Published by the Communist University, Johannesburg, 7 November 2016 Political Lecture Notes: On Che Guevara Phel Parkies, Member of the SACP Central Committee, October 2016, Rustenburg Dear Comrades and fellow workers, let me respect and appreciate the privilege and honour provided for me to talk about this giant of the international revolutionary struggle for liberation of humanity. Needles to say this month of October is an important and significant month to all communists in the world in the context of the 1917 October Revolution, and its centenary, and those who still believe in the relevance and discursive power of Marxism. Che Guevara - A rare fixed point and figure of its own Category Born in Rosario, Argentina on June 14, 1928. The reigning all-rounder, calibre with nobody else in the world. He played a decisive role in the Cuban revolutionary struggle. He met Fidel in 1955, and represented the Cuban government in many international forums and represented the aspirations of the Third World in various conferences as a man of reputation and passionate revolutionary. Between 1960/61 he wrote the publication on Guerrilla warfare- in pursuing the guerrilla struggle was the most appropriate and certain pat, albeit required ultimate sacrifice. Part of his classic works is the Reminiscence of the Cuban Revolutionary war, and Reminiscence of revolutionary war: Congo, and the Guerrilla Warfare: A Method. His works is still relevant even in today's reality in pursue of humanity for social justice. He was an autodidact Marxist intellectual, a doctor, a genuine practical internationalist and military strategist. Comrade Che Guevara, when the enemy captured him was on a revolutionary mission to fight oppression and injustice. Fired by love and revolutionary ardour- there was no apparatus precarious for him, imperialists exasperated by his imprecation- penetrating in their gums, spinal columns and bones, hence died with the feelings of inadequacy for liberation of the oppressed and exploited masses- "we cannot be sure of having something to live for unless we are willing to die for it". He was the man who hated imperialism with all its vices, he believed that peaceful means cannot overthrow US led imperialism. Let quote him when he say: "hate as a factor in the struggle, intransigent hatred for the enemy that takes one beyond the natural limitation of human being and converts one into an effective, violent, selective, cold and killing machine- our soldiers must be like that, a people without HATE cannot triumph over the brutal enemy our enemy must be prevented from having a moment of peace, moment quite outside the barracks and even inside them. Attack hard and without let up at any point of confrontation that must be the general tactic of the people, attack them wherever they may be, make them feel like hunted animals wherever they go- moral will begin to decline and become more bestial,. What they lack is essentially ideological motivation, triumph over this army is only to extent that we succeed in undermining its moral by inflicting defeat on it and causing repeated suffering through the propaganda of bullets". Comrade Che Guevara believed that all those regard themselves as young communists in the communist movement ought to ask questions, and rebel against formalism and any wrong doing in the organisation. The most ultimate and remarkable legacy is genuine working class internationalism and revolutionary discipline guided by revolutionary conscience. The role and work on guerrilla fighters in the struggle of the exploited and oppressed masses. Agricultural economics "Whatever the ideological aims inspiring the struggle, the economic goal is determined by the desire for land". This particular quote is true to the current situation in our country for the reason that the economic basis of the fight for land has not dissipated in our country. There is no revolution that can claim triumph without the land question being on top of the priority action. Precisely because the natural resource of the country reside beneath and on the land. For the successful human settlement of the members of the society you need land, for agricultural prosperity and food security land in central as an asset wealth. Currently we still believe that our struggle continue to grapple with the vestiges of colonialism of special type , which is the continuation of the past in the present- the levels of tormenting poverty, mass unemployment, social inequality existing. We need to aver that the liberalisation of our economy brought us the seething mess in our country. However, with the greater possibility of agriculture, we can make a dent on poverty and unemployment in this country. A perfect classical examples being the new approach of AgriParks that possesses huge resource meant to benefit our people in the rural areas. But safe to caution that the engorged vampire elite seeks to devour the money for their own senile and selfish interests. These AgriParks can create employment, improve skills for the people, reduce if not eliminate tormenting poverty. In South Africa between 2002 and 2013 the number of households experiencing hunger reduced from 29,3% to 13,4%, individuals experiencing hunger decreased from 23,8% to 11,4%. Currently 40% of the world population their employment is associated with agriculture. Agriculture is responsible for 70% of worldwide water usage. This could be the real black economic empowerment through agriculture- agro-processing and value chain, and how the overall value chain is governed and by who, with the profound understanding of the competitive dynamics in all subsectors of our economy- example is the Milling industry, how many black owned companies operate in this space? Agro-processing has strong potential linkages with other industries. The concentration of agro-processing in the country is associated with anti-competitive and supra competitive pricing to the detriment of the consumers. This is related to what we normally talk about- the inclusive growth we never define to the