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Between clear communism and mysterious «left»
By Dr. Ammar Bagdache, member of political bureau of Syrian Communist Party
In the
context of accompanying public information campaign to
prepare for the extraordinary meeting of communist and
workers parties in Damascus, «Annour» newspaper(No. /
394 / «Annour» new) held an Interview with Dr. Khaled
Hdadeh Secretary-General of the Lebanese Communist
Party, which put forward some views and ideas which can
be discussed.
Dr. Khaled Hdadeh answer
to the question about the importance of such meetings
between the communist and workers' parties literally as
follows: «We would like first to emphasize the
importance of joint meetings and coordination of
positions between the communist and worker parties at
the international level, especially at this stage of
human history, these meetings be established to identify
confrontation programs and its methods with neo-liberal
globalization and especially its head United States ».
Well Dear Comrade
Secretary General of the Lebanese Communist Party, you
see the main task of these meetings is to face the
globalization of neo-liberal, and especially the United
States. But the majority of communist parties which
participate in international meetings have the view
that its task is to confront imperialism, i.e., the
highest stage of capitalism, and its striking power U.S.
imperialism. In order not to be seen as not documented,
let's see, for example but not limited to, the theme of
the meeting of the Tenth International Communist and
Workers Parties held in Sao Paulo (Brazil) in November /
2008 /. The theme: “New phenomena in the international
developments. Deterioration of national, social and
environmental problems, intensification of the
intra-imperialist (yes imperialist) contradictions and
rivalries. The struggle for peace, democracy,
sovereignty progress and socialism and the joint action
of Communist and Workers’ Parties”
The theme of the regular eleventh meeting (yes, the regular and not
the extraordinary, the seminar), which will be held in
India and the theme will be: «the international
capitalist crisis (yes, capitalism and not the
neo-liberal Dear Dr. Esquire), people's and worker's
struggle, alternatives and the role of the communist and
working class movement (yes, class, and not vague left).
This is endorsed by the Working Group at its meeting
held in Athens in February / 2009 /, and as I remember
that Dr. Khaled Hdadeh was present at this meeting.
Some might say that it is
only a slight difference in names, but these names
reflect the vision system of intellectual and political
positions derived from. It is something good that the
left Progressive intellectuals struggle against what he
called «neo-liberal globalization» But the Communist
must struggle against imperialism and against capitalism
in general. Thus, it appears the difference between
these two phenomena. At the margin must be said that
neo-liberalism as policy and method has fallen positions
seriously, and this is what we see not only in the
practical policy of the centers of international
capitalism, where the interventionist role of the state
increase significantly, but in the declarations of the
presidents of imperialist states, and no doubt that Dr.
Khaled Hdadeh, who pays interest to the French issue,
has a look at comments by President Nicolas Sarkozy in
this regard. Yes... We are the Communists, with the
decline of neo-liberalism, we find a fertile ground for
the continuation of our general struggle against
capitalism and imperialism, but what will remain of the
left Progressive intellectual, it remains for him to
find another subject does not have a class crude name
which does not harm (God forbid)the hearing of civilized
world. Words such as imperialism and class struggle and
the dictatorship of the proletariat and the proletarian
internationalism and others are sharp words which is
organically ostracized by the new left European and whom
his leftism brought many of the revolutionary parties to
the entire mass, of course, the imitators in the third
world seek to advance to follow the lead of innovators
such as Western renovationist Robert Hugh, Fausto
Bertinotti and Santiago Carrillo and others.
In his evaluation of the situation of the international communist
movement before / 1990 / Dr. Khaled Hdadeh refers to
the positives , he says it is at the same time full of
mistakes and pitfalls that have accumulated, leading to
the collapse of the Soviet Union and the failure of the
achieved socialist experiment.
In the negative points
that summarized our region Dr. Khaled Hdadeh gives few
examples to illustrate what he says, namely, (the words
literally as stated in «Annour»):
«First example: the
position taken by the Soviet Union in / 1948 /, of the
partition of Palestine, and the result in decline and
isolation experienced by the Arab communist movement for
more than two decades, and to be known that our party,
for example, was against the partition».
Yes... The Communist
Party in Syria and Lebanon was against the partition in
/ 1947 /, but at the same time he defended the position
of the Soviet Union against the attempts of reactionary
forces in the accusation of responsibility for the
catastrophe that damaged the Palestinian Arabs to the
Soviet Union, not imperialism, Zionism and Arab
reactionary client (King Farouk, King Abdullah, Nouri
Al-Said, Sharl Malek for example, and not limited to)
the very forces that stand behind this calamity (Nakba).
