People's Democracy

Message from the Communist Party of Chile

THE Communist Party of Chile sends its fraternal greeting to your organisation on its 20th national congress and wishes that the resolutions emanating from this great event become a strong political and ideological tool to help strengthen the party, the Left and democratic forces in the struggle for a better society for all people in India.

Our parties, which are thousands of kilometres apart, share the same common values in the fight against neo-liberalism and imperialism and with this fight we seek to maintain the independence and sovereignty of our countries.

We reiterate our greeting  to each and every one of your party’s members and our full solidarity in their struggle against imperialism, for peace and socialism.

With fraternal greetings,

--- Central Committee, Communist Party of Chile

Message from the French Communist Party

THE French Communist Party is glad to send its warmest greetings to the 20th Congress of the CPI(M) that is taking place in a complex period in which you are facing the challenges and difficulties resulting from globalised and neo-liberal capitalism and their political expression, particularly as in the last elections.

In a different context, we are facing an attack of unprecedented dimensions against the rights and social gains, the jobs and purchasing power of the majority of workers and of our people. It is, unquestionably, democracy itself that is under attack. Capital and the leaders of the financial institutions want to subject our people and the people of Europe as a whole to an austerity diet unprecedented since the Second World War so protect the level of their profits. This disastrous policy is creating a considerable development of social struggles and of popular mobilisation.

In these conditions, our party, for the coming presidential and general elections, is developing its policy of union in a broad and dynamic Left Front and taking the initiative for decisive social progress in support of social rights, for an extension of existing liberties and for effective responses that meet democratic requirements for world peace and disarmament, for international relations based on the respect of people’s sovereignty in reciprocally beneficial cooperation.

We wish that your 20th congress has the greatest success in its work for your party and for the peoples of India. We reaffirm our full solidarity and our determination to strengthen still further our mutual relations.

Message of Greeting from the Iraqi Communist Party

WE convey the warmest greetings of Iraqi communists to the 20th congress of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), wishing its deliberations every success. The congress will contribute to strengthening party organisation as well as developing its mass struggles and the defence of the interests and democratic rights of Indian working class and people.

Your 20th congress will also help to develop party tactics in the current situation in your country, strengthen the role of the Left and democratic forces in India and further develop the fight against neo-liberalism and imperialist schemes, as well as promoting socialist ideas and goals. This is especially important in the present climate of the deepening global crisis of capitalist economy. It is closely interconnected with strengthening international solidarity against the warmongering policies of imperialism, and the need to provide genuine support for ongoing struggles all over the world for peace, freedom, democracy and social progress.

The Iraqi communists, together with the people and democratic forces, are continuing their struggle in difficult and complex conditions, to eliminate the legacy of dictatorship and occupation, defeat terrorism and sectarianism, regain full national sovereignty and independence, and build a unified democratic and federal Iraq. This is taking place in a climate of intensified conflict over the future of the Iraqi state and the form of its political, economic and social system. 

The withdrawal of American forces, completed by the end of 2011, was an important step along the path of regaining full national sovereignty and independence. It was the result of a unified popular stance and a national consensus. Our party rejected all attempts to maintain foreign military presence on Iraqi territories, under any pretext or title, including military training.

The continuing political crisis in Iraq, since the elections in March 2010, has opened the door for increased interference by external forces, especially the US and regional powers. It has exposed, once again, the real agenda of ruling and influential political groups to maintain their positions and privileges, while the suffering and anger of the people are mounting, with rampant unemployment, corruption and poor public services, health, education and housing. The Iraqi communists have called for early elections as a peaceful and constitutional way out of the current crisis, coupled with amending the anti-democratic Election Law and reconstituting the Electoral Commission which was set up on sectarian-ethnic basis to serve the ruling blocs. The communists have also called for a National Congress to address the root-causes of the crisis and to end sectarian politics.

In line with this policy, our party has supported the mass popular protests calling for radical reforms, with active participation of youth movements, exposing the anti-democratic policies of the rulers and the deepening crisis and bankruptcy of the sectarian-ethnic power-sharing system. It has also called for an effective response to the scourge of corruption that is alarmingly rampant in the country. We have strongly condemned the interference by government authorities in the affairs of trade unions, associations and civil society organisations.

Our party is determined to continue its initiatives to achieve unity in action of the democratic forces, and to transform the Democratic Current (launched in Baghdad in October 2011) into an effective principal force in the ongoing intensified struggle over the future of Iraq. This vision requires greater efforts to involve the trade union movement and democratic organisations, especially those of women, youth, students and other civil society organisations, in mass struggles to defend human and democratic rights of workers and people.

The Democratic Current has recently organised a series of People’s Conferences in Baghdad and other provinces to mobilise the democratic forces and put forward its alternative for the way out of the political crisis. This process culminated in a National People’s Conference held in Baghdad on March 16, 2012.

