PARTIT KOMUNISTA MALTI: nternational Communist Seminar (ICS) held in Brussels on the crisis and the action of the communist parties

Sunday, May 23, 2010

nternational Communist Seminar (ICS) held in Brussels on the crisis and the action of the communist parties

Press Statement

International Communist Seminar (ICS) held in Brussels on the crisis and the action of the communist parties
www.icsbrussels.org – ics@icsbrussels.org

From May 14-16, 2010, 41 communist and workers parties from 37 countries gathered in Brussels for the 19th International Communist Seminar, hosted by the Workers' Party of Belgium. Among the participants were representatives of communist parties from three socialist countries: the Lao People's Revolutionary Party, the Communist Party of Vietnam and the Communist Party of Cuba.

The Seminar's theme was the “The consequences of the economic crisis and the intervention of communist parties”. The participants presented papers and held discussions on the deepening of the crisis of capitalism and about the concrete interventions of communist parties in the ongoing class struggles. A document with general conclusions on “The Communist Parties facing the deepening of the capitalist systemic crisis“ was formulated, discussed and adopted.

The Seminar sent a solidarity message to the Communist Party of Greece (KKE), just in time to be read before the massive, KKE-led protest rally on May 15 in Athens. Three specific resolutions were adopted at the Seminar, all three of them to express solidarity with countries, peoples and workers in struggle against imperialism and capitalism. A first one stresses solidarity with Cuba, a second one with the Palestinian and other peoples in the Middle East, and a last one with the mineworkers in the Russian city of Mezhdurechensk, victims of a mine accident and of State repression.

The Seminar participants agreed to organize next year's 20th International Communist Seminar from May 13-15, 2011 in Brussels. It will have as theme “The building and strengthening of the communist parties in times of a deepening capitalist systemic crisis”.

All documents of the 19th International Communist Seminar will be made available at www.icsbrussels.org.

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List of participants

1. Afghanistan, United Party of Afghanistan
2. Albania, Communist Party of Albania
3. Algeria, Parti Algérien pour la Démocratie et le Socialisme (PADS)
4. Belarus, For the Union and the Communist Party of the Union
5. Belgium, Workers' Party of Belgium
6. Brazil, Communist Party of Brazil (PCdoB)
7. Congo, Democratic Republic of, Congolese Communist Party
8. Costa Rica, Partido Vanguardia Popular
9. Cuba, Partido Comunista de Cuba
10. Denmark, Danish Communist Party
11. El Salvador, Partido Comunista de El Salvador (PCS)
12. France, PRCF - Pôle de Renaissance communiste en France
13. France, URCF - Union des Révolutionnaires-Communistes de France
14. Greece, Communist Party of Greece (KKE)
15. Hungary, Hungarian Communist Workers' Party
16. Iran, Tudeh Party of Iran
17. Italy, Rete dei Comunisti
18. Lao, People's Democratic Republic, Lao People's Revolutionary Party
19. Latvia, Socialist Party of Latvia
20. Lebanon, Parti Communiste Libanais
21. Luxemburg, Parti Communiste du Luxembourg (KPL)
22. Malta, Communist Party of Malta
23. Morocco, Voie démocratique
24. Netherlands, New Communist Party Netherlands (NCPN)
25. Palestine, Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP)
26. Peru, Partido Comunista Peruano
27. Philippines, Communist Party of the Philippines
28. Russia, Communist Party of the Russian Federation
29. Russia, Russian Communist Workers' Party - Revolutionary Party of Communists
30. Russia, Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU)
31. Spain, Partido Comunista de los Pueblos de España
32. Sweden, Communist Party (KP)
33. Switzerland, Parti Suisse du Travail (PST/POP)
34. Syria, Syrian Communist Party
35. Tunisia, Parti du Travail patriotique et démocratique de Tunisie
36. Turkey, Communist Party of Turkey (TKP)
37. Turkey, Party of Labour (EMEP)
38. Ukraine, Union of Communists
39. United Kingdom, Communist Party of Great Britain (Marxist-Leninist)
40. USA, Freedom Road Socialist Organization
41. Vietnam, Socialist Republic of, Communist Party of Vietnam

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Some History

An organized Communist Party did not exist prior to 1969. Secret Communist cells existed in various periods from the 1920's onwards, but they were always small in number. Maltese communists militated either in the Communist Party of Great Britain, or in the Partito Comunista Italiano, or worked under cover within the Malta Labour Party, which was also infiltrated by the catholic clergy at that time, in an effort to prevent the Labour Party from taking a Marxist line, notably amongst these infiltrators was Mgr. Michael Gonzi, the future Archbishop of Malta and a faithful servant of the British Crown and a much bitter enemy of Malta’s Liberation Movement in Malta’s struggle for Independence in the late 1950's.
The Civil and ecclesiastical authorities were ever vigilant in their witch hunt, and this culminated in the 1933 sedition trails where a number of dockyard workers and intellectuals were imprisoned for the crime of possessing classical Marxist literature. This however proved to be a great setback for the progressive movement as it took years and years to get back on its feet again
. The major exponent of the bourgeoisie was the Nationalist Party, an irredentist party firmly believing that Malta was a part of Italy that had yet to be redeemed, from English occupation. Its leaders favored the Italian Language to Maltese, and openly shown sympathies towards Mussolini’s fascist Italian state. With the Second World War looming on the horizon the English colonial authorities sacked a Nationalist administration after winning an election with the aid of the Catholic Church who had imposed mortal sin on who ever voted for the Constitutional Party, a pro British Bourgeoisie party. This pro Italy position eventually led, to the internment of the Nationalist Party leadership on breakout of the war. After the Second World War it was the right wing turn now to suffer a setback. The Second World War changed completely the political scene in Malta; however the times were still difficult for the setting up of a Communist party.
At the Mayday celebrations of 1948, where in a dinner held by the Labour Party for the occasion. The English socialist anthem Scarlet Banner was sung by some leftists present of the at this event. This caused an incident which led to affidavits and statements by the leading members of the labour party in parliament and a witch hunt by the Catholic Church paper Lehen Is-Sewwa (The Voice of the Righteousness) and the British Colonial authorities.