understanding of ordinary people. The building of production capacity is crucial, a classical example is the second level or category is in our biodiversity economy where the imperialists are exploiting our natural plants and voraciously accumulate millions. The third category in agriculture is in ocean economy which we left untouched assisted by individual leaders, but monopolised by three linked monopoly companies in the country. The fish we eat in South African- fish that is shipped to other countries, processed, packed, and transported back to the market in South Africa. We lack a steeled indomitable political willpower to temper with the labyrinthine structures of economy in this country. We cannot let the food industry to continue as it is today, we cannot allow the seed industry to remain in the dominance of the few foreign companies- such as Monsanto, Pioneers, Linkseed, Agricol, Kleinkaroo and others. With our grandiose policies that are said to be spurious by our enemy, we need radicalisation in all sectors of the economy. Food processing is a critical component in our sectors for driving economic growth in our country. Propaganda and Intelligence The deception planners, and historical nadir and the combatants throughout history or ages have continuously sought to negate or avoid the strength of the other, while applying one's own strength against another's weakness. The military parlance will averse that any army that lack culture and discipline will never prevail over the enemy forces, its victory hinges not only on strategy, but perfect planning with shrewd foresight and tactical flexibility laced with powerful propaganda machinery. The frequency of, and the content of the latter on pronouncements defines its caustical nature. In just recent period towards local elections in Vuwani 30 public schools were torched, how can this happen in our country without being picked up by intelligence services, and circumvent it? Comrade Che Guevara believed that the most powerful propaganda is to tell the truth to the people to repudiate the infernal lies fed the public. How often does the party structures in our localities use the radio stations to propagate the strategic perspective of the party on every aspect in the society? The nature of Imperialism Imperialism is the epoch of finance capital and monopolies, which introduces everywhere the striving for domination, not for freedom. In this case the sharpened contradictions of capitalism intensifies by its uneven development of the world. The western impunity and its intrusion foisted through vailed civils wars in Africa, deleterious effects. We don't have to be perspicacious to understand what is happening in our countries and the continent. With its protuberance in Africa, with imperialist nostrums, with their quixotic plans, with some African leaders being fraught and frenzied networks in a propitious ideological climate and tanked economies. We can no longer allow and forever the prosaically, nebulous blind laws of the market capitalism. Imperialism is a ruthless monster without a soul nor feelings. It maximise profit through super exploitation of workers. It consigns workers and their culture. It degrade our environments and health. It conspires against our natural resources and exploit them. Imperialists displaces our people in Africa through the so called investment projects that takes our arable land. The countries have enough to feed the society, the rich hoard everything. The financial sector campaign of the SACP is the campaign that attacks the fundamental pillars upon which monopoly capitalism rest and institutionalised racism. Our Democratic Revolution Let us talk about our National Democratic Revolution which its supreme objective is the realisation of non-racial, non-sexist, democratic and united South Africa. We struggle for social progress and the evolutionary transformation of our society and the world. Currently beneath the placid surface runs class antagonism like a culvert of accumulated garbage that requires calcified mercurial leadership with intensity to engage with the bilious situation in the country, not recoiling. The avalanche politics and opportunism in our country and the movement requires deeper scientific analysis to repel the myth of the dust encrusted intellectuals and political commentators in our society. In history hourglass 22 years of democracy could amount to just a dribble of sand. Notwithstanding the astronomical progress we made under democracy and the world economy that is in the midst of severe contraction since 1930s laced with an abashed triumphalism of economic liberalism and enamoured market capitalism. We don't need in the current period any sense of arrogance and gnomic utterances of leadership of the movement because those represent what shall sealed its end, and accelerate the inexorable roll towards a fall, and finally referred to as a movement petered out for its vacuity. It is the behaviour we ought to unblinkingly to excoriate all the time. Because are signs of trouble abounded from geriatric leaders with their uppity attitude. Comrade Che Guevara once said: "the revolution is not a standardised of the collective will, but a liberator of individual capacity. Whenever the revolution reaches a stage of disorientation and degenerate to conformity you regroup your forces to study, analyse and solve problems". Leadership is not about grandiloquence nor grandeur, not about wholesome appearance, but is about wisdom and knowledge, is about intelligent capturing of the mind and imagination encased within the supreme goals of the revolution. Currently the leadership is found in a state of trepidation and allow those who work to sapping the power of the revolution for the satiate senile interests. In the current phase there is a seething mess and politics of opportunism, and resentment. There are ghoulish schemes laced with the connivance of leaders in state institutions and municipalities. Certain leaders derive pleasure from the misery of our people through exploitation. If there is any