New Communist Party of Yugoslavia
By Branko Kitanovich

Dear comrades,
We are very grateful to the Communist Party of Greece for
all it is doing to regenerate and strengthen the
international communist and working-class movement.
Time constraints do not allow me to express the opinion of
the NCPY on the essential aspects of imperialist
globalization policy and the response of theYugoslav and
international communist movements. Lack of time also does
not allow me to look at the short history and experience of
the trade union movement in Yugoslavia after the Second
World War. Today I have a splendid task - I am to refer to
some current events and processes taking place in the Union
Republic of Yugoslavia and the Former Yugoslav Republic of
Macedonia.
In spite of this fact I shall remind you that the
character, role and influence of the trade unions in
Yugoslavia in principle resembled those of the trade unions
of other socialist countries until 1991.
It is true, though, that the Yugoslav trade union movement
was negatively influenced by Tito's reformist policy, but,
in spite of this, the trade unions on the whole played a
positive role.
In the beginning of the nineties, during the process of
socialist state disintegration and the gradual revision of
socialist achievements, the old trade union of Yugoslavia
dissolved and two new ones - the Autonomous and the
Independent Trade Unions -were established.
The Autonomous Trade Union in fact was a continuation of
the former state trade union and was decisively influenced
by the government of Slobodan Milosevic.
Its very outset the Independent Trade Union has been a
political weapon of reactionary internal and external
powers. It was and is still a bearer of counterrevolution
and took a serious part in the counterrevolutionary
upheaval of 5th October 2000.
Having seized power, the proteges of the US, Germany and
England removed the leadership of the Autonomous Trade
Union at almost all levels and placed their own people
there. The new leadership is an extension of the hand of
today's government. In this way the difference between the
Autonomous and the Independent Trade Unions has almost
disappeared. It is true that within the framework of both
trade unions there is a number of sectoral trade unions: of
miners, teachers, doctors, merchants, metalworkers,
builders and so on.
The full economic collapse and impasse resulting from the
mistaken policies of the so-called "democratic" government
and a series of other circumstances make many sectoral
trade unions stand against many measures taken by the
current government and against further serious
deterioration of the workers' lives in the given sector.
And during the last two months in Yugoslavia about 20% of
the workers have been constantly on strike. But the venal
leadership of both trade unions tries by all means to find
ways of pursuing cooperation policy with the likewise venal
government, incidentally betraying the interests of workers
on both the large and small scale.
The leadership of both trade unions on the whole supports
and even demands that the government move faster towards
total privatization of state, community and cooperative
property. At present, for example, all 29 of Belgrade's
cemeteries are in the process of becoming privatized.
In this way, the trade union movement, or rather the
leadership of this movement, has become one of the levers
of the puppet government imposed to rule by the USA on 5
October 2000. The transnational companies' globalization
policy uses the current government and trade unions in
Yugoslavia as a transmission belt to transform Yugoslavia
into a new colony of the USA and the European Union. It is
aimed at plundering and annihilating our economy, industry
and natural resources.
What did all this lead to? During the eight months of the
new regime's rule which is based on the orders and advice
of the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank,
Washington and various other institutions of big capital,
more than 60% of all the industrial enterprises on the
whole stopped operating in Yugoslavia. And of the
enterprises which do operate, the great majority does not
use even 30% of their capacity.
Today the things which happened in the economy of the
republics of the USSR and Eastern Europe are being repeated
in a yet cruder way in Yugoslavia. The revision or full
annihilation of all the socialist gains is proceeding at a
rapid rate. A country with a population of about 11 million
now has more than 2 million unemployed and about 2 million
workers who have gone abroad.
In the course of the last eight months, prices has risen as
follows: bread: five to sevenfold, electric power:
fourfold, other public utilities - three to sixfold, public
transport: three to fourfold, newspapers - four to
fivefold, foodstuffs - four to fivefold, industrial goods:
three to fourfold, etc.
During this period pensions have risen at an average rate
of 40% and salaries 35%. Simultaneously various taxes have
risen 3-12 fold. The standard of living of 92 per cent of
the population has fallen substantially, while that of 3
per cent has risen sharply.
I have listed only some of the results and fruit of the
so-called "democratic revolution" in Yugoslavia. Here I
would like to add only that political opponents are being
subjected simultaneously to the harshest treatment.
Hundreds and thousands of people are being arrested,
accused and sacked from their jobs for constructed and
fabricated reasons.
Dear comrades, over the last ten years NATO countries have
caused Yugoslavia damage amounting to about US $100 b. Our
Economic Institute and the International Committee for the
Defense of Milosevic estimated recently that the damage
caused exceeds US $ 200 b. They took into account not only
the immediate destruction, but the consequences of the
economic, political and information blockade as well and
the fact that the workers of the enterprises which were
destroyed still cannot work. NATO killed more than two and
a half thousand people and wounded more than fifteen
thousand. Dozens and hundreds of hospitals, schools,
churches, bridges and residential neighbourhoods have been
also destroyed and today more than US $2 b belonging to
Yugoslavia are frozen in the banks of the USA, England,
Germany and Switzerland. Simultaneously during the last
eight months NATO countries have granted Yugoslavia
so-called "donations" and credits amounting to about US$
280 m and have promised approximately US$ 220 m more. The
greater part of this money is supposed to be used to
facilitate and support privatization. A so-called "donors'
" international conference, which promises credits and
"donations" from six hundred to about one billion dollars,
is being prepared as well. At the same time there is a
conspiracy of silence concerning the huge debt owed to
Yugoslavia for the damage caused during the NATO military
aggression.
