People's Democracy

Communist Party of Greece Holds its Eighteenth Congress

The following is the text of the greetings sent to the 18^th Congress of the Communist Party of Greece that was held in Athens from February 18-22, 2009.

Dear Comrades,

The Central Committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) conveys its warmest fraternal greetings to all the delegates and fraternal delegates attending the 18^th Congress of the Communist Party of Greece. The CPI (M) always cherishes the fraternal relations with the KKE and 90 years of its heroic history. The KKE has come out with �lan from the many years of repression unleashed by the fascistic forces. It stood in the forefront in the struggles against the fascistic dictatorship of Metaxis, the dictatorship of Mussolini, Nazi occupation, British and US imperialist forces and the rule of the junta. Police brutalities, concentration camps, physical elimination of comrades could not deter it from the path of socialism.

The KKE also has rich experience in working within the bourgeois parliamentary democracy and was steeled in its struggle against both the right and left deviations. The CPI (M) observes with interest the role played by the Communist Party of Greece in the struggle for people�s livelihood and against the repression unleashed by the ruling classes, the European Union and NATO. We have keenly followed the two successive workers strikes organised successfully and also the recent agitation of the farmers. The role played by the Communist Party of Greece after the killing of the 15-year old boy and the subsequent developments is commendable.

We also note with appreciation the role played by the KKE in the international communist movement. The initiative taken in organising the annual meetings of the International Communist and Worker�s Parties is helping in strengthening the international communist movement. The CPI (M) shall fully cooperate with the KKE in all the initiatives it takes for the consolidation of the international communist movement. The immediate reaction of the Communist Party of Greece after the recent attack on Gaza by Israel and the visit of comrade general secretary to Palestine is an excellent example of international solidarity. We also take this opportunity to thank the Communist Party of Greece for the solidarity expressed when our Party was subjected to attacks from the ruling classes in our country.

Comrades,

The 18^th Congress of the KKE is taking place at a crucial juncture. The current crisis of international financial capital that spearheaded imperialist globalisation in the last two decades is, by much estimation, far graver than any other crisis in the history of capitalism. The ramifications of the crisis are now being felt on the real economy also. Many countries have officially declared themselves to be in recession and industrial outputs worldwide are witnessing a rapid fall. Factories are 'off-loading' their workforce, reducing working hours and many units are being closed. Millions of people have lost their jobs. According to the ILO, more than 50 million would join the ranks of the unemployed. The social impact of the crisis too is being felt everywhere with rising discontent and increasing protests. Iceland has become the first country where the people expressing their ire had forced the government to resign.

Capitalism, as Marx has shown, is a system that is based on exploitation of man by man and nation by nation. It can never be a crisis-free system and this fact has been once again vindicated by the present day crisis that originated in the United States of America. It has exposed the unsustainability of the path of globalisation pursued for the past few decades and also the bankruptcy of neo-liberalism�its ideological mask.

All the apologists of capitalism are burning their midnight oil to ensure that capitalism comes out of the morass it finds itself in, unscathed. World capitalism has embarked on a spate of nationalisations that would have surprised the former socialist USSR. When the time to defend capitalism from such a crisis comes, all ideological attacks against State or public property and nationalisation, an anathema according to their own 'sacred' philosophy not long ago, are mercilessly abandoned. 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.

The capitalist class is trying its best to retain its hegemony at any cost and all the stimulus packages we are witnessing today to revitalise the economy are efforts to 'reform the system' and ensure that people do not turn to a socialist alternative. No amount of reform can make capitalism an exploitation free system. The current capitalist crisis tellingly demonstrates the vacuity of the �eternality� of capitalism.

Experts who had trumpeted the collapse of the Soviet Union and the socialist bloc in East Europe and sounded the death knell for socialism with statements like the 'end of history and ideology� are unable to reconcile to these developments. All the imperialist powers in spite of pointing accusing fingers at others and trying to shift the blame for this crisis off their shoulders are united in their efforts to prevent the advance of Left.

Barack Obama, the new president of US has generated lots of hope among the people of that country and throughout the world with his promise of change. However, we should not assume that the US would end its aggressive militarist moves aimed at world domination and the attacks on the sovereignty of third world countries and its hegemonic designs.

The recent military assault on Gaza by the Israeli forces is a telling reminder of the war-hungry nature of imperialism and its cohorts. The US still does not condemn Israel for its genocide on the people of Palestine. World over, people expressed their anger against Israeli-Zionist aggression and stood in solidarity with the Palestinians. That the communist and workers parties in their respective countries took the lead in these mobilisations needs no special mention.

More than anything else, the global economic crisis and this attack on Palestine, exposes the barbarity of capitalism and imperialism and demonstrates the necessity and need for socialism. The objective conditions are opening up possibilities which we can utilise in strengthening the popular movements. We have to intervene effectively to advance the movement for social emancipation and end the exploitation of man by man. The only way for humanity's liberation from this exploitation is the establishment of a socialist system.

Comrades,

General elections in our country are due very shortly. Our Party gave the call for the defeat of the right-wing reactionary and fundamentalist BJP and the pro-imperialist Congress in these elections. Our Party along with other Left parties withdrew its 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. This seriously compromises 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. With due modesty, our Party can claim that it 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 various 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 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 18^th Congress of the KKE. We commend the Communist Party of Greece for its thesis on socialism, an effort to critically understand the factors that led to the collapse of socialist bloc in East Europe. 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 socialist society in Greece. While such a struggle would be long and arduous, on behalf of the CPI (M), we assure you our fraternal solidarity and support.

Central Committee

Communist Party of India (Marxist)