fight that the SACP should take up is with regard to debt collectors who screw the poor, coupled with illegal evictions that are taking place in our country. The masters of grand larceny are engaged in gratuitous looting for illicit enrichment. This is where the party of the poor working class should come in to deplore extravagance and grand larceny embroidered by decadent and debouched life style, constant criticism of the muddle liberal thinking and bourgeois consumption. Party cadres should possess striking, dazzling ideological clarity, deluged with party ideology and be desirous of struggle for socialism. We need to understand that others will never stop loundering when imperialists are attacked, they are not prepare to expatiate themselves, those are just but the impure load that every revolution carries. We are not euphemistic about these trends in our revolution. How many of us still has a confidence and sanguine in the context of the state of our nation and that of the movement? During the period of post war Germany was controlled by a German Gang, that after capturing the leader, they refer to themselves as State. The German planned economy was placed in the hands of millionaires representing capital from steel, chemical, armament manufacturer through state institution of Supreme Economic Council appointed in 1934. In this period Hitler acquired personal fortunes, owned and ruled Nazi Germany. This Gang negotiated all cartels agreements, they pulverised all emerging business standing in the way to wealth accumulation, they crushed workers and their organisations. No any measure we read about was ever imposed against their interests in Germany. And, Fascism was the creature and servant of monopoly capitalism. This scenario is what the GUPTAS represent in this country what happened then in Germany. The political correctness of the SACP to defend the exchequer (treasury) must be protected against the state officials who ventriloquize their masters. We, conscious members and leaders of the South African Communist Party cannot allow it to happen in our country. The national sovereignty of our country cannot be swap or traded with anything regardless who is in power. It is normal in the third world countries to copy everything from the west or their Development Plans foisted and imposed and policies undermined. The landing of this rich family in our military base in Waterkloof will remain in our history books and that of the movement. The state parastatals are not for sale. Albeit we ought to know that the engorged vampire elite is milking the institutions through our bourgeois bureaucracy. The economic performance of these state institutions is flat. What is our sure-fire barometer on transformation with those contretemps with the ANC and our government? DA in our country is an embodiment of deviousness and intrigue which reeled in the face of its temperance fired by the instigation of western imperialism, it remain seditious, it lacks political modicum. The decrepit relations of coalesced opposition parties is a threat, though they are just a motley collection of conceit elements which veneer their most goal as usurpers and ideological physiognomy with their vituperative attacks. We cannot talk of transformation of society while our courts in the context of judicial system are obsessed with esoteric language and bourgeoisie rule of law and scupper an international justice system. We need to congratulate our government to have taken a bold decision on withdrawal from the ICC, the so called architect for justice in the world. Some of us have long ago questioned the legitimacy and criteria for charging leaders for crime against humanity while US and its allies continue to kill innocent people and cause havoc and wanton crisis. Yet they are never brought to ICC, nor charged. Yes we need allegorical expression of avant-garde ideas in the society. But this are not devoid of ideological tinge and orientation. The following quote remain more relevant to our cause in the current: "revolutionary movement should not be afraid of the defeat and, therefore, it can`t be afraid of recognising it as such when a revolutionary movement falls prey to such infantilism, its future is compromised because without analysis of the defeat- causes that led to it, of real relative strength within which it occurred, of the points that favoured the enemy, of the weaknesses that undermined the movement, of the mistakes that both sides made it is impossible to create the subjective conditions for recovery, for a new offensive" While Comrade Che Guevara in his book of the Reminiscence of Cuban Revolutionary War - talks of A Sin of the Revolution- which reflect that Fidel ordered everybody to "work for the unity of all combatants, our patience was tested infinitely, our revolutionary sense always prevailed, and we gave way for the sake of unity, we did not permit theft, and we did not give out key positions to those we knew to be potential traitors. But neither did we eliminate them, we made allowances, always on behalf of some vague and poorly understood idea of unity. This was a sin of the revolution.. domestic and foreign freeloaders the revolution kept to avoid conflict". The recent performance of the movement on the local government elections was a discordant strike note by the masses of this country. Our model and style of governance in the municipalities is characterised by bumbling performance, arrogance and bureaucratic complacency with connivance of leadership through its grisly schemes for illicit enrichment by masters of grand larceny. The culture of indolence which is so fatuous is prevalent in our public service and municipalities. We have descended to venality and debouched style of life. It is the SACP that must never prevaricate (avoid telling the truth) instead presciently deplore connivance of leaders, because we cannot afford profligacy of such leaders. This paragraph stand opposite to what comrade Che Guevara stood for after the liberation and triumph of the revolution. The critical engagement