Athens Meeting 19-20 June 2003, Contribution by Portuguese
CP
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From: SolidNet
http://www.pcp.pt/pcp , mailto:internacional@pcp.pt
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Albano Nunes

Comrades,

The timing and the usefulness of our meeting are evident.
The swift, bumpy and uncertain course of the international
situation renders very necessary the frequent exchange of
information, experiences and opinions among the communist
and revolutionary parties among all progressive and
anti-imperialist forces. To undertake a correct
characterization of the contradictions and the fundamental
trends of the international course, from the viewpoint of
the class positions which are ours, is indispensable for a
correct political action in our countries, for the
strengthening of our internationalist cooperation, for a
common and converging action against the exploitative and
aggressive offensive by great capital and by imperialism.

We thank the Communist Party of Greece for its initiative
an invitation.

We are all aware that the offensive by imperialism is
global, international, and that the answer by the communist
and revolutionary movement, in order to be effective and
have a chance of success, has to also have a strong
international dimension. Even more than in the past, in
view of the accelerated processes of the international
division of labour and internationalisation of the
socio-economical, cultural and ideological processes.

It is in this process that one has to understand the
"anti-globalisation movement" and the political focus it
quickly achieved, independently of having certain media
treatments, which mainly aim to erase or deny the action of
the more proven and consequent political and social forces.
Their emergence, as well as the remarkable dimension
achieved by the peace movement, has in my view two
fundamental aspects: 1) the objective and subjective need
for articulated answers at the international level against
the process of capitalist globalisation and 2) the
disposition of social strata, until now without any faith
and passive but fit hard by the steam roller of
"globalisation", to turn radical and get in motion, tossing
aside the blockades of "single thought".

It is a movement encompassing political forces and
organisations and social movements of various types, very
heterogeneous and diversified and assuming, according to
the circumstances of time and place, very different forms
and sizes. It would be wrong to amalgamate extremely
different experiences from country to country, idealise the
"movement", and attribute a central role in the arrangement
of the social and class forces and the struggle for
transformation, which from our viewpoint, is not theirs.
And for a start in Portugal.

The central role in the process of social change played by
the working class and labour, be class unions, by the Party
and revolutionary theory is not, in our view, put into
question by the emergence of new movements and new forms of
articulation and social political intervention. Just the
opposite. What the "anti-globalisation movement" shows, and
with it the remarkable dimension taken by the peace
movement and against the imperialist war of aggression
against Iraq, is the confirmation of the fundamental theses
by the PCP when analysing contemporary capitalism. Namely,
the narrowing of its social and political base of support
as a result of an unprecedented centralisation of capital
and wealth with a deepening of its monopolist nature and
the entry into struggle against neo-liberalism/capitalism
of intellectuals and technical cadres, the youth and middle
layers hit by the steam roller of capitalist globalisation,
a situation which objectively holds a great potential for
the widening of the anti-imperialist and anti-capitalist
front.

The PCP valorises the "anti-globalisation movement", from
Porto Alegre to Florence and its main extensions,
participants in it with a unitary spirit, endeavouring for
unity in action in everything that serves the interest of
the workers and the defence of peace. Simultaneously, we
affirm our own identity, refuse very strong pressures of
dilution and subordination of the communists in the
"movement" (based upon a false and demagogic contraposition
Parties/social movements), strive for its democratic
character and its anti-capitalist and anti-imperialist
radicalisation, oppose the attempts of appropriation by
some very active groups at the international level who try
to impose upon the popular mass movement its own agenda and
at the ideological level, we combat both he theories of an
anarchising "rebellion" (against the parties, against the
struggle for political power) and the attempts of a
reformist recovery by a discredited and crisis bent
social-democracy.

It was with this guideline, and truly engaged in uniting
everything that can be united against neo-liberalism and
war, that the PCP participated in a distinguished way in a
recent Portuguese Social Forum held in Lisbon. And I say
"a" because the PSF is not an organisation but a dated
landmark of useful debate, of elevating the own action of
each and all of its promoters. Those who tried everything
to manipulate it into sectarian objectives were defeated,
curiously leading to a noisy campaign in the media against
our Party, the unitary trade union movement and other
organisations.

The dialectic of national and international in the process
of social and revolutionary change assumes particular
importance in the present circumstances.

The PCP stresses the importance of strengthening ever more
the cooperation and internationalist solidarity among the
peoples, the workers, the progressive, and the communists
around the world. As it is natural, the PCP has paid
particular attention to its relations at the European and
NATO level, bringing very serious problems to our people
and country in terms of social rights, of sovereignty and
democracy itself. What is at stake during this European
Council in Salonika is truly very serious. At the same
time, we consider it our duty to contribute for a widest
possible international cooperation among communists and
other forces of social progress, rejecting "euro centric"
conceptions that sometimes arise in our movement. The
workers and peoples of Asia, Latin America and Africa, who
bear the weight of capitalist globalisation are at the
forefront of the liberating struggle.

Having said that, we reject the theses that say that the
struggle in the framework of the sovereign state has lost
meaning and that, both at the electoral and institutional
level as well as the mass action level, supra-nationality
is the alpha and omega of the changing and revolutionary
process. If these ideas, so dear to some theorisers of the
"anti-globalisation movement", were to succeed, there would
be grave dangers of uprooting the concrete and more
immediate field of class struggle.

Comrades,
These are some reflections related to the theme of our
meeting. The debate will certainly allow to complement them
with some notes on the international situation following
the occupation of Iraq and the situation in Portugal. I
would like to end with just two short notes.

First, to express a great concern over the pursuit of the
policy of imperialism (of imperialism as a whole) and the
very serious dangers to freedom and independence of the
peoples. The rivalries and contradictions among the
imperialists are today widely accepted and assumed by the
elements of this Triad themselves. It is a reality that
opens a field for the development of the struggle, as
witnessed during the Anglo-American aggressio against Iraq,
which one has to evaluate and learn to explore. But this
does not prevent neither living and working conditions and
their rights we have to stress the great importance of the
social struggles all over Europe and which will be present
during the international initiative we intend to carry out
during the "Avante" Festival on September 5th, 6th, and 7th
nor the adjustment of the essence of their military and
interventionist action under the guise of "combat against
terrorism". The recent decisions by NATO and EU, namely in
the submission to the US in the attack against Cuban
revolution, even in the fascist aggression against the
Palestinian people, are particularly worrying.

The second note is to stress the true potential for
revolutionary and progressive developments. Everywhere the
resistance and struggle continue, including in Afghanistan
and occupied Iraq we would like to use this opportunity to
express our solidarity to the comrades from the ICP and all
Iraqi patriots while at the same time, capitalism
undergoes a deep crisis which, if no one hand leads to
dangerous adventures, on the other confirms the boundaries
of the domination of capital.

In such a situation, it is more than ever necessary our
solidarity and at the same time, deepen our roots among the
workers and the people, strengthen the Party and defend and
affirm our organic, political and ideological independence.
That is what we strive to do in Portugal, fighting the
government of the right, its violent anti-social offensive,
its shameful submission to the US, its attacks against
democracy. And caring for the strengthening of the Party's
ranks and unity.