People's Democracy

 Yechury Greets Lebanese CP on its 87th Anniv

THE Working Group meeting of the International Meeting of the Communist and Workers' Parties was held in Beirut on October 22-23, 2011. The Working Group consists of eleven parties which meet periodically to work out the modalities for the organisation of the IMCWP. Apart from the host Lebanese Communist Party (LCP), which is also a member of the Working Group, the meeting was attended by the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of Greece (KKE), Portuguese Communist Party (PCP), Communist Party of Russian Federation (CPRF), Communist Party of Brazil (PCdoB) and South African Communist Party (SACP). The two Communist Parties in Syria also attended the meeting to brief the Working Group about the developments in Syria in particular and the Arab world in general.

The Working Group ratified the dates of the 13th International meeting of the Communist and Workers' Parties proposed by the host country and party, the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) and the theme of the meeting. It will be held in Athens, Greece from December 9-11, 2011 with the theme: “Socialism is the future! The international situation and the experience of the communists 20 years after the counter-revolution in the USSR. The tasks for the development of the class struggle in conditions of capitalist crisis, imperialist wars, of the current popular struggles and uprisings, for working class-popular rights, the strengthening of proletarian internationalism and the anti-imperialist front, for the overthrow of capitalism and the construction of socialism”.

The Lebanese Communist Party hosted the meeting of the Working Group to coincide with the 87th foundation anniversary of the party held on October 24, 2011. A huge public meeting was organised on that day in which along with the Lebanese people, all the participants of the Working Group too took part. Sitaram Yechury, Polit Bureau member and Head of the International Department of the CPI(M) addressed the meeting on behalf of all the parties in the Working Group.

We are reproducing below the text of the speech:

MY dear comrades, valiant fighters against all forms of injustice, I salute you today, on behalf of the International Working Group of the International Meeting of the Communist and Workers’ Parties of the world – in which 77 parties from all continents of the world are involved – I express our fraternal solidarity with the Lebanese Communist Party on this occasion of its 87^th anniversary.  Greetings to the Syrian Communists too, who are present here, on this occasion.

We, Communists of the world, reiterate our declaration, unhesitatingly, that along with all anti-imperialist fighters across the world, along with all victims of oppression and repression of global capitalist exploitation, we shall ceaselessly intensify the struggles for the creation of a just society. 

We do not merely dream of a better world.  We have the vision for creating a better world where there is no exploitation of man by man or nation by nation.  A world where there is true and complete emancipation and liberation of all human beings – the establishment of socialism.

In this spirit, we express our solidarity with all those in struggles today, especially our valiant Palestinian brothers and sisters, who as a result of a gigantic imperialist conspiracy have been and continue to be denied their elementary fundamental right to their own homeland.  The struggle for the establishment of the legitimate independent State of Palestine in accordance with UN resolutions shall continue with global solidarity, till victory.

Comrades,

During the last two decades, since the dismantling of the USSR, imperialism has aggressively pursued its quest for global hegemony.  All of us know this, the vast mass of the global population are victims of it.

This was accompanied, a process that continues to intensify, by an ideological attack against Communists.  We are told that capitalism is eternal, there is no further social evolution. Marxism-Leninism is declared as dead and that socialism has no future.

Karl Marx has shown that capitalism is a system that maximizes profit through intensified exploitation. It can never be a crisis free system.  This has been resoundingly vindicated by the current global recession – the worst crisis in capitalism’s history.

Capitalism is showing its true inhuman character in the manner in which it is seeking to overcome its own crisis. By bailing out the financial corporates, who in the first place caused this crisis, it has converted corporate  insolvencies into sovereign insolvencies.

The result! Unprecedented attacks on the livelihood of the global mass of humanity.  Growing unemployment, cuts in social security, assault on the sovereignty of the developing countries.

Comrades,

Today, popular struggles have erupted globally. Comrades from Greece are here – from Portugal, where big struggles are going on. Big repression is on. A Greek comrade has been killed.  We, in India, have lost over 200 comrades, killed in struggles, during the last one year.  Latin America is in revolt – many progressive victories and governments have emerged.

These struggles lay the basis for the overthrow of this inhuman system of capitalism.  The way capitalism has chosen to get out of this crisis has laid the basis for a deeper crisis.  Struggles are bound to grow and intensify.

Comrades,

To those who say socialism is dead, we answer in a particular way in India. Marxism is a creative science. Like when a child is born from the mother’s womb, that child may be diseased, have many infirmities, but cannot – never – go back into the mother’s womb!

Likewise, once socialism emerged from the womb of capitalism, human history can never go back into the womb of capitalism.

History has only one future – that future is socialism! For that future we shall fight – we shall win!

Comrades,

The Lebanese comrades, here and all over the world, our Syrian comrades, comrades world over, have made glorious sacrifices.  They are making history today.

In memory of our martyrs – till victory we shall march forward.

LONG LIVE LCP!

LONG LIVE PROLETARIAN INTERNATIONALISM!

TILL VICTORY….WE SHALL STRUGGLE!!