As for the position of the Soviet Union led to a retreat
and isolation experienced by the communist movement in
the Arab countries, the facts indicate otherwise. In /
1954 / the Communist Party in Syria and Lebanon made a
major victory at the arrival of the secretary-general
Khaled Bagdash to the Syrian parliament, was this
evidence of decline and retreat, , where the masses of
Damascus play a big role in making the representative
of the communists arrives to the Parliament and with the
highest votes? .many of the Lebanese comrades has
contributed in the Party's work to meet the tide of
public awareness and we mention them, for example, but
not limited : the martyr comrade Farajallah Alhlu,
comrades Nakhla Mtran, Hasan Quraitim, Oohanis
Ogbashiyan and Diab Tannous and others, and others who
have been victims of innovative terrorism two decades
later, in the period Comrade Khaled Hdadeh considered by
the end of the retreat, In other words, when, George
Hawi and gentlemen: George Batal, kareem Mrwee and Nadim
Abdel-Samad and leading their followers like Mr. Elias
Atallah ascend the leadership of the party.
And a question on the
margin, where is the location of these brothers here for
the communist movement in Lebanon?
Or that the question of
their position should be directed to Mr. Saad Hariri and
Walid Junblatt?
Is the completion of the
retreat and decline means the making of Kamal Junblatt,
a leader and a teacher sometimes, and sometimes other
brother Yasser Arafat, and at certain stages Mr. Abdel
Halim Khaddam. Does openness imply acceptance of
logistical support for the revolutionary struggle of
course from the Brother Muammar Gazzafi and his green
book which was more valuable to the late George Hawi
from all the books of Marx, Engels and Lenin? The way in
accepting this support to the liberation struggle
against the «class community isolationism» from Saddam
Hussein al-Tikriti at the height of the prosecution of
Communists in Iraq. By the Lord, eighther so political
openness, or not, but in the eyes of some is «the
politics is savvy! ».
The second example of Mr.
Khaled Hdadeh literally: «lies in the so-called
no-capitalist path of development, in the late fifties
of the last century, which led to the abolition of
important communist parties in the world, in particular
in the Arab world (Egypt), which did not succeed in
transforming the national movements , which came to
power through coups, to left movements, but their
leaders turned slowly to the middle bourgeoisie, grew
later, and benefited from the logo (one-party rule),
which was for the Socialist countries, the Communist
Party, to put away all of those outside of the
participation in the power ».
we will not stand at some
debatable statements such as the theory of no-capitalist
path of development emerged in the late fifties, though
it is crystallized in the early sixties, but this thing
is marginal, and the meaning of conversion of
nationalist movements to«left» movements?. Leftism is a
relative concept and is no doubt that the nationalist
forces that came to power was to the left of feudalism,
and it confiscated land from feudalism through agrarian
reform. The Dangerous in the theory of no-capitalist
path of development was of illusion that these
progressive nationalist forces will build socialism, and
therefore no need for the communist parties in those
countries which reached the progressives nationalists to
power. Unfortunately, the leadership of the Lebanese
Communist Party in that time was one of the main
promoters of this theory, in particular, in Lebanon,
there were not such a progressive nationalist forces in
power, the theoretical speech of Lebanese had been on
the other Arab countries, and transit trade are not
alien to the Lebanese reality. Comrade Khaled Bagdash
was attacked- because he categorically dismissed this
disastrous theory, and he faced Khrushchev directly
against the idea of resolving communist parties- by some
Lebanese comrades to stand up against the general
guideline of the international communist movement and
its vanguard of the Soviet Union.
Yes, the Syrian Communist
Party and its leader, Khaled Bagdash, the only power in
the communist movement in the Arab countries that have
stood firmly saying no-capitalist path of development, I
must say that this position required the historic
battles not just overseas but also within the party.
Indeed, the formula adopted for a brief period under the
pressure of revisionist forces, and in this regard,
"said Mr. Yusuf Faisal of the general National Council
of the party / 1971 /:« After discussion with the
scholars of the Marxist-Leninist of fraternal parties
and in the forefront of the Soviet Communist Party, we
have to adopt formula through the development of
non-capitalist, the fact must be recognized here, that
Comrade Daniel (Ne'ma) defended in advance of this
formula, and that Comrade Khaled was against it»
(National Council of the Syrian Communist Party, p. 48).
