People's Democracy

Communist Party of Nepal (UML)  Holds Its Eighth Congress

The following is the text of the greetings to the Eighth Congress of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist Leninist) that was held from February 16-21, 2009 in Butwal

THE Central Committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) conveys its warm fraternal greetings to all the delegates and fraternal delegates attending the eighth Congress of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist Leninist). We also take this opportunity to congratulate the people of Nepal and the CPN (UML) for their success in the fight against monarchy and for the restoration of democracy. We wish you success in the drafting of a new constitution and hope that this will lead to the establishment of the new republic and that the objective would be achieved.

The eighth Congress of the CPN (UML) is taking place at a crucial juncture. The entire world is in the grip of the most severe financial crisis in the past few decades - one that was termed as more severe than the Great Depression of the 1930s. What had started as a crisis in the financial sector had engulfed the real economy resulting in the closure of many manufacturing units and many more facing closures. Industrial outputs worldwide are witnessing a rapid fall. Millions of people are losing their jobs and according to the latest reports of the ILO more than 50 million would join the ranks of the unemployed.

The financial crisis that had its roots in the United States of America has proved yet again that capitalism is not a solution for the problems that the world is facing today. All those pundits who had predicted the 'end of history' with the collapse of the Soviet Union and the socialist bloc in East Europe, are unable to reconcile to these developments. This crisis has once again shown that the path of globalisation that was unfolding in recent decades was simply unsustainable. It has exposed the bankruptcy of its ideological mask � neo-liberalism.

All the apologists of capitalism are straining their nerves to ensure that capitalism comes out of the present morass with minimum damage. Towards this end, they are even ready to increase the role of state in managing the economy, an anathema according to their own 'sacred' philosophy not long ago. This may be a paradox for capitalism�s ideologues, but the fact remains that the State of the ruling classes has always defended and enlarged the avenues for super private profits.

All the efforts to revitalise the economy with the stimulus packages that we are witnessing today are efforts by the capitalist class to 'reform the system' and retain their hegemony at any cost and ensure that people do not turn to a socialist alternative. These bailouts, fiscal policy measures etc are designed precisely to first save and then to create new avenues for profit generation. Even though the French and German ruling classes have accused that it is the Anglo-Saxon policies that had led to this crisis, all of them are together in their efforts to save capitalism and prevent the advance of Left.

The objective conditions existing today are opening up possibilities and it is imperative upon us to utilise them. We have to intervene effectively to advance the movement for social emancipation and end the exploitation of man by man. No amount of reform of capitalism can make it an exploitation free system. The only way for humanity's liberation from this exploitation is the establishment of a socialist system. The current capitalist crisis tellingly demonstrates the vacuity of the �eternality� of capitalism.

The change that Barack Obama, the new president of US has promised generated lots of hope among the people of that country and through out the world. However, it would be naive for us to assume that the hegemonistic drive of the US, its aggressive militarist moves aimed at world domination and attacks on the sovereignty of third world countries would come to an end with the change of guard in the White House.

The recent most inhuman and brutal bombing of Gaza by the Israeli forces is a telling reminder of the war-hungry nature of imperialism and its cohorts. Even today, the US is refusing to condemn Israel for its genocidal acts on the people of Palestine. People across the world rose together to condemn the Israeli-Zionist aggression on Gaza and stood in solidarity with the Palestinians. It needs no special mention to state that communist and workers parties in their respective countries took the lead in these mobilisations.

The global economic crisis and the attack on Palestine, more than anything else, exposes the barbarity of capitalism and imperialism. More than anything else they demonstrate the necessity and need for socialism as the only alternative for the advancement of the humankind.

Comrades,

You might be aware that general elections are due to be held in our country very shortly. Our Party has decided to work for the defeat of the right-wing reactionary and fundamentalist BJP and the pro-imperialist Congress in these elections. We withdrew our support to the present government as it was going ahead on signing the Indo-US nuclear deal and entering into a strategic alliance with the US, seriously compromising the sovereignty of our country. The role our Party had played during the four years when we had supported the present day government from the outside had deterred the government from pursuing full-fledged neo-liberal policies and complete deregulation of the financial sector. This had protected the country from facing greater devastation from the present crisis.

We are in the midst of various struggles taking up the issues of the working class, peasants, unemployed, students, women and various other sections of the society who are reeling under the attacks of the neo-liberal policies pursued by the government at the behest of the imperialist forces. We are also waging a consistent struggle against growing terrorist attacks in India and the attacks and persecution of religious minorities. In this background, the coming elections to the parliament of our country are crucial.

Once again, on behalf of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), we convey our warm fraternal greetings to the eighth Congress of the CPN (UML). We hope that the discussions and decisions you would arrive at in this conference would rally all the progressive and democratic forces in the society and carry forward the struggle for the establishment of a new democratic republic of Nepal. On behalf of the CPI (M), we assure you our fraternal solidarity and support.

Central Committee

Communist Party of India (Marxist)