B-52 bombers and cruise missiles are being thrown from the US bases, along with British, on Afghanistan. But, in one or the other way the war has acquired international shape. The aggression is led by NATO headed by US imperialism, whipping the reactionary rulers of the third world countries to support them. According to their character, clergies headed by Laden and Omar are making sentimental appeals to the Islamic masses to jump into the Jihad (holy war). Islamic people seem to have responded [to] the call positively and come to the streets in some countries. Islamic fundamentalist militant organisations headed by Al Qaida and other like-minded organisations are basically leading these protest demonstrations.
Imperialism, since its very birth is having international character and it has attained a more global character through its "globalisation". In this war NATO, the imperialist military organisation headed by US imperialism, is leading the war of aggression. Even clergyman like Osama Bin Laden understands the importance of international organisation at present international context and has tried to spread Al Qaida at the international level (according to the report given by FBI and CIA, it has networks in more than 50 countries).
We Maoists like to convert this "crusade" into class war of international level. There is an excellent possibility of carrying out 'anti-imperialist struggle' at the world level. But is it possible to launch such a struggle without any organisation of the same level to lead it? The correct answer will be no. Therefore, the latest development, which has taken place, will reaffirm the Marxist-Leninist-Maoist approach of advancing towards a new international, for which the Revolutionary Internationalist Movement (RIM) has been working as its embryonic centre. It will help those Maoist revolutionaries to re-think about their understanding and realize this necessity, which is being verified several times by the reality.
TAKING LESSONS FROM THE HISTORY
As communists, our goal is explicitly clear: Communism. Who have been deviated from this goal are not communists. Communism cannot be established in a single country or nation. To talk about communism in a single country, is a seer fraud, which Khruschev did. Com. Gonzalo's explanation in this regard is very concrete and clear; he said, "Either we all will reach or none of us will reach [it]". In order to achieve this common goal, we have a common ideology: Marxism-Leninism-Maoism.
Therefore, the communists are real internationalists. It was Karl Marx, who elucidated the principle: "The emancipation of the workers is not a local, nor a national, but an international problem". It was imperative to translate it into the practice, for which a vehicle of international organisation was obvious to be felt necessary, which caused the birth of the First International.
Lenin developed Marxist theory to the higher level also in this regard. It was Lenin, who fought relentlessly against Kautskyites, who abandoned this Marxist principle and became accomplices of the bourgeoisie of their own country, in course of the First World War. Lenin condemned Kautsky as renegade of the working class movement and described their conduct as treason. Even in the course of the stormy years of October Revolution, Lenin exercised his enormous strength in the formation of a new International, which acquired a concrete shape in 1919. It is important to understand what Fernando Claudin has said, "One of the features that most sharply distinguished this new International from its predecessors was the absolute primacy accorded to the 'international" over the 'national". From that very moment it elevated to a principle the necessity of 'subordinating the interest of the movement in each country to the common interest of the international revolution'." (The Communist Movement. -pp.l6). Lenin's idea of the possibility of the world revolution has been clearly expressed in his concluding speech of the First Congress of the Comintern, "The founding of an international Soviet republic is on the way."
Stalin, who was the leader of the International Communist Movement for 30 years, after the death of Lenin, great hero of anti-fascist war, architect of the Soviet Socialist State, vowed to advance the Communist International after Lenin's death. He made the promise, in 1924, "Departing from us, Comrade Lenin enjoined us to remain faithful to the principles of the Communist International. We vow to you, Comrade Lenin, that we shall not spare our lives to strengthen and extend the union of working people of the whole world [to] the Communist International". But almost 30 years later the Communist International, which he vowed to 'strengthen and extend', he himself played a decisive role in dissolving it. Some Maoist revolutionaries, instead of taking this event in a critical way are taking it as positive lesson and reach to incorrect conclusion of 'the international organisation such as Communist International is not necessary to build up'.
What were the differences in thinking between Lenin and Stalin, regarding the unity of International Communist Movement and revolution in a particular country, has been expressed explicitly in the resolution of the Second National Conference of our glorious Party, Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), as follows: "It has to be remembered that Lenin, while organizing the Commintern, had given emphasis in the idea of World Revolution and World Communist Party and put forward [the] clear opinion that every thing should be subordinated to it. But, under the leadership of Stalin, some mistakes were being made, in various occasions, in place of considering Soviet society as part of the world revolution, considered world revolution as part of the Soviet society. This is what Mao has said that Stalin had given some wrong counsel to the international communist movement." (Resolution put forward by Chairman Prachanda and adopted by the Second National Conference, 2001, Nepali).
