PARTIT KOMUNISTA MALTI: July 2013

Friday, July 26, 2013

The Communist Party of Malta criticises UE position on Hezbollah

“The European policy to qualify the military wing of the Lebanese group Hezbollah as a terrorist group is another sign of hypocrisy. Imperialism, which is the mastermind behind this policy, is the one that is committing illegal murders of innocent people with the use of drones”, stated the Party.

“It is significant that the European Union did not add several of the extreme Jihadist groups fighting in Syria against the Assad regime to the terrorist list. These groups declared aim is to create Islamic fundamentalist states with every possible means, including terrorism”.

The Party said “that the European Union is also considering sending military aid to these groups. The present situation seems to mirror the creation of the terrorist group Al Qaeda in Afghanistan during the imperialist anti-communist crusade”.

The Party appeals to the Maltese government not to bind itself to such foreign policy, which in the near future can have negative consequences on the Mediterranean region. The Communist Party points out that Hezbollah is a legitimate party with a big popular support in its’ country.

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Energy production should not be privatised.

The Communist Party of Malta said “that government’s policy to part-privatise energy production goes against public interest. The government should halt this march towards neo liberalism. The party believes that the production of energy should remain public, due to its strategic, social, and economic importance”.

“Strategically, to shift energy production from heavy fuel oil to gas is a welcome decision, but this should not be done under a privatisation system”, added the Party.

“The privatisation of gas for domestic use by the previous administration resulted in higher prices, with a heavy impact on the families. Energy is an essential commodity and thus it should not be left in the hands of the open market forces”.

“Research show that privatisation of energy production resulted in higher prices, more social inequalities and an increase in energy poverty. Renewable energy is still expensive to produce, unless government massively subsidise prices to keep it affordable”.

“Any solution to the energy problem should steer away from privatisation, protects energy sovereignty, and affordability of basic consumption. Also solutions should not involve redundancy of Enemalta employees. Investment in renewable energy should be more on a national basis”, concluded the Party.

Thursday, July 11, 2013

The Communist Party of Malta deplores any policy that denies the right of asylum.

The party continues by stating that "it would make more sense if the government applies his right of veto with the aim to bring the European Union closer to a Union of solidarity and social justice towards emigration. Up to now the only policy adopted by the EU was that of creating a ‘Fortress Europe".

“In the recent civil war in Libya, the only persons who were not evacuated were African immigrants, which were being massacred by the Libyan rebels. European governments made sure that their nationals were safely evacuated while ignoring the plight of African immigrants who happened to be in Libya. No International, European or Maltese institution appealed or worked for the evacuation of these immigrants".

"The Party points out that the treaty between the European Union and the Libyan Transitional Government on the closure of Libyan borders is another system of push back. This treaty resulted in more violations of international laws with regards to asylum seekers. This same system is also used by the U.S. against Mexican immigrants ".

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

The Communist Party supports progressive forces in Brazil .

The Communist Party of Malta expressed its solidarity with the Brazilian Communist Party (PCB) whose militancy in the street is infuriating the fascists and the ultra nationalists sectors of the Brazilian right wing opposition. Right wing violence is being used against leftist groupings.

“The justified and peaceful demonstrations for more investment in public health and education and against the rice in the price of bus fares were hijacked by the right wing opposition parties and movements who have the backing of the US, with the aim to destabilise the democratically elected government of Dilma Rousseuf, with the intention to return political power to the oligarchy”.

“ Brazil has a history of fascist military dictatorships that oppressed the working classes and subjected the common people to the hardships of poverty and brutality. It is a well known fact that under the present leftist coalition government many people were elevated from poverty through various social programmes, although there are still problems that have to be addressed”.

Strategy against poverty requires a clear social policy

The Communist Party of Malta is of the opinion that the government’s strategy against poverty which will be implemented in the coming months is discordant when related to the regressive and anti-social measure, introduced recently in the fiscal budget that of lowering the higher-tier income tax rate. The Communist Party is not prepared to support such policies.

“A strategy against poverty requires a sustainable financial income and a just distribution of common wealth. The lack of financial sustainability was highlighted in the recent statements made by his Honour Edward Scicluna, Minister of Finances”, stated the Party.

The Party is in full support for the appeal made by Economist Profs Karm Farrugia to the government to introduce a mini-budget to repeal the budget measure of the reduction of income tax for the high earners.

“The Government should immediately introduce social measures to minimise the negative impact on families brought about by high energy and gas prices, increase the minimum wage, strengthen COLA and adequately raise the basic pension and the social assistance to persons with disabilities. Also implement a clear strategy against precariousness”.

"Only through such measures could poverty in Malta be eradicated".

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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