No country in the Middle East has been immune to the impact of the storms of change that have swept the region over the past ten months, although each country has its own particulars and details.

The peoples of Tunisia and Egypt have achieved major successes in their quest for salvation from their regimes of tyranny and oppression. We have also witnessed recently the collapse of Gaddafi’s dictatorial regime in Libya. Other peoples in our region have also marched along the path of freedom, democracy and social justice, to ensure a decent living and respect of human rights. The region has witnessed a wave of demonstrations and protests, and other forms of mass action, in order to achieve these goals.

The mass popular uprisings and movements in some countries have undoubtedly achieved successes and have overthrown regimes that had seemed well entrenched. Despite the challenges and obstacles still facing these movements in other countries, it is now certain that the situation will not return to what it was before January 2011. But there is still a long path ahead for the popular masses that have risen up. It is a difficult path, full of struggles between those who want to exploit, parasitically, the fruits of the people’s struggle, and those who want to lead the mass popular movement to its victorious end, through ripening it and turning it into a real revolution, and achieve the alternative desired by the people: democratic civil regimes with social justice.

This broad movement has demonstrated once again that the big, radical and fundamental events and transformations are made by peoples with their own free will, when they become aware of their interests. People were, and shall remain, the makers of history.

The internal factors also remain the main driving force. But there is no doubt that external factors have their impact and influence too, but they come next to the internal factors and interact with them. What has happened is not, on the whole, spontaneous but the result of a long and prolonged accumulation.

There is no doubt that the popular mass action and uprisings were not in isolation from the crises caused by the policies of economic "openness" and neo-liberalism, and the running of the economy according to the recipes of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, which have produced the phenomena of polarisation of wealth, the marginalisation of millions of people, the spread of unemployment and deteriorating living conditions.

As pointed out in a joint statement issued by our party with the communist parties of Egypt and Jordan, the Palestinian People’s Party, and the Popular and Democratic Fronts for the Liberation of Palestine (issued in Amman, Jordan in late May 2011), utmost vigilance is required towards the schemes of imperialist, Zionist and reactionary quarters which aim to sabotage the revolutionary upsurge of Arab peoples.

Therefore, it is of utmost importance to reject and resist all attempts by US imperialism and its allies, through NATO or other means, to instigate wars and military intervention to achieve hegemony and subjugate peoples to their designs.

Despite the enormous challenges that lie ahead, the Iraqi Communist Party will continue to strengthen internationalist ties and relations with all peace-loving, progressive and democratic forces and movements in the world, in the joint struggle for freedom, democracy, social progress, and socialism. We look forward to your support in the difficult period ahead, and to developing the ties of friendship and cooperation between our two parties.

With our best wishes for a successful 20th congress of the Communist Party of India (Marxist).

--- Central Committee, Iraqi Communist Party

Greetings from the Workers’ Party of Ireland

DEAR Comrades,

The Central Executive Committee of the Workers' Party of Ireland (WPI) sends warm comradely greetings to the Central Committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) on the occasion of its 20th congress.

This is an important congress taking place at the time of a major structural and systemic crisis in the world capitalist system. The WPI recognises and salutes the stand of the CPI(M) against capitalist exploitation and imperialist war and its consistent struggle to advance the interests of Indian workers and, through your  solidarity, the interests of  the working people of the world. We salute the role and struggle of the CPI(M) in mass democratic actions for workers and peoples’ rights; against communalism and all other expressions of religious fundamentalism; against gender inequality and oppression in all its manifestations; against corruption and for its unswerving commitment to carry forward its revolutionary tasks and mobilise all the exploited sections of the Indian people in the revolutionary offensive for the establishment of people’s democracy and to construct a socialist society.

The WPI applauds the brave and courageous stand of the militants of the CPI(M) in the face of ultra-leftist terror and the violence of the anti-communist forces aimed against  the CPI(M) communist cadre and supporters which has led to the death of and injury to many comrades. We extend our sympathy and solidarity to those comrades who have suffered and the families of the bereaved. Our party too has suffered such attacks and this reinforces our support for the comrades of the CPI(M).

The vicious anti-communist campaign in Europe and the attempts of the US to extradite Comrade Sean Garland, a member of the Central Executive Committee of the Workers’ Party of Ireland, who will be well known to many comrades in the CPI(M), demonstrates a continuing attempt to attack and criminalise the work and ideology of the communist and workers’ parties. The WPI wishes to thank the CPI(M) for the solidarity and support provided by the CPI(M) in the campaign to prevent the extradition of our comrade.

The Workers' Party of Ireland believes that your discussions will make a significant contribution to the advancement of the people’s struggles in India. The WPI sends its warmest wishes to the participants in the congress and to the leadership and cadres of the Communist Party of India (Marxist).