with the public to raise mass consciousness is never finished in the revolution. In the current we cannot feign equanimity in the alliance, but tenuous unity. But the good question is do we give more space to incorrigible thieves to satisfy their cravings, do we still have any sanguine for the movement to surmount its current limitations, OR we have reached a stage of chronic condition? This task can only be performed by revolutionary cadres of the movement who still believe in the relevance of the cause and those inveterate phalanxes of communist cadres who must remain immaculate, and equality so repel dogmatism of any form. Lenin once said: "We don't regard Marx's theory as soothing complete and inviolable, on the contrary, we are convinced that it has only laid the foundation stone of the science which socialists must develop in all directions if they wish to keep pace with life". But what do we understand of a Cadre: an individual with tested loyalty not simply an upward or down ward transmitter of slogans and demands, but a creator who will contribute to the development of the masses and the information of the leaders, serving as a point of contact with them, with the important mission seeing to it that the greatest spirit of the revolution is not dissipate. His moral courage is developed along with their ideological development in such a way that they are always willing to confront any conflict , an individual who has achieved sufficient political development to be able to interpret the larger directives emanating from the central authority, convey the an orientation to the masses, exercise creative initiative in such a manner that it won't conflict with discipline, know how to evaluate the existing contradictions and utilise fully its many facets. Someone who think for himself, reason dialectically and guarantee the rigorous development of our revolution, with the capacity of self-sacrifice give his life for the good of the revolution. Che Guevara Our detractors have continuously say the "ANC is just but a delinquent party with nothing to offer but its shattered past glory", and the power gluttons are in charge. This is the movement that has defeated the opprobrious codified system in our country. However, let us avers that the history of the ANC is incomplete without the history of the SACP. In the current phase of the revolution what calibre of cadres we need for the Party? For our Party, that is celebrating its 95 years of its existence this year, we need to affirm its relevance in the general politics and the accuracy of history in the cause of the revolution. This is the party that must never recoil and adopt gelatinous view, but challenge the random, disruptive and unrestrained caprices of power. This is the party that in its 95 years should bolster its proclivity of action over grandiose rhetoric to deal with the incongruous conditions of the mass forest of our people, march and advance in serried ranks with the great masses of the basalt rolling with tremendous noise, vibrate along and side by side with them-the masses. It is not for party members to be faithful minions of a particular faction in the movement. Party members and its leaders must never bury their minds under the bushel of factionalism for survival nor compliance and recoil to servitude. Party members ought to rebel against any form of valorisation of Party structures. Party cadres and activists should have sharpened sensitivity with humility to the aspirations and social needs of the masses, and be gregarious with the masses. These party cadres, their understanding of the party principles and its application should not be questionable, they must uphold the party discipline and respect the strictures and central authority of the SACP. Wherever they are being deployed have to carry themselves as smooth bullets with steeled efficiency and high level of professionalism, and deplore the culture of indolence and mediocrity. Party members ought to be serious in mind and in action because we measure the impact of the work of revolutionaries through effects on the life of ordinary masses. These should be the cadres who understand the class basis and content of this unfolding revolution, linked to its gender and national question in context and conceptualisation. It is for party members to internalise the programme of the SACP and be true to it on its implementation. Our party cadres should be deluged with party ideology and dazzling clarity, their theoretical depth of content should not be questionable, same to their loyalty and allegiance to defend the independence of the SACP. The cream of calibre of cadres we need should be reliable with ideological consistency, who understand when to be flexible on tactic and uphold and internalise the strategy fired by revolutionary ardour to touch the pulse of the masses and their heart strings. We need the cadres of the organisation with the nerve of steel to criticise the profligacy of politicians and their connivance, and live ascetic life style. It could be a basic assumption that all party cadres ought to have moral integrity and authority, and remain immaculate. We need to build the party in the country as an implacable, dynamic and effective organisation through professionalism of its cadres. I solemnly believe that mine was not to give a floral tribute to Che Guevara, but to fitfully use his life example and deeds to the grim reality of our situation today. We shall constantly celebrate and honour his enduring legacy. I honestly believe I managed to discharge the task given to me by the leadership of the party. Let the red flag under which we fight be the sacred cause for the liberation of humanity. Thank you for your attention Comrades. Socialism is the future, Build it now!! __________ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature database 14401 (20161107) __________ The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus. http://www.eset.com -- -- You are subscribed. This footer can help you. 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