Date: Mon, 3 Feb 1997 15:26:40 -0800
Subject: M-G: MRTA- Revolutionaries, or counter-revolutionaries?



MRTA - Revolutionaries, or Counter-revolutionaries?


Everyone knows that Peru is living through a social-political revolution in
which the main motor of revolutionary change is the armed struggle
implemented as People's War by the Communist Party of Peru.

With the occassion of the seizure of the Japanese embassy in Lima, some
people who otherwise hold to communist positions, have become confused by
this event, applying wrongly the United Front policies in a menshevik
manner. i.e. advocating united front between revolutionary and
counter-revolutionary forces, between communists and anti-communists,
between consistent anti-imperialist fighters, and utter stooges of
imperialism and the darkest reactionary forces in Peru WITHIN THE CONTEXT 
OF A REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 

These comrades fail to understand the fundamental issue of United Front 
policy: United front is FOR, and never against the revolution!  United 
Front for the People's War and its victory, and not for its capitulation.  
United Front for the SMASHING of the ruling class state, not for its 
preservation by means of a "lasting and inclusive peace agreement".

However, it is perfectly understable that some comrades - remote as they 
are from the day to day issues of the struggle - may have fallen into such 
unity for unity's sake opportunist error.  

The MRTA propagandists - promoted by social-democracy and the remnants of
the vermin who sold out the Soviet Union, as well as other murky 
imperialist sources and the bourgeois media everywhere - is engaged in 
"speaking with both sides of their mouths", "swearing Marxism where Marxism 
is popular, while kowtowing and swearing undying love to all sort of 
imperialist interests in pracice".
  
That is how some good people have been taken in into giving the MRTA a
platform to spread its anti-communist, counter-revolutionary and
pro-imperialist poison:

In Europe the MRTA "spokespeople" have been swearing in 100 different
languages that they are "for the overthrow of the old state" (however they
also say they do not know what to put in its instead!) and also swearing
CATEGORICALLY that they are "oppossed to peace negotiations" while at the
same time repeating Fujimori's filthy allegations against Chairman Gonzalo
and the PCP. 

Moreover, the Fujimori mouthpieces posing as "New Flag", "Luis Quispe", 
"PCP Web Page", etc. added to this confusionist smoke screen hiding the 
nasty counter-revolutionary and pro-imperialist character of the MRTA 
objectives by taking the name of the Communist Party of Peru in vain.  
These murky people: immediately proclaimed the seizure of the Japanese 
embassy as an "anti-imperialist" (i.e. revolutionary) action.   

It is evident that with such confusionist psychological manipulation
tactics, we should clarify well - using words from the mouth of the MRTA
itself (the group doing the talking in the Japanese embassy), so that good
people may see for themselves what their true counter-revolutionary 
position really is:

It is crystal clear:  The MRTA is - always has been - in favour of 
enrolling itself in the old state by means of signing a "lasting peace 
agreement" with it. 

That, in the context of a revolution in development, is nothing but out and
out counter-revolution.  In the context of a national liberation struggle,
it is nothing but sheer pro-imperialist activity.  Who does not understand
this, has not even the mostt basic idea of what revolution and
counter-revolution are all about, and hardly would deserve the title of
Communist.

Comrade Stalin said: "Hence in order not to err in policy, one must be a
revolutionary, not a reformist.  Further, if development proceeds by the 
way of the disclosure of internal contradictions, by way of collisions 
between opposite forces on the basis of these contradictions and so as to 
overcome these contradictions.......we must not cover up the 
contradictions...... but disclose and unravel them; we must not try to 
check the class struggle but carry it to its conclussion.......Hence, not 
to err in policy, one must pursue an uncompromising proletarian class 
policy, not a reformist policy of harmony of the interests of the 
proletariat and the bourgeosie, not a compromisers policy of "the growing 
of capitalism into socialism".  Such is the Marxist dialectical method when 
applied to social life, to the history of society". (History of the 
Communist Party of the Soviet Union (b) Short Course).

Bearing that in mind, comrades who make a point of honour in upholding this
basic bolshevik principles, cannot but see for themselves the profound 
error of the "compromisers position" they have adopted in this occassion. 
Their attempt at sitting between two stools on this fundamental question 
should be abandoned if they want to be worthy of the name of Communists and 
the title of proletarian internationalists.

To help in that purpose, here is a translation of the Interview granted by
the MRTA leader Cerpa Cartolini to the Spanish newspaper El Pais.  It is
clear there that the expressions of the European propagandists of the MRTA
are simple "white lies" geared to deceive people by telling them what they
would like to hear. Comrades should be more careful before they end up by
causing damage to the revolutionary cause by adopting liberal attitudes and
issuing condescending saviour proposals - redolent of  mediation and
adjudging of brownie points - to reconcile revolutionaries and
counter-revolutionaries.  Comrades must bear in mind Lenin's lapidary 
words:

"Opportunism seeks to reconcile both sides of every argument, always 
looking for the aggregate result". Communists, cannot be for both, support 
for the People's War in Peru, and support for the counter-revolutionary
pro-imperialist action of the MRTA, whose sole political objective is
capitulation of the revolution, the buttressing of the ruling class state,
and the sanctification of imperialist suzeranity over Peruvian political 
life.  

Here - the fish dies by its own mouth! - a few excerpts of this interesting
and revealing document:  (Comments and underlines are mine - A.O.)