Yes... Comrade Khaled
Bagdash was against it, and remained fighting against
this non scientific formula of the dangerous political
reflexes, that the Fifth Congress of the Party and
unanimously removed this formula of all documents,
primarily of the program of the Syrian Communist Party.
This is for history...
And what for now, for the present? For the present, Dr.
Khaled Hdadeh presents literally as follows: «in the
face of such a comprehensive attack (and not being
determined as imperialist attack) we need a unified left
position ». And he sees «the importance of meetings
conducted by the communist parties in Syria, Jordan,
Lebanon and the Palestinian People's Party».
Here the question arises,
why in the face of aggressive imperialism, let us call
phenomena by their names, and just put «a unified left
position»? To face such attack there must be seek for
the unity of the side of all the national forces,
especially those forces that have proven steadfast in
the face of colonialism, indeed, like Hezbollah in
Lebanon. Therefore, the Syrian Communist Party raises
slogan «For strengthen the international front against
imperialism». But the vague propositions about the left
alternative hide behind something else, which is that
this will be the left alternative to the communist
movement which is armed by theory of Marxism-Leninism.
Such a phenomenon is active in Europe, and such
phenomenon some people want it to succeed in the world
of the Arabs. Dr. Khaled Hdadeh have been identified
components of the power of such a process which the
Lebanese Communist Party after the dazzling success in
the last legislative elections, the Jordanian Communist
Party (Praise be to God for his safety after the
collection / 500 / votes to be officially registered in
Jordan) and the other party in Syria may be a viable in
this area if there are young people able to operate
within its ranks, and the Palestinian People's Party,
who was a pioneer among all these parties in the
complete abandonment of the Marxist-Leninist in the hard
times.
It is strange indeed why Dr. Khaled Hdadeh also did not say the
Iraqi Communist Party, which no doubt has pride of place
among them, and his «Low Popular» positions, let us be
diplomatic ., through its cooperation with the U.S.
occupation from the time of Premer up till now.
Here I recall an incident
that in preparation for the meeting of the Eighth
international communist and worker's parties, which was
held in Portugal in the autumn of / 2006 /, which
discussed the primary address: «escalating confrontation
with imperialism (yes, Dr. Hdadeh, imperialism) and the
functions of the communist movement in these
circumstances,» our Portuguese comrades announced that
they will not invite the Iraqi Communist Party to this
meeting as a party collaborator with the occupation. And
then, suddenly had invited the so-called Communist Party
of Iraq. We inquired about this change in the situation,
and they told us that most of the parties of the
European, Asian and Latin American supported the absence
of an invitation, but came to them a protest from the
Jordanian Communist Party leadership to support the
position of the other party of Syria, Palestinian
People's Party and the silence from the Lebanese
Communist Party, to attend the Iraqis. At that time we
lodged a protest and said that not only those
representing the communist movement in the Arab
countries. In any case, we will not go into the
functioning of secret love for other times.
Yes, what is happening on
our own is part of the global struggle between the
forces of Marxism-Leninism and the forces of revisionism
and opportunism. In this struggle and its effectiveness
depends to a large extent the general struggle of the
international progressive forces in the face of
imperialism.
In the end, I say:
Personally, I like Dr. Khaled Hdadeh as a person, but
more than that, it seems better compared with its
predecessors. And about dialectics he teaches us that
the phenomenon is not comparable to the phenomenon, but
to reality.
The question is: can you
build revolutionary parties without strong fixed
ideological foundations?
Any way, as Karl Marx teaches us: Practice is a measure of truth.
-------------------------------
Meeting
of Communist and workers Parties in
East
Mediterranean
Syrian Communist Party
speech delivered by Dr. Ammar Bagdache, member of
political bureau of Syrian Communist Party, in Athens 5th
January 2008
Dear comrades,
At the
beginning, I'd like to express my deep thanks to the
comrades of Communist Party of Greece, for their
initiative to invite workers and Communist Parties in
East Mediterranean and their kind hosting to the
meeting.
Today, our
meeting to exchange opinions with the representatives of
fraternal parties and coordinating their stands to
challenge common enemy - the world imperialism, has a
special importance in terms of plots and imperialistic
expanding plans which are applied in our region. And our
region is one of the most significant parts, for the
intense challenge between world imperialism and world
liberating movement takes place in it.