Recently the Governor of the Yugoslav State Bank boasted
that state foreign currency reserves have reached US$ 700
m. But he deliberately did not say a word - and it is no
secret - that of this US$700 m 500 m is a grant given by
China to the Milosevic government in the spring of 2000.
Capitalists have never given anything away free to anyone.
Indeed, they have always given and continue to give money
to those forces which conduct policy in their interests.
Today they are supporting and directing the policy of the
puppet government for the further disintegration of
Yugoslavia and the continuing occupation of Kosovo and
Bosnia, for the disintegration of Macedonia and the support
of the separatist government of Montenegro.
We do not need the so-called "assistance" of NATO
countries, which in fact means quenching one's thirst with
a cup of poison. Let the Western capitalists pay us the
debt of US$100 b for the damage caused, let them pay us the
US$2 b that have been frozen and let them give their
so-called "aid" to the millions of unemployed in Western
Europe and the USA.
Certainly, we would be very glad to cooperate and trade
with all the countries of the world on the basis of mutual
profit and equality. But we should not have even the
slightest illusions that the imperialists will accept
relations on equal footing. They have always preferred to
impose their own terms by force, as they still do today.
Esteemed comrades, in the current situation the Red Trade
Union was recently established in our country on the
initiative of the New Communist Party of Yugoslavia. This
trade union will defend the class interests of the working
people in our country. It will conduct a policy against
stealing and the privatization of state, communal and
cooperative property which was created over the course of
decades by the sweat and blood of our forefathers, our
fathers and mothers and our own.
Dear comrades, in closing let me say a few words about the
current political situation in Yugoslavia and Macedonia.
Our party does not recognize the disintegration of the
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. We operate in all
the six republics of Yugoslavia. That is why we are
informed about what is happening today in Macedonia.
First I must say that in the last elections in Yugoslavia
the ruling coalition made up of DOS and the Socialist party
of Serbia, through joint efforts (in spite of the fact that
they do not like each other) and harshly violating the law,
did not let the New Communist Party take part in the
elections. The socialists were afraid (and with good
reason) that the NCPY would take a significant part of the
votes from them. It is natural for DOS to consider
communists to be its fierce class and ideological
adversaries. And in this way the coalition found a common
language and interest in acting jointly against the
communists. During the whole twentieth century
social-democrats have always made compromises with the
bourgeoisie against the communists. And it has happened
again now.
We always supported the patriotic and anti-imperialist
policy of Slobodan Milosevic's Socialist party.
At the same time, we stood against his policy of capitalist
restoration, which still did not have as global a character
as that of the new government.
The US agents in Yugoslavia arrested Milosevic on
fabricated pretexts. The accusations against him are a
crude construction and devoid of any basis. But they are
preparing to try Milosevic in the Hague in order to show
that anybody who will be so bold as to resist NATO' s
(that means the USA' s), expansion and policy has to be
punished. In this way, perhaps all those who might
eventually disobey the USA, will feel frightened.
Second, persecuting Milosevic, the USA wants to shed the
blame for the criminal aggression against Yugoslavia.
Third, persecuting Milosevic they avoid the question of
paying Yugoslavia for the damage caused by the military
aggression. American newspapers even raise the question of
Yugoslavia compensating the NATO countries for the "damage"
caused to American missiles that were struck down.
In this policy the USA has an ally in the venal government
of Kostunica, Djindjic and Djukanovic.
Milosevic became a symbol of resistance to the aggression
and expansion of NATO and the progressive parties of the
world should defend him with all their might. The
international military tribunal should try Clinton, Blair,
Shroeder, Sharon and Solana for their war crimes
Everything happening today in Macedonia has been caused
mainly by the USA. It intends to install its military bases
on a long term basis in Kosovo and Macedonia and that is
why it made Albanian separatists into active terrorists.
And NATO emerges, incidentally, as an objective arbitrator
between the Macedonians and the terrorists. And thus the
long-time presence of NATO there is necessary. The region
where the terrorists operate is the central part of the
Balkans, along with Kosovo. And so it is clear why NATO
shows such a great interest in them.
Dear comrades, in all international meetings NCPY
representatives constantly repeat that today in the world
there exist over three thousand bourgeois political
organizations, whose goal is to reinforce the positions and
the expansion of big capital. Capitalists of all the
countries of the world have united and are constantly
strengthening their unity and domination.
On the other hand, the communists of the world do not have
one international organization and, other than verbal
solidarity, proletarian internationalism in reality means
only a wish.
Unfortunately, it simultaneously frightens many communists,
who consider that it is dangerous to escape from the
boundaries of bourgeois so-called democracy.
We are searching but have not yet found a key to achieving
ideological and practical unity. Naturally, by this I mean
the unity of marxist-leninist parties.
Scientific socialism is the only system which corresponds
to the interests of the huge majority of the peoples of the
world. The revival of socialism in the USSR and Eastern
Europe is impossible without the creative elaboration,
implementation and development of the immortal teachings of
Marx, Engels, Lenin and Stalin.
The role of progressive trade unions in this issue will be
huge, but only they are inherently linked to the communist
parties. I am absolutely certain that the 21st century will
be the century of communism!