Nestor Cerpa   Jefe del comando en la embajada de Japon en Lima 
Speaks to the Spanish Newspaper El Pais
                 


JUAN JESUS AZNAREZ ENVIADO ESPECIAL , Lima 
Nestor Cerpa Cartolini,"comandante Evaristo", (43)leader of the MRTA
commando entrenched with 72 hostages since December 17 in the residence of
the Japanese ambassador in Lima, **would accept the incorporation of Japan
** to the guarantors' commission in charge of supervising a peaceful
solution to the crisis .................... 

So, now Japan is invited to stand "guarantor" on internal Peruvian 
political affairs and moreover, the Peru is regarded as some sort of 
underage drunkard in need of a tutor, preferably an imperialist with such 
honourable pedigree and well deserved humanitarian reputation!


Question: What are the chances for a bridging of the different positions in
order to renew the dialogue currently in a stalemate?

Answer: We must say that in the last public communique we issued on that
theme, we accepted the proposal of the government spokesman (Education
Minister Domingo Palermo for an open agenda on all points.  We thus
CORRECTED our previous stance in which we demanded to discuss only the
question of OUR prisoners. 

...............


So now, the freedom of the prisoners is also negotiable! Even the mask of
humanitarism falls by the way side revealing that the true objectives of 
the MRTA action - not the excuse - are "a lasting peace agreement with 
social justice".  Mine is a gin and tonic, please, while we are at it and 
visiting the wishing well in the Japanese Bonsai garden!  In any case, the 
game of the MRTA seems to be playing "daisy" - "Fujimori loves me, he loves 
me not"!.

The political rhetoric of the MRTA - not its concrete political objectives
which are but out and out counter-revolutionary - is merely reformist.  In
England or in the United States, or wherever there is still no ongoing
revolutionary process in its armed struggle fase, a reformist position can
be regarded as progressive and even as anti-imperialist to a certain 
extent.  However, like in Russia in 1917, when a revolution is undergoing 
its painful birth pangs, Menshevism is completely COUNTER-REVOLUTIONARY! 
Therefore, reformist rethoric in a revolutionary situation is also nothing 
but counter-revolutionary rethoric!  

In synthesis, the MRTA are counter-revolutionary and pro-imperialist to the
core, both in words and in deeds!

A.O.

Question: Can Japan accelerate negotiations and stop a military 
intervention?

Answer:  We can see from events that Japan would be interested in a quick
solution to the conflict......... we would accept that a representative of
the Japanese government becomes part of the Guarantors commission.......
..........



Question:  The families of the prisoners seem to be ready to accept
improvements in conditions and a judicial review of sentences.

Answer:  If you tell us that is the opinion of some families, maybe we
should not put that into question.........

................

Now the MRTA beseechs the Japanese imperialists to act as their shield.
Grovelling before every imperialist power and demonstrating that they do 
not threaten any fundamental imperialist interest at all, but on the 
contrary, are as ready as any other bourgeois grouping, to serve them well 
and to the best of their abilities "playing a constructive and responsible 
role".  

That is why they have no support among the masses in Peru who clearly see
their pro-imperialist and counter-revolutionary role, while some innocents
abroad - with all their Marxist learning - easily overlooked it. 

A.O.


In Peru, can there be WITH THE MRTA a peace process like those in Guatemala
and El Salvador which implies renouncing THEIR WEAPONS and INCORPORATING
THEMSELVES into civil society?P

Answer:        No only now, but in other occassions the MRTA has expressed
its readyness to hold a dialogue about the problems of the country and to
seek COINCIDENCES in order to strive for peace with social justice, which
would justify abandoning the gun and eventually joining up to society" 

(i.e. legal society - that included in the defense of the state ruling that
society - legal society - A.O. - these questions are ABC of Marxism, 
comrades). 
Cerpa continues in his lacrhymose dirge:

"We were never taken seriously.  I feel that even now - that will not 
change - and we will not be taken seriously............"
...................

NOT ONLY NOW!  That is - for a change from the mouth of thse shysters -
absolutely true!  The MRTA, unlike the M19 or the Guatemalan guerrillas are
not even ex-revolutionaries.  These people were - and are -
counter-revolutionaries from the word go!  

The whole point of their "uprising" in 1984,  (four years after the
Communist Party launched the People's War) was "to struggle against the
Shining Path and achieve a lasting peace with social justice".  Their
leader, the Apra supporter and fascist dictator Alan Garcia henchman, 
Victor Polay, put it very clearly back in their first declaration launching 
their "armed struggle":  "We are taking up arms to put an historical block 
in the way of the Shining Path".  In other words, theirs is a 
counter-revolutionary rebellion!  Their political and military objective is 
to fight against the revolution of the workers and peasants with arms in 
hand!  The name for such people is historically well known: reactionaries 
and counter-revolutionary fascists!   

A.O. 



Question: If peace is achieved, would you take up politics?

Answer:      In any terrain I may enter I would continue to struggle for my
people as I have always done, as a trade unionist and class conscious
worker.........(blah, blah, blah: sounds just like Tsereteli speaking in 
the Soviet podium in 1917 before the bolsheviks carried him off to the 
sound of laughter! - A.O)

I hope this contributes to dispel illusions and would prevent good comrades
acting unwittingly in the service of imperialism and reaction!


Adolfo Olaechea

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