The situation in
the region is distinguished by the continuation of
American invasion and direct occupation to Iraq. It
should be said that Iraqi patriotic resistance which has
directed and directs painful strikes to American forces
and to its local agents, did not change only the
situation in the region, but also the situation in whole
world. By virtue of this heroic resistance, the image of
the American Imperialism as an absolute power and not
confronted and must be kept pace with it, this image
fell down.
So the Iraqi
patriotic resistance strongly proved that the people who
aspire for its freedom, and willing to present all what
it has for the liberty of its country, can struggle
against the most forceful imperialist power, and cause
it tremendous losses.
We, Syrian
communists, supported and expressed our solidarity with
Iraqi national resistance since its appearance,
regardless of ideological contrasts with some of its
factions. However, according to our viewpoint, what
basically combines us is the opposition and resistance
against the main enemy; that is the American
Imperialism.
We wish if the
socialist stream is stronger in this resistance, and
this did not really happen because of the opportunist
and revisionist cancer, which affected the supposed
deliverer of this stream. Right now, we are with all
real patriotic powers in the region, backing up the
struggle of Iraqi patriotic resistance to defeat the
American occupation, and establishing the independent
democratic unified free Iraq, where the whole citizens
have equal rights.
Besides, there is a further
victory to liberation powers in our region, particularly
the defeat of Zionist Israeli aggression on Lebanon in
summer time 2006. As usual, this aggression had a
thoroughly American support; above all, it was mainly
incited by American administration, to kill civilians in
the inhabited places in such a brutal way and with
inconsideration to thousands of victims. In site of
that, the Lebanese national resistance and its striking
group’ Hezbollah’ courageously confronted to the
barbarian attack, and they defeated the troops of
Zionist aggression.
We, Syrian communists, raise a
high tribute to heroisms of Lebanese national
resistance. We also champion the struggle of Lebanese
patriotic powers irrespective of their ideology or
origin; seeking to defeat the huge plot which world
imperialistic centers fabricate it depending on their
local allies and agents, for the sake of transforming
Lebanon into imperialistic protectorate and as a centre
of conspiracy on the national liberation movement in the
region. Lebanese national powers strife to preserve on
the real independence for their country and national
sovereignty, they contribute a lot in the struggle of
world and Arab patriotic liberation movement.
As Zionist and imperialistic
plots persist to destroy the Palestinian issue. It
should be said that reactionaries Arab regimes and
Palestinian non- patriotic sections work hard to make
this huge conspiracy successful; and Annapolis
Conference was one of the recent scenes, which the
American administration called for the meeting in
coordination with Zionist Israel rulers, assistance and
support of world reactionary powers including the
flattering Arab regimes. Undoubtedly, one of temporary
objects of Annapolis Conference was to brighten up the
image of Bush administration in front of American public
opinion, as a temporary compensation of repeated defeats
or, rather, the immense failure of American Imperialism
policy in Iraq. More over, it is also to increase the
popularity of Olmert government inside Israel,
especially after Israeli troops in Lebanon were
defeated.
However, the objects of
Annapolis Conference were further of temporary objects.
Its objects were intending to draw the features and key
lines of destroying the Palestinian issue. So, Annapolis
Conference is a step to legalize’ the Jewish features’
to Israel state and the absolute negation to the
Palestinian refugees right of return which was
stipulated by the UN resolutions. And even furthermore,
to endorse the principle of ’ Israel's Judaism ’ is a
clear racial principle establishes a legally base
displacing the Arab citizens from Israel, that is to
say; applying the of ’ Transfer ’ scheme which the most
extremist parts openly proclaim it in the Zionist camp,
and practically prepared by what is called ’ Zionist
moderate powers ’ .
As working for
keeping the aggressive expanding characteristic of
Zionist Israel and developing it, there is no in the
Zionist camping. But disagreement is concentrated on the
best manner for applying this colonial racial scheme.
In addition to
that, Annapolis Conference aimed to confirm the category
that Palestinian state takes the shape of jelly like and
flabby weak entity; it is similar to ' Bantustan system
' which the racial governance in South Africa attempted
to apply in late of 20th century.
Furthermore, Annapolis leaders were wholly concerned by
orchestrating to fuel the Palestinian civil war, for
carrying out Zionist and imperialistic objects by
Palestinian hands.
And one of the
long-termed objects of Annapolis is to quicken the
normalization process between Zionist Israel and Arab
rulers, as achieving the Zionist imperialistic plan for
setting up the ' New Big Middle East plan ' , this means
to set up an imperialistic centre in the region, led by
Israel and under the American imperialistic custody.
