On the subject of the May Day declarations
This year, two joint international declarations by Marxist-Leninist-Maoist Parties and Organizations have again appeared, which have called for the immediate need for unity: The most dangerous virus is the imperialist and capitalist system! Advance to the Proletarian Revolution Worldwide! and Drop the Illusions and Go for the Struggle! A sign of the weakness of the communists to face the situation created by the crisis of world capitalism, aggravated by the health crisis of the covid-19.
However, in comparison with the declarations of other currents, parties and organizations that call themselves communist, but are in fact opportunist, such as the revisionist Khrushchevist parties, the Marxist-Leninists grouped in the ICOR and the CIPO-ML, international Trotskyism and Avakianist neo-revisionism, there is an abysmal difference, because these false communists do not go beyond warning the situation, and the more «revolutionary» ones, only succeed in announcing a future socialism and communism for who knows when, without finding a way out and a revolutionary orientation at the time, all of them ultimately end up contributing to prolonging the agony of dying and decaying capitalism.
Conversely, in the two joint international declarations of the Marxist-Leninist-Maoists, the actions of the ruling classes and imperialism are correctly denounced, as well as their responsibility in the health crisis; their reactionary measures to unload the whole weight of the crisis on the shoulders of the working class and other workers; the worsening of the social crisis that now affects even the imperialist countries, the open exercise of their dictatorship in many places without the veils of bourgeois democracy; the outrages and preparations for a world war…
They warn of the worsening of all the contradictions of imperialism in all countries, which creates a special condition, inasmuch as it tears away the mask of the world capitalist system, of its states, of its governments… and even if neither of these declarations explicitly admits it, it is a fact that the contradiction between the proletariat and the bourgeoisie has been openly revealed as the current main contradiction in the world arena, the one that best expresses the fundamental contradiction of the capitalist system between the social character of production and the private character of appropriation. A contradiction that had been manifest for several years, but that in recent years, especially in 2019, became even more evident in the general strikes, in the political mass strikes and in the workers’ and people’s uprisings in the five continents; a confrontation that, although it has diminished as a result of the confinement, has not ceased, even in the midst of the quarantine, and will continue with greater force in the coming months.
That is why the present situation is exceptional, insofar it stimulates the struggle of the proletarians and the popular masses and creates a better subjective condition favorable to the common struggle in the world and in all countries to overthrow imperialist capitalism and advance toward the World Proletarian Revolution and the establishment of socialist society on the road to communism. Hence, despite the differences in some respects, the conclusions of the two statements are similar with regard to the tasks of communists, given the potentialities of the objective conditions of the situation.
For this reason, both declarations call for advancing in the construction of the Communist Parties as the organized vanguard of the working class, the construction of the United Front of the proletarians and the popular masses, the construction of the People’s Army, the work of preparing the proletariat and the masses of the people to initiate and develop the People’s War to sweep away the old bourgeois world; all of which is impossible without a determined struggle against opportunism and reformism in general. This is why both are speaking out and calling for the international unity of communists throughout the world.
Why, then, didn’t a single joint statement come out from the Marxist-Leninist-Maoists?
Such is the question being asked by a section of conscious workers and revolutionary intellectuals who do not yet understand the divergences within the MLM communists, and who at this time seem pointless, in the face of the exceptional situation and magnitude of the tasks. The unity of the international revolutionary proletariat is needed, and we must aim to work for it, and without delay.
It is not enough to declare oneself in favour of unity; it is necessary to put aside sectarianism and to specify an ideological and political basis that will make such unity possible.
The break with Pachandist and Avakianist revisionism constitutes an initial basis of common ideological unity, sustained by the uncompromising defense of the principles of Marxism-Leninism-Maoism the same principles that Avakianist revisionism has declared insubstantial, into a general delineation of fields with opportunist theories that distort and dent the revolutionary edge of Marxism-Leninism-Maoism, into common general conclusions of the analysis of the world situation in the light of principles, and into common general political tasks for transforming the situation in the perspective of the victory of the world proletarian revolution.
It is then necessary to express the basis of ideological unity explicitly in a Platform of Unity, which allows for the treatment of the remaining divergences in order to reach a higher degree of unity in the perspective of unity in the General Line. A Platform of Unity that is the ideological basis for a Programme of immediate and common political struggle of the Marxist-Leninists-Maoists of all countries, which will enable the various revolutionary proletarian detachments to act together, with common objectives, common tasks and common banners and slogans, and which will in turn help to march towards the organization of a single International Centre for Ideological and Political Leadership whose orientation will be adhered to and disciplined by the Marxist-Leninists-Maoists of all countries.
It is urgent to unite the intelligences and to work with various hands, establishing links to exchange the analyses and experiences, to seek the commitment of the communists of the different countries to participate actively in the elaboration and analysis, in the discussion and dissemination in the different organs and languages, in such a way that the activity is chained and one learns mutually from what is being done in each country.
In addition, it is possible and necessary to draw up joint declarations and statements on particular aspects of the situation, providing common guidelines for dealing with common problems and carrying out joint activities, not only to support the developing people’s wars but also to intensify the worldwide struggle against imperialist capitalism.
All these tasks are now achievable, despite the divergences and limitations that each of the communist parties and organizations is currently facing. They make joint action possible; they create better conditions for dealing with the necessary discussions, treating them as contradictions within the people, and they are a step forward in the construction of the new Communist International.
In view of the fractures in the imperialist world system and the dramatic situation to which the working masses have been subjected, it is to be hoped that genuine communists will be able to put aside particular interests for the cause of the world proletariat, which will enable them to attract all the proletarian detachments who really intend to prepare the forces to make the most of the present situation and unleash the forces to defeat the bourgeoisie in at least one group of countries.
It is not enough to resist in the face of imperialism and the disasters caused by the crisis, now aggravated by the pandemic and the danger of a new world war. The patches of reformist quacks who propose to «humanize» this hell of exploitation, oppression, devastation, war and death are harmless, ridiculous and chimerical. The communists are the decisive factor, and the outcome of the coming battles depends on their unity: Imperialist capitalism must be buried! The world needs revolution! Only the World Proletarian Revolution can save humanity from the imperialist quagmire.
Steering Committee – Communist Workers’ Union (mlm)
May 18, 2020
