Communist Parties and Parliamentarism Part 2 Dominic Tweedie, Johannesburg, 5 March 2005 (edited) In terms of South Africa today, it follows that: . The main revolutionary struggle will be outside parliament . The number of seats held by communists is not crucial . The question of parliamentary representation is not worth a risk of a split in the ranks of the liberation movement as a whole . The ANC/SACP/COSATU Alliance must not be broken. The first impression given by the theses of the 2CCI, and by Lenin in "What Is To Be Done?" is very different from our practice today, especially as expressed in Rule 6.5 of the SACP constitution, which says: "6.5 Members active in fraternal organisations or in any sector of the mass movement have a duty to set an example of loyalty, hard work and zeal in the performance of their duties and shall be bound by the discipline and decisions of such organisations and the movement. They shall not create or participate in SACP caucuses within such organisations and the movement designed to influence either elections or policies. The advocacy of SACP policy on any question relating to the internal affairs of any such organisations or the movement shall be by open public statements or at joint meetings between representatives of the SACP and such organisations or the movement." The insistence on direct control of parliamentarians and the leadership of mass movements (including Trade Unions) by the central organs of the Communist party is, clearly, no longer maintained. On the contrary, it is a point of Party discipline (see rule 6.5) that no such thing must be allowed to happen. Nor can there be private caucuses of SACP members in mass organisations. Party members must advocate their positions openly, and then must accept the majority decision of the mass organisation. This is a correct and practical rule, and it should not be changed. It should be interpreted to cover parliament. Parliament should be treated as a mass organisation. Party members in parliament will be bound by its decisions for as long as they are members, that is to say, unless they resign. Of course, party members are ultimately under the central discipline of the Party. If they are required to resign, they must do so. In the mean time, and for as long as they are elected, they must follow the discipline of the mass organisations in which they work, in this case parliament. It is more than seventy years since the Comintern was disbanded. Communists are no longer of the view that the instrument of working class power following the overthrow of the bourgeoisie will only be a soviet republic. It may take a different form. The proletarian revolution will be made by the masses and must result in the rule of the working class. The action of the masses in the present time is through mass organisations which are guided by the vanguard party, but only to the extent that party leadership is accepted. This principle is enshrined in rule 6.5. The mass organisations of today will become the instruments of tomorrow's revolution, and the revolutionary institutions will then form the basis of socialist organisation after the revolution. Parliament will be one among many such organisations feeding into the revolutionary crucible. The 2CCI Theses are correct that parliamentary power as conceived in a bourgeois constitution must come to an end. Parliament cannot give us revolution. Revolution will not preserve the bourgeois constitution, and therefore parliament's special status will disappear. The communists should be present in parliament to give leadership, as they would be present in any other formation of society. They do not seek a majority. They are in an alliance and wish to remain in that alliance, with the ANC, COSATU and SANCO. Therefore the SACP will not be able to stand candidates unilaterally. They will have to persuade the ANC that having SACP members, as such, elected to parliament is in the best interest of the country, of parliament, of the alliance as a whole, and therefore of the ANC itself. Next: The vanguard and the mass VC -- -- You are subscribed. This footer can help you. Please POST your comments to [email protected] or reply to this message. You can visit the group WEB SITE at http://groups.google.com/group/yclsa-eom-forum for different delivery options, pages, files and membership. To UNSUBSCRIBE, please email [email protected] . You don't have to put anything in the "Subject:" field. You don't have to put anything in the message part. 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