And we realize that the
first priority of Arab patriotic liberation movement
with all its factions is to foil the imperialistic
Zionist plan, which aims to spoil completely the
national sovereignty of Arab countries, and fully
enslaving to its peoples and national wealth.
Dear comrades,
Syria constitutes
a major difficulty in challenging the total application
of imperialistic and Zionist hegemony plan in the
region. It rejects the submission to Imperialistic
dictations. It also states about its solidarity with
struggle of Arab national powers, which are fighting
Zionism and imperialism.
Syria is
subjected to different blackmails and plots because of
its national stand, and threatened by the military
direct invasion. Not to mention, Zionist Israel
frequently makes limited aggressive operations,
represented by air striking to a certain Syrian
locations with various pretexts. Imperialistic powers
want from Syria to give up its backing to patriotic
powers, factions and the resistance in the neighboring
Arab countries; it is like an introduction to wage a
comprehensively attack on Syria, in order to topple the
current regime and replacing it with traitorous and
reactionaries regime. And we, Syrian Communists, find
that the support of Syrian national steadfastness is an
international, patriotic, class and sacred duty.
Syrian communists
daily work hard to strengthen all the factors of Syrian
national steadfastness, through out motivating the will
of resistance of Syrian people masses, deep-rooted by
national traditions, and promoting the ties of allying
between Syrian patriotic powers, especially between
Syrian Communist Party and Arab Socialist Baath Party.
Pressures on Syria are not only
restricted by external threats and plots, but also
reactionary powers and representatives of Comprador
Bourgeoisie which works to exhaust Syria economically in
order to strike it politically. Our party steadily
challenges the directions of economic liberalism; it
realizes the seriousness on the Syrian national
steadfastness and on the living standard of people. And
it must be said that this battle is difficult because
its national feature is not clear to the people, and
reactionary powers are trying to restrict it within the
economic field.
However, we Syrian communists
conceive that when we struggle for defending the
national production and its progress, we defend the
backbone of this production that is public sector, which
constitutes the largest national funds in the country,
and defending all other forms of national production
starting from funds up to small goods projects. We also
protect the interests of working laborers, farmers and
persons with little earnings up to national Bourgeoisie.
We do not only find it as social – economic struggle,
but it is also considered a highest level of national
struggle.
The struggle of Syrian communists depends
on the following three pillars of the policy party:
1 – To cooperate with all patriotic and
progressive powers in the country.
2 – To defend the independent view point
of the party in the principled and serious political
cases.
3 – Constant fixed struggle for the
interests of the popular mass.
We see in our struggle that we
take part in the world struggle of liberation powers
against Imperialism. And it exactly harmonize with the
great slogan ' For Anti - Imperialism World Front'
Dear comrades,
All indications demonstrate that
there is a strong periodical crisis striking all the
Imperialism centers. Such crisis usually leads to
several outcomes:
In one hand, they pointedly show
Capitalism's contradictions and destabilization of the
current balance of powers, on the other hand the ruling
monopolist Capitalism in imperialistic countries, so it
stirs up its external aggressive expanding feature to
over come its crisis, and it resorts to black
reactionaries governments to attack the movement of the
toiling masses, or to democratic socialist governments
for appeasing social tension. At any rates, we,
communists, should be in the front of class and
patriotic struggle within these critical circumstances.
And there is an essential point in our
international struggle; we have to draw our attention to
importance of facing the danger of world Zionism.
Thus, Zionism is a racial
reactionary movement having a fascistic feature which
represents the interests of financial Jewish capital
that is in the absolute characters. But its
extraordinary danger lies in how much it is able to
adapt with objective circumstances, changing its shape
and practices as well. So it has a remarkable influence
on the main Bourgeoisie movement in the world, beginning
with Neo-cons and ending with Social- Democrats. And it
finds that one of its top missions is to devastate the
Communist Parties through out creating and encouraging
opportunist and revisionists orientations in them. For
this reason, the relentless struggle against Zionism is
one of the priorities of general struggle for communists
all over the world.
Dear comrades,
Communism Movement has enormous fighting
tasks. And dangerous fierce enemy attacks us, and
humanity never ever recognizes like this enemy even the
days of Fascism. Consequently, humanity depends a lot on
the communists' struggle, for saving it from the
imperialistic enemy which holds all barbarianism and
destruction to life on our planet.
Any way, we will inevitably win together.
Thanks for your listening |