Some Maoist revolutionaries draw a wrong conclusion from why Mao opposed the Comintern at several occasions and did not take any initiative in the formation of a new international, which he could do if he had felt necessary. No doubt, Mao had opposed bureaucratic method of functioning of the Comintern, which created and added more difficulties to the Communist Parties including the Communist Party of China (CPC) and Mao in resolving the two lines struggle m the party and also in some questions of party line. We think that these were the real weaknesses of the Comintern and it is necessary to take lessons from these mistakes that has to be avoided in the course of formation of the new International. Therefore, the Declaration of Revolutionary Internationalist Movement (RIM) has pin-pointed this question as follows: "It also is necessary to evaluate the overreaction of the Communist Party of China to the negative aspects of the Comintern that led them to refuse to play the necessary leading role in building up the organisational unity of the Marxist Leninist forces at the international level." (Declaration, pp.45)
In the opinion of our Party, C P N (Maoist), the negative experience of the Comintern is not only the reason for CPC and Mao not playing the leading role in the initiation of a new International. More than that specific situation existing during that time in the ICM, the role of Communist and Workers' Parties of Vietnam, Korea and Albania was the main hurdle in taking initiative of a new International. The resolution says, "In this respect, there is another point, why Mao did not take initiative of organising a new International, on the basis of experience of the historical struggle against Khruschovite revisionism and the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution. Partly, there can be a possibility of due to the negative experience of latest period of the Comintern, but it can not be the main reason. Virtually, Mao was leading the International Communist Movement ideologically, by launching the struggle against Khruschovite revisionism, by leading the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and by assisting, supporting and propagating in favour of the national liberation, New Democratic and Socialist Movements. Objectively, there were serious practical difficulties in that situation, to give it an organized form. Among the visible difficulties, there were dogmato-revisionist and centrist and chauvinist Parties of Albania, Vietnam and North Korea, which denied Mao's universal contributions in the development of Marxism-Leninism. During that time it was not possible to form an international by simply ignoring all these things." (ibid.)
Therefore it is not sufficient for the Maoists just to simplify the question of why Mao did not take initiative in the formation of a new international and reach to a hypothetical conclusion. It should not also be made any pretext to justify one's own mistaken idea about the formation of a new type of international.
REAL POSSIBILITIES
It is obvious if we start counting the number of Maoist Parties and organisations in global level right at this moment, they are not many. If we consider another factor, how many of them are leading armed struggle or strong revolutionary movements in their own countries, the number becomes lesser.
But does it mean that the situation is disappointing for the onward march towards the formation of a new international? No. Here the arithmetical number is not decisive. Mao's principle that 'correctness or otherwise of ideological political line decides everything' precisely applies here too. The main question in front of us is whether it is necessary to form a new type of international on the basis of Marxism-Leninism-Maoism or not? This ideological perception is going to decide everything. How we Maoists have to dare, has been correctly put forward in the Declaration: "And this goal must be boldly proclaimed before the international proletariat and the oppressed of the world with the same revolutionary daring of our predecessors from the Communards of Paris to the proletarian rebels of Shanghai who dared to storm heaven and resolved to do the "impossible" - build a communist world." (Declaration. pp. 46).
This process has already begun since 1984, after the formation of RIM, as an embryonic center in the protracted process of the formation of a new type of International. As appraised by the Second International Conference of Marxist-Leninist parties and organisations, the formation of RIM 'represents an extremely important step for the international communist movement.
It is well known that Peruvian Communist Party (PCP) and Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) are leading the most advanced People's War which have become a source of inspiration for the revolutionaries of the world over; are founding participating members of the RIM. Other parties and organisations of the RIM are also striving hard to initiate revolutionary movements and PW in their own countries. It is important achievement for the RIM that some Maoist parties and organisations leading strong revolutionary armed struggles since many years are joining the RIM.
South Asia is storm center of the world revolution and bastion of the RIM. Formation of the Coordination Committee of the Maoist Parties and Organisations of South Asia (CCOMPOSA) is an important step forward in carrying out joint and unified activities of the Maoist forces of South Asia, in which RIM and the RIM-parties have important role. In a short span of time of its formation CCOMPOSA has become source of inspiration for the struggling people of South Asia and a big challenge for the enemy.
Deservedly, RIM is developing itself according to the overall development of the revolutionary situation of the world. In 1984 the basis of unity within the RIM was agreement with the position of the Declaration. In 1993, RIM adopted Maoism as the guiding ideology of the proletariat and basis of unity was developed and shifted to Marxism-Leninism-Maoism. This advance of the RIM was able to give rise to new polarization in the Movement, the organisations which were not really Maoist left or were expelled and other forces who were really Maoist joined or are joining the RIM. The Fourth Expanded Meeting of the Committee of RIM held at the beginning of the new millennium adopted a new basis and new criteria - People's War - for the basis of unity in the Movement.
New waves of world revolution are emerging and are clearly visible at the horizon. It is the responsibility of Maoists to seize this opportunity and translate into the revolution in reality, for which a vehicle of international organisation, such as RIM, is indispensable. It is high time for all Maoists of the globe to think it up earnestly. Regarding this, it will be relevant to cite a few more sentences from the decision of our Party:
"But, lot of change has taken place in the situation today. Not even a single socialist state is existing now. Real revolutionaries of the world have acknowledged Maoism as higher development of Maixism-Leninism. New wave of the world revolution is appearing at the horizon. In this situation, ideological basis of Marxism-Leninism-Maoism has been prepared for building a new Communist international. It is necessary on the part of all the communist revolutionaries to give it an organised form in a creative way in the midst of the class struggle and ideological struggle. Today [the] Revolutionary Internationalist Movement (RIM) has been born in its embryonic form. All of us should strive hard to refine and develop it further. In this regard it is necessary to pay specific attention to organize many of the revolutionary parties in the Movement by carrying out debate and interactions." [Resolution of the Second National Conference of CPN (M)]
Let us conclude this piece quoting the last sentences of the 'Declaration': "The words of the Communist Manifesto ring out all the more clearly today:
"The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains. They have a world to win."
Scanned and Formatted by Nepalese Internationalist Solidarity Forum