Date: Mon, 03 Feb 1997 18:01:09 -0800
Subject: Re: M-G: MRTA- Revolutionaries, or counter-revolutionaries?


detcom-AT-sprynet.com wrote:
> 
> 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
> 
> ========================================================================> 
>      --- from list marxism-general-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu --- what a bunch of rubbish , its obvious this person is talking out the 
side of his or her mouth. To call the MRTA counter-revolutionary and 
pro-imperilist is insulting to all those 400 MRTA prisoners and all true
anti-imperilist fighters.
   You quote Stalin as if he never made mistakes. We can all find quotes
to support our arguments if we take them out of context. I guess you 
would consider Lenin a counter-revolutionary and pro-imperilist for the
Brest-Litovsk pact. 
   Should I give you a lesson on Lenin's book " Ultra-leftism , A 
Infantile Disorder", I think not,I have more important