PARTIT KOMUNISTA MALTI: July 2012

Friday, July 27, 2012

The Communist Party of Malta condemns the right wing repression in Moldova.

Communist party leader, gestures during a press conference in Chisinau.

The Communist Party of Malta joins The Party of the European Left (EL) in resolutely condemning a ban imposed by the Moldovan Parliament on communist symbols and introduction of sanctions for their use.

The decision taken by the ruling majority in Moldova aims at the dismantling of the largest democratic political force in the country, the Moldovan Party of Communists (PCRM). The sickle and hammer are an integral part of the political identity of the communist movement. Depriving the Moldovan opposition of its symbols will seriously limit the framework for its political activities.

The Communist Party of Malta condemns the repression applied by the neo-fascist right-wing regime which has been established in last election in the Republic of Moldova. The regime is carrying repressive policies including the closing down of opposition TV channels, prosecution of dissent and opponents of the regime, a ban on carrying out the May Day demonstration and the sanctions against participants in peace protest rallies, pursuing the policy of language and ethnic discrimination, glorification of war criminals, destruction of the communist opposition.

The European Left demands from the European Union leadership to stop the policy of silent support to the antidemocratic repressive regime in Moldova. The Communist party regard such developments as complicity in crimes against democracy, against basic human rights and freedoms. The Party notes that the UE is very quick to condemn and impose sanctions against governments who do not bow down to their diktat.

The Moldovan Communists’ symbols are symbols of many European left member parties too. The Communist Party of Malta express its solidarity with the Moldovan Party of Communists, with their voters and with all Moldovan people in their resistance to the criminal regime and in their fight for democracy.

We appeal to the international community, to all progressive political forces in Europe and worldwide to condemn the political reprisals in Moldova, and to take concrete measures for restoration of the rule of law and democracy in this country, which is in the process to join the European union.

Friday, July 20, 2012

The Communist Party of Malta condemns the renewal of Maltco License.

The Communist Party of Malta condemns the position taken by the present administration to renew the contract of Maltco Lotteries on the eve of a general election. The decision to extend this contract should have been left for the new administration.

“Public lotto should have never been privatised. Today the majority of the profits are going in the hands of a foreign private company. When it was state run, the profits went directly to the government who in return used them to subsidise social services. In real terms this was a social concept”, said the Communist Party.

“The recent reform in lotto prices and the winnings show that the company is after maximum profits. The ‘good causes’ fund is only an excuse for the government to hide behind it, and is using this fund to alienate civil society. We appeal to civil society to have a social conscience and not participate in such schemes” stated the Communist Party of Malta.

“Parliament should follow the example of Cyprus where there the Government is against the policy of privatisation of public lottery. The Cypriot government believes that a growing gambling culture is harmful to society”, concluded the Communist Party of Malta.

Monday, July 16, 2012

The Communist Party of Malta calls for the end of the closed detention policy.

FORTRESS EUROPE

The Communist Party of Malta supports the call made by the migrant’s solidarity network for a revision of the detention policy. In our opinion closed detention centres should not exist.

The Communist Party believes that immigration is the result of imperialism. We can’t treat immigrants, be it asylum seekers, climate or economic refugees as criminals. If so, the criminals should be those in power in the capitalist system, who are also responsible for all the injustice that is taking place in the African continent”.

“Let’s face the reality, capitalism can only expand if it has more natural resources which it can exploit, if not capitalism will collapse,” said the Communist Party, “the majority of what is happening in Africa is the result of this”.

“Institutional racism is also an imperialist/capitalist concept, so to reinforce their idea in society that we have a right to treat people of another culture, ethnicity, class and religion differently. The concept of a Fortress Europe is also based on these ideas”, concluded the Communist Party of Malta.

Friday, July 6, 2012

The Communist Party calls for humane policy on migration

“What is actually happening in the European countries is a continuous argument about, on whose shoulder falls, the responsibility to assist these persons. The closing down of borders and the lack of a clear evacuation policy for African immigrants caught in the war in Libya, reveals a policy that looks down on these persons, as inferior people. The Detention policy re-enforces the false ideas in the minds of the peoples, that the immigrants are also a danger to society”.

“A similar situation exists in the United States, where the emigration exodus of Mexican immigrants, is leading to the detention of these persons, while many others, end up murdered while they are crossing the border, others especially women end up in prostitution”

The Communist Party of Malta beliefs, that there will be no real solution for immigration, unless the EU does not adopt a policy that is based on social justice and solidarity.

"Those that sustain the capitalist system have always supported policies of the extreme right, to divide the working class, as it is easy to turn one people against another. Working class unity and people’s unity are a threat to the capitalist system. This has happened recently in Greece and as it is happening elsewhere in Europe and in the world",

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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