Contribution to the 15th International Communist
Seminar
"Present and past experiences in the international communist movement".
Brussels, 5-7 May 2006
www.icsbrussels.org , ics[at]icsbrussels.org
Communist Party and Youth - the Challenge for Future!
Communist Party of Slovakia
Author of article: Ľubo BLAHA
Dear comrades,
First of all, I would like to appreciate the effort of the Workers“ Party of Belgium (WPB) to organize the seminar also this year. I would like to send you the cordial fraternal thanks for your work on behalf of the Communist Party of Slovakia.
In my speech I am going to talk on the situation with youth in Slovakia, about the problems and perspectives.
The significance of youth is striking also for the future of the political party. If party wants to be developed and does not want to die out, it has to attract to young generation to be involved to its initiatives. Each political party needs patronage of fresh young power. It also concerns the Communist Party of Slovakia (CPS), which has some strong lacks in this field.
The work with youth represents the key point for the future of the Party. Without addressing to the young generation there is the threat for the Party, that after the future elections will naturally lose the support of majority of electorate, which is until now created by the old generation. Therefore, the work with young generation for the future of the Party is one of the most current issues, even if, from the first sight, it seems not to be so important.
Let me, now, enumerate the potential sympathizers of the CPS among the young people:
a) young intellectuals at the high schools and universities,
b) young activists in various left and alternative associations,
c) all young people, which are opened to the postmodern themes, who are frustrated by the inhumaneness of capitalism,
d) degraded and unemployed young people who cannot find the job in the current system.
For each of these categories we have to choose the specific strategy. Each of them is in the opposition towards capitalism, but until now they cannot find in the CPS the instrument to express their own opposition. Therefore, we have to thoroughly reassess these themes.
The significant task is also to make the self-realization possible to youth. The directive approach discourage the young generation. Youth has to feel, that they decide without restraint, that they do not lose time in Party, that their activity is purposeful, that they have the possibility to be actively involved to the policy of the Party. The CPS needs to find the common speech with the young generation and to adapt the party policy to their demands. The left youth, nowadays, support first of all anti-global movement and therefore there is the task for CPS to be more active in this issue. Communist parties in abroad currently intervene anti-global themes in the big policy. It is one of the reasons, why they obtain the support of young people. In the combination with the suitable personal policy the Party could be able to improve not very hopeful current situation of work with youth.
We can divide the work with young generation into the two different strategies: firstly, propaganda, it means the work of the obtaining the new young sympathizers with the main aim to persuade and attract, and secondly, intraparty work, which means the approach to the youth with the main aim to preserve, to use the potential and to create the space for self-realization.
In the framework of propaganda, it is necessary to open the themes, on which today“s youth reacts positively, for example protection of the environment, the struggle with the movement Skinheads, peace (constantly emphasize the resistance against wars, cooperation with the pacifist movements), protection of minorities (including Roma population and handicapped people, cooperation with minority associations), anti-globalization, (active participation with the civil left organisations, participation at the international social forums), the struggle against the poverty of the Third world, education, european background (constantly emphasize the international support and incorporation of CPS into the international left structures, refer to the European left party and GUE/NGL etc.)
In the framework of the intraparty work, the CPS should support the formation of the basic units. It is necessary to pay the particular attention to university students. The important condition is also the creation of the broad conditions for the creation and activity of the Socialist union of youth. In this respect, the CPS should reassess also its personal policy. Young members should be entrusted with the responsable duties and tasks. The CPS needs to be rejuvenated, especially at the head posts in the basic units, in the district and regional committees and also at the level of central committee.
It is also important to target the vocabulary of the young generation. To address the young generation it is necessary to use their vocabulary. It means that in public it would be useful to replace some terms from the old regime and try to work with terms, which the youth understands as modern. The CPS would stop to have a strange and antiquated influence to Youth. For the purpose of this, it is essential to adapt the performing of CPS in the media. In media and in public it is necessary to give the floor to the youth, to show them in media to ensure an opinion among the people, that CPS is not the party of old nostalgics, but on the contrary, the party of young progressive people.
The question, whether there is a reason for the left solutions, seems, of course, for us, to be responsible, but the fact is, that majority of young people in Slovakia, thanks to the total publicity in media, consider the left solutions to be old- fashioned. The first struggle, which the CPS has to start among the young people, is the struggle for the sense of the left itself in Slovakia. We cannot start such a struggle with the "difficult topics" to which people have bad reactions. (simply saying, it is easier to address young people by the picture of revolutionary bohemian and referring to the social injustice, than by defending the steps, which had to be taken by Stalin long time ago).
At present, the CPS started to implement the new approach in the work with youth. In the last days the situation with the coming of new young members is getting better markedly. We have now members not only among the students at universities, but also there are young workers from all regions of Slovakia. We also refreshed the position of young at the joint voting-paper of our party for the elections to the National council of the Slovak republic. (Just to remind you, that we will have the elections on 17th June 2006). In the first twenty places there are two candidates at the age less then 30, whereas one of them, Jozef HRDLIČKA, is placed as a vice-chairman of the Party on the second place of the joint voting-paper. There is also gradually getting better with the position of young at the leadership positions in the Party and young people are more a more active. Youth brings to the party necessary revolutionary potential. The elections in June will show us, to what extent the strategy in the work with youth has been successful and to what extent it helps to the Party to have a good result in the parliamentary elections. One thing is sure - without well prepared youth, the future of Party will not be possible. The work with youth should be the priority of each communist party.
If the Party is able to create effective organization of youth and if it is capable to attract young activists by the changing of speech, she can think on the future successes. If Party does not make an effort in the work with youth and underestimate this task, the young generation turns in the future back to the Party and the enormous organizing potential of CPS will fail.
Thank you for your attention!
KOMUNISTICKÀ STRANA SLOVENSKA
The Communist Party of Slovakia
ÚSTREDNÝ VÝBOR
CENTRAL COMMITTEE
Hattalova 12A, 831 03 Bratislava
Tel.:+421/2 446 44 102/-03
Fax: +421/ 2/443 72 540
Internet: www.kss.sk
E-mail:zahr@kss.sk