We wish you continued success in your work and look forward to continuing solidarity and friendship between our two parties.

Long live the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the revolutionary struggle for people’s democracy and socialism in India.

Yours in solidarity,

--- Central Executive Committee, The Workers' Party of Ireland

Greetings from the Party of Italian Communists

DEAR comrades,

We send you the warm greeting of the Italian communists for your important 20th congress and we  reaffirm our principles of solidarity and brotherhood with your party.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the role played by your party in reorganising the international communist movement, together with other communist organisations, is crucial.

Your congress comes at a very delicate political time. The deepening of the international economic crisis, the conflicts caused by the aggression of the imperialists countries and regional instabilities (a long arch of crisis which goes from Af-Pak to Middle East, passing through threats of war on Syria and Iran) characterise the international framework.

Our country’s position is in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea and for these reasons we are very affected by the situation in the Middle East with the so called “Arab Spring” and the risk of a new imperialist war against Syria and Iran. We express our support to the genuine, peaceful social people's protests and denounce at the same time the manipulation of the desire of the Syrian people by internal and external forces, triggering a civil war situation in some parts of the country.

Nevertheless, from what’s happening in the Eurasian region and in Central Asia, it is clear that after the collapse of the Soviet Union, imperialist countries, particularly the US, have been trying to expand their dominance for the geopolitical control of the region and to lay hold of energy resources.

For these reasons what is happening in your country is very important. The shift to right of the government of India and of the Congress party after the withdrawal of support by the Left from the UPA-1 is domestically moving India to neo-liberal positions, and internationally it is trying to take a historically non-aligned country to pro-Atlantic positions. The active role of India in BRICS activities can help in promoting multipolarity by pursuing an independent foreign policy. In fact, what will happen of the balance of power in your country in future will be crucial for the global equilibrium.

In Italy and Europe, Italian communists are engaged to fight, in so hard conditions, against austerity proposals sought by the European Union, which aim to destroy the social security and the achievement of decades of working class struggles throughout Europe. Private banks and credit institutions are being saved with public money, but healthcare and other basic citizens' rights are cut.

But the communists are well aware that each stage of major changes is full of contradictions. The development of the crisis and the increase in exploitation of people is accompanied by a process of relative decline of imperialist powers and the  emergence of new powers, especially China, whose ascent is rebalancing, unfavourably to imperialism, the international balance of power.

Furthermore, the crisis of capitalism bares the true face of capitalist exploitation and oppression and makes it clear to millions of workers and peoples all over the world that capitalism is the real cause of these injustices and sufferings. For this reason, the role of a communist force with a revolutionary policy, at a time like this, is decisive.

Dear comrades, we are sure that this congress is a very important occasion for discussion by all militants of the CPI(M).

We have gone through the political thesis for your congress and the Resolution on Some Ideological Issues. We consider all this material an important contribution not only about your country’s situation; it will also be an essential contribution to the reconstruction of the communist and revolutionary movement in the 21st century.

--- Central Committee of the Party of Italian Communists

Message from the Japanese Communist Party (JCP)

ON the occasion of the 20th congress of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), the Japanese Communist Party (JCP) sends its message of solidarity to all the delegates and party members. We also express our gratitude for your expression of sympathy when a massive earthquake and tsunami hit the eastern part of Japan on March 11 last year.

We hope that your congress will be fruitful in defending the people’s livelihoods against the sharp price rises, the serious unemployment, the agrarian crisis and the increasing impoverishment of the majority of working people, as well as in formulating a Left and democratic alternative to defend India’s economic sovereignty and oppose corruption and communalism. We also hope it will be an opportunity to build a stronger party --- politically, organisationally and ideologically.

The Japanese Communist Party is making efforts to ensure that reconstruction in the disaster-hit regions is done in a way that the profit of big corporations does not come first, that it comes through helping the affected people to restart their lives and businesses and rehabilitate the disaster-affected communities. We are also promoting the movements to make Japan into a country without nuclear power plants (NPPs), while demanding full compensation for damages and measures to contain the contamination caused by the nuclear power plant accident. The JCP has been confronting the government of the Democratic Party of Japan in its pursuit of policies more subservient to the United States and business circles than those of the previous government of the Liberal Democratic Party and the Komei Party.

In 2010, Comrade Prakash Karat visited Japan and had a meeting with our Executive Committee chair Shii Kazuo, marking a milestone in the development of our party-to-party relationship. We are looking forward to further strengthening the friendship and solidarity that our two parties have built to this day in such fields as realising international negotiations for a Nuclear Weapons Convention, establishing a just and democratic international economic order, and exchanging theoretical views on scientific socialism.

--- Japanese Communist Party Central Committee