The validity and Current Relevance of the October Revolution of 1917 for the 21st century
Brussels, 4-6 May 2007
www.icsbrussels.org , ics[at]icsbrussels.org
Creation of the new party model
By Pavol Susko
Communist Party of Slovakia
Dear comrades,
For today΄s seminar I finally chose the 2nd and 3rd theme. My choice was based on the position, which the Communist Party of Slovakia has at present days. The important is fact, that in the near future the leadership of our party has to solve various kind of problems and tasks.
Before 1989, at the time of socialism, the Communist Party in Slovakia had around 500 members. The Party had the leading role from 1948 to november 1989.
At present the Communist Party of Slovakia has about 10 000 members and from the last parliamentary elections being held in june 2006 we have not any deputy in the national parliament.
The main task of the present days for us is the new creation of the party, obtaining of new members and sympathizers and the attempt to come back to the national parliament.
In this situation and after the failure in the last parliamentary elections, we seriously think on the new model to be able to respond on the current challenges in Slovakia and perspectively for the 21st century. It is important for all communists and working parties in Europe and all over the world.
There are also big experiences of the Party in her creation and functioning at the time of capitalism (1921 1948 27 years), from the time of socialism and his building (1948 1989... 41 years) and after the crash of socialism in 1989 (1992 2006...14 years).
As in the years 1948 1989 the party had the leading role in society and majority of population respected her policy, after the collapse of socialism our party obtained in the elections 2002 about 6% of votes and was present in the national parliament (12 deputies from 150 presented in the parliament).
In the elections 2006 our party gained only 3.88 % of votes with no deputies in the parliament. The Social-Democratic party called SMER obtained the most votes. They think, they are the leftist party, but, in reality, it is the middle-left party.
What are the experiences from the current construction of the Communist Party of Slovakia?
Nowdays, there is predominantely a group of former members, who became members still either before the 2nd World War, or in 50-s 70-s. (At present they are 50 80 years old.) These members are devoted to work and aims of the party and they have a good knowledge from the theory of marxism-leninism as well as big experiences from the party work. However, they have not enough physical and mental strength to be active in the party work.
There is also one group of members, who were not members of the Party at the period of socialism. They became party members after the crash of socialism. They have no experiences with the party work, they do not know in details the theory of marxism-leninism, methods of the party work and their activity is limited to the paying of membership fees and to the participation at some political actions, which are organized by officials and party committees.
We have also problems to persuade the youth. Young people, who are influenced by the strong anticommunist propaganda, criticizm and making ridiculous everything, which has been connected with the socialism and the policy of communist party, have neither interest, nor courage to become members of the communist party, because they risk the lost of working place. The atmosphere in the society and among the businessmen is as follows. If someone knows, that this or that man or women is member of communist party, he or she can be recalled.
One part of the inteligentsia is also disappointed from the fact, that one of the causes of collapsing the socialism were also mistakes in the policy of Communist party, which they consider to be unrepairable as well as the party is not able to learn from the mistakes. It means she is not able to offer something new to the citizens in the future.
A large number of representatives of the working class left the Communist party, because they were disappointed from the policy of the party, but, the principal cause is based on the fact, they were cheated by the anticommunist rhetoric at the time of political coup in the year 1989 and after it. Workers based their own political parties, but after a short period of time they disappeared from the political scene and nowdays they have lower preferences than Communist party (about 0,2 0,8 %).
It means, that members of the party are quite old. Because of this, the party activities are becoming not effective. That situation is clear especially at the levels of basic organizations and in some cases at the region level. Active members, who are theoretically better prepared with abilities to organize the party work are at the higher posts (regions, districts, central committee). The problem is, that they can be active in the party work only when they finish their full-time job, during their spare time and everything is connected with the urgent lack of money for the political work.
The party does not have enough financial resources and except of some people in the central committee, nobody can be payed from the funds of the party. It means, we cannot expect or require the professional service from the citizens.
In the comparision with the other political parties at the political scene in Slovakia there is a big disadvantage for us, because not only all mass media, but also statements of some politicians declare, that our party is dogmatic, conservative, extremist, outdated and old-fashined, which made only mistakes in the past.
Summarising all these facts, we try to find the new model or type of the party to be accepted by the citizens of Slovakia, which programme and values should be offered to the citizens after the collapse of the system, which was based on the marxist-leninist theory to achieve the justifiable society socialism.
We discuss these problems and opinions are different.
Up to now there are clear only some points, the new party model should have:
- the aim will be the struggle to reach the classless society, as it was characterized by the founders of marxism-leninism.
- it will be the party of marxism-leninism, based on the theory of marxism-leninism, which will respect in her activity and political struggle the basic principles of marxism-leninism taking into account the specific features of the country and the situation, in which the country is located.
- it will be able to develop the theory of marxism-leninism (as it supposed the creators of the theory), not only to repeat dogmaticly its principles and conclusions. The new party model will also respect the progress, which has been made in the evolution of civilization up to now and which will continue in the 21st century. That new model will evaluate the experiences and knowledge from the political stuggles and from the building of the political system different from capitalism.
- will have representatives, who will develop the theory of marxism-leninism and its spreading among the party members and non-members, but also the ability to organize the political work practically in her various forms (from the open political fight using the parlamentary and electoral forms till the work in illegality). It means, members of that party cannot be only workers and peasants, (as it was before in former Czechoslovakia), but the party has to be opened also for intelligentsia, small businessmen and traders.
It need not and cannot be a mass party, but there should be present enough experts (not only in the framework of the party, but also sympathizers from outside), who would compose the professional pages of programme and political documents, that is, the alternatives of society developement, which will be offered to the citizens, who will support this party. These alternatives have to also be spread in the branches, which are current not only nowdays, but will be actual also in the near future the environment, energetic resources, globalization, as well as the solving of the domestic and international security, the help to the pure countries etc. Some political proclamations are not efficient in these days, we need to work out the proposal of the alternatives for the future development not only of the whole society, but also in different branches. The general challenges to the struggle for socialism are not the only way, because we had socialism in our country and in East Europe and not all activities were successul. In comparision with the current situation (capitalism), the conditions for citizens in some parts of the life were more difficult, especially in the field of material needs (consumer goods, electronics, individual building of houses and flats, travelling, etc.).
There are only some characteristic features of the new party model. This party should be able to solve the challenges of the 21st century as we see it now in Slovakia. This new model comes out from our experiences and knowledges. Of course, there are some others requirements and expectations, which should be fulfiled in order to reach the success in the struggle for the more justifiable social system.
We appreciate the organizing of this seminar, because it can be kind of lesson for our party to be well organized by its construction as well as by the strengthening of its position at the political scene of the country.
Thank you for your attention!