http://www.ppp-civic.org , mailto:ppp@guyana.net.gy , mailto:pr@ppp-civic.org

13^th International Meeting of Communist and Workers' Parties

Athens, December 9-11, 2011

SOCIALISM IS THE FUTURE!

The international situation and the experience of the communists 20 years after the counterrevolution 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.

Contribution of Peoples’ Progressive Party of Guyana

Dear Comrades,

The ongoing intense global systemic crisis of capitalism is extremely brutal in its attacks on the working class and other vulnerable classes and social groups in all countries of the world.

Twenty years ago, the counter-revolution in the USSR led to a serious setback for the working class and its champions in the Communist and Workers Parties. Today, the capitalist crisis is rewinding the clock.

The battle for survival is generating varied actions by workers and other affected groups, making it necessary for our Parties to provide effective leadership to the new surge of working class actions.

It is therefore most fortunate that our 13 ^th Meeting is taking place in this beautiful historic city of Athens which has become the arena in recent times of intense struggles by the Greek working people.

The PPP of Guyana expresses its sincere appreciation to the Communist party of Greece for the excellent preparations for our meeting and more importantly for the great example of struggle that it is currently leading.

We endorse the sentiments of the General Secretary of the KKE, Comrade Aleka Papariga, that “what is required today is the planning and escalation of the class struggle.”

Another strong message also emerged here in Athens in April of this year from the 16 ^th World Trade Union Congress of the WFTU. The Congress declared:

“The crucial issue is the struggle against the logic of either crisis management or the capitalist power. The trade union movement cannot hope to conquests, if it limits its action into defensive struggles, if it doesn’t proceed to struggles that question the sovereignty and the power of monopoly capital in each country and support such struggles in any other country; From the base to give strength and perspective to the struggle.

We must undertake this responsibility and reject all those voices that pull the movement back in the name of ‘unity with capitalists’ or ‘with the lesser evil.’

Unity without class base and joint action with forces that seek to modernize and humanize capitalism or they search settings of the capitalist barbarism sow confusion in the minds of employees and ultimately create serious difficulties for the class trade union movement.”

Dear Comrades,

The deep Capitalist crisis is seriously affecting the working people in both developed and developing countries.

Developing countries have long been experiencing the assaults on their efforts for socio-economic development under the unilaterally imposed anti-people direction of globalization and world trade regulations promoting the interests of the multi-national corporations and imperialist objectives.

These assaults have greatly increased in the conditions of the current crisis placing major hurdles in the path of progressive governments pursuing the path of independent development for the improvement of the living standards of their peoples.

In Guyana, our Party the PPP, in Government, has been working tirelessly to rebuild the shattered economy inherited from colonial rule followed by an authoritarian dictatorship during the first quarter of a century of our existence as an Independent Nation.

As a Marxist-Leninist Party committed to a Socialist Future, we have embarked on the initial stage of National Democracy which seeks to strengthen the role and influence of the working class and reduce the influence of local and foreign capitalist forces. The newly elected President of our Country, our Party’s General secretary, Comrade Donald Ramotar, re-emphasised this commitment in his declaration to the electorate that:

“Specific attention will equally be paid to workers who are the bedrock of our economic activities. We hope to work closely with the labour movement so as to protect and advance the interests of workers in an environment that guarantees the personal safety of every citizen. My objective is to work with stakeholders to promote unity of the labour movement.”

At the international level, our Party had expressed the position for many decades that the unbridled control of market forces over the direction of globalization would not only lead to major setbacks for the economies of developing countries but would also result in intense crises in the developed capitalist economies.

The Founder of our Party and late President of Guyana, Comrade Cheddi Jagan, at the World food summit in November, 1996 stated:

“Today, hunger, poverty and social disintegration stalk the globe, not just in the South but also in the North, and the gap in living standards between the North and the South continues to widen.

As we approach a new century, the South is faced with aid cuts and the North with "jobless recovery" and "jobless growth." Consequently, we need a new global partnership for sustainable human development, good governance and a development strategy, which will provide the world with sufficient food to have such food resources equitably distributed. Poverty is the root cause of food insecurity and only its rapid and permanent elimination will produce improved economic and social relations for a more equitable world order.

In an increasingly globalised environment of disorder and confusion, there is little room for concepts of development which place prime emphasis on the promotion of narrow national interests above the common good of humanity. A stop must be put to an unjust global economic order;”

He then proposed a new approach to development which he described as a New Global Human Order.

“My friends, we need a scientific, realistic and people centered development strategy. This is why, I have advocated the need for a New Global Human Order premised on sustainable economic development, equity, social and ecological justice and based on the creation of a separate Global Development Fund for assistance to both the North and the South.

We must put in place a system whose objectives will be to invest directly in the poor, to seek out opportunities for entrepreneurship among the marginalized, and to provide the social and infrastructural services which would enable the poor to become self reliant and productive members of the global community.”

Our Party is proud of the fact that the UN General Assembly has passed Resolutions in 2000, 2002, 2007 and 2010 on “The role of the United Nations in the promotion of a New Global Human Order.” We invite your Party to become involved in the promotion of this proposal. More information can be obtained from the website of the Cheddi Jagan Research Centre

www.jagan.org

As we reflect at this forum on the way in which our Parties will provide more effective leadership to working class actions, we need to relate to all fronts of struggle which help to create a more accommodating environment for the intensification of the class struggle globally and in various types of national conditions.

We need to engage more actively with the anti-war movement, the green movement, the progressive trade union organisations, the youths, students, women and other social groups.

At this our 13 ^th International meeting, we need to take stock of our own levels of cooperation and collective actions.

The PPP of Guyana hopes that we can work out practical measures to improve the preparation, content and outreach of the Information Bulletin and Solidnet. We all owe a huge debt of gratitude to the CP of Greece for its great work in maintaining the Bulletin. We can surely demonstrate our appreciation by adding our own meaningful contributions.

Dear Comrades,

As in previous crises of capitalism, the forces of imperialism and reaction are seeking to divert the anger of the working people from understanding the real nature of the crisis. They are greatly helped by the severe decline in ideological work which followed the collapse of the socialist system two decades ago.

However, the failure of the combined efforts of the major capitalist powers to stop the decline has re-opened peoples’ doubts about the false pictures painted of capitalism. And the attacks on the working class generated by the crisis have provoked new levels of militant actions by the working people to defend their interests.

New opportunities have arisen for our Parties to provide the necessary guidance to increase the working class orientation of these struggles. This calls for high levels of patience, understanding and commitment to gradually effect these gains.

May our commitment to the time tested principle of Proletarian internationalism propel our Parties to work together to seize this historic moment to advance the struggle once again in the direction of our goal to defeat the decadent capitalist system and secure the future of socialism.

Dear Comrades,

Early Greek civilization provided great inspiration for the shaping of our world. And Greek mythology continues to provide for our young students numerous examples of great heroes overcoming seemingly invincible hurdles and monsters.

Today, here in Athens, let us once again draw inspiration from the ongoing struggles of the working people of Greece to confront the difficult tasks facing the Proletariat with the legendary strength of Heracles (referred to by the Romans as Hercules) and like Theseus and Perseus destroy the Minotars and Medusas of Capitalism and Imperialism.