PARTIT KOMUNISTA MALTI: November 2012

Friday, November 30, 2012

Budget for the well off.

The Communist Party of Malta notes that the measures announced in the Budget 2013 are mainly aimed at facilitating the well to do sectors of society. This neoliberal concept will widen the social gap between those who have and those who have not.

"The tax and financial benefits announced from 35% to 25% favour only the well off in society to the detriment of all the other categories, such as pensioners, workers on low and middle income, single mothers and disabled persons," stated the Party.

"Again the government failed to introduce sufficient measures to tackle the rise in poverty in Malta. On the other hand the Party praises the government’s decision to continue to subsidise energy to prevent any increases in tariffs", continued the Party.

"The working class will be carrying the burden for the financial sustainability of this budget," concluded the Party.

Thursday, November 22, 2012

HMS Illustrious visit to Malta exposes Government’s Hypocrisy.

The HMS Illustrious visit to Malta exposes the imperialist agenda in the Middle East. This strategy involves the financial, military and diplomatic support to Israel by Western countries.

“Between 2008 and 2012 the British government licensed arms exports to Israel amounting to £130 million. By selling arms to Israel, the British government is giving direct material support for Israel's aggression against the people of Palestine and is sending a clear message of approval for its actions”.

The Communist Party of Malta deplores the hypocrisy of the Maltese Government to allow British Naval Forces to make use of our port, when Palestinian people are being killed in Gaza. Government should hold a clear position with regards to Palestine.

We call other organisations to appeal to the government to stop supporting imperialist countries and to show more respect to the Palestinian people. The attack on Gaza is an aggression on all Palestinians.

Monday, November 19, 2012

Communist Party condemns Israeli attacks on Gaza.

The Communist Party of Malta condemns the military attacks on Gaza. More than 250 strikes have been launched against the Palestinians, killing and injuring civilians, which include women and children.

“Israel committed similar aggression against Gaza in December 2008 which resulted in the deaths of 1,400 Palestinian. In this aggression, the Israeli military made use of ‘white phosphorus’ cluster bombs, a chemical banned by the International Community. Schools and hospitals were the main targets”.

“The criminal siege by Israel on Gaza continues to affect the supply of basic necessities such as food and medicine. Reports available indicate that hospitals are running out of medicine. Power and water supplies have been cut to the 1.7 million Gaza residents”.

We call upon the Maltese government to close down the Maltese Embassy in Tel Aviv, in solidarity with the people of Gaza, until these Israeli aggressions come to a halt.

The Communist Party of Malta joins up with other communist and workers party in supporting the struggle of the Palestinian people against the Israeli occupation. For an independent, viable, sovereign Palestinian state within the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Thursday, November 8, 2012

“The 2013 Budget should address social inequality”

The Communist Party of Malta said that, “the 2013 government expenditure budget should address social inequality which is raising its head. The austerity measures that were introduced along the years have brought about a reduction in the standard of living to families with low and middle income. European Statistic show that 15% of the Maltese population are at risk of poverty, of whom 20% are children.

“The privatisation of gas and other essential commodities results in higher prices for the consumer. The same has happened to the basic consumption of the use of energy". The Party continued that "the Government should revise his privatisation policies on services that are essential to the consumer, and should also introduce progressive measures in the consumption of energy to safeguard basic consumption, while penalising waste”.

“With regards to measures in relation to work, the Party stresses for an increase in the national minimum wage; investment for the creation of free child care centres; amendments in work regulations so that new employment is based on a decent and regular work conditions, and better law enforcement on the private sector to introduce more family-friendly measures”.

“Regarding the pension reform, the Government should address the chaotic situation where pensioners are being separated into two categories, where the present pensioners are being excluded from the reform. The Government’s policy should be one that strengthens the state basic pension, so any dependence on the second pillar is excluded”.

The Communist Party understands that the consolidation of the social structure requires a sustainable taxation system. For this reason the Party objects to the proposal for a reduction in the national income tax-maximum rate, from 35% to 25%. Furthermore the Party envisages for progressive taxation on speculations and windfall profits. The mechanism against tax evasion should also be strengthened. A just society requires a just taxation system.

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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