DEMOCRACY DID NOT REALLY EXIST IN MALTA PRIOR TO 1971, not under the direct British Colonial rule, neither under the first Nationalist Administration after the 1964 independence. It was not possible to form a Communist Party. It was enough just to receive the "Soviet Weekly" from the United Kingdom, to find yourself watched and tailed by plainclothes policemen, and even taken to be interrogated by the Police. The Maltese Prime Minister in the early 1950’s took a film distributing company to court in order to stop the screening four Soviet films which the then, very harsh censors, had deemed them fit for viewing by the Maltese general public. Even Hollywood ran into trouble, if the story line included communists. One positive aspect was the cold war cinema films of the McCarthy era were banned in Malta. The Civil authorities went into hysteria at the word communist. The then regular Christmas tournament, organized by the Malta Football Association was stopped, because most the teams invited came from Eastern Europe. The catholic oligarchy led by the now Sir Michael Gonzi Archbishop of Malta with its’ network of Parish priests spying on each and every individual in each respective parish operating in a Gestapo fashion. The Main employment on the island depended on the Naval Dockyard, and on the other British Military Bases. The contradiction here was that, to declare oneself Communist would have been sheer madness, as these "devout" Catholics, would have starved you to death, while on the other hand Marxist Ideas spread amongst progressive workers, by the odd English Airmen or Sailors posted on the island.

In the last days of the Catholic hierarchy imposed Dr George Borg Olivier Nationalist administration, as in 1962 and 1966 general elections the church again made use of moral sanctions, now to safeguard its privileges it enjoyed during the colonial period, The Communist party was eventually set up, through the activism of Paul Agius who had returned to Malta, from Australia, who along with other Maltese comrades founded the Communist Party of Malta This event took place around 1969. The party for a short period operated underground but after 1971 when the Borg Olivier administration was finally defeated The Party came out into the open. The Party Membership started to grow Lillian Schiberras Anthony Vassallo, Anthony Baldachinno and others. Evarist Bartolo, Mario Vella, and Alfred Consiglio were amongst the early members
It is not possible to mention all here but many passed through party membership. During the 1970,s the party gave critical support from the left to the Dom Mintoff’s Labour Party administration progressive, anti imperialist policy. The Party supported the policy of neutrality and the demilitarization of Malta, At the time Malta was an important NATO Base. The Communist Party was not prepared to contest the General Elections in 1976 and in 1979 was in support of the closing down of all the military bases in Malta. In 1981.for various reasons, again the party could not contest in the general elections. During the 1980's the party embarked on the road towards electoral campaigns. The party started to publish a monthly newspaper "Zminijietna" and started to prepare for the evantuality of contesting. The Party was now going through its golden age as membership started to grow and things were looking up. On the eve of the 1987 elections Dom Mintoff now a backbencher in the Labour administration proposed amendments to the Maltese constitution, which were accepted unanimously. The electoral rules were changed to suit the two party system and it resulted that small parties now had no chance of surmounting the unofficial 17% threshold. The Central Committee failed to read the writing on the wall. Failed to withdraw from the fray, and contested the 1987 elections with disastrous results. After this debacle, the party went into a period of decline. The events in Eastern Europe of 1989 continued to give the party further blows, where now it was a struggle to survive and keep its archives.
In the mid 1990’s the party slowly started again on the road of being active once again.
NEWS FROM FRATERNAL PARTIES
Communist Festival in Copenhagen, Denmark
A Festival jointly organised by the Communist Party in Denmark (KPiD) and the Communist Party of Denmark (DKP) takes place on Saturday 15. August (12-23) and Sunday 16. August (12-18) in Norrebroparken in Copenhagen (near Nordbanegade). Bus 5A from Central Train Station. Lots of music, speakers from the 2 organising parties and from other organisations, political debates, displays, food, drinks and happiness - everything in favour of the 2 communist papers, Kommunist and Skub.
Everybody visiting Copenhagen are invited!

LINKS
http://www.icsbrussels.org/ICS/2009/Sci09_Available_Papers.htm
http://cubaveritas.blogspot.com/

http://www.havanatimes.org/?p=14368

http://wwwlavienglish.blogspot.com/2010/10/soviet-union-was-born-in-october-1917.html

http://aucpbenglishwebsite.blogspot.com/

http://inter.kke.gr/en/articles/Statement-of-77-Communist-and-Workers-Parties-against-the-Imperialist-Military-Attack-against-Syria/

http://communismgr.blogspot.com.mt

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PARTIT KOMUNISTA MALTI

Sunday, May 23, 2010

nternational Communist Seminar (ICS) held in Brussels on the crisis and the action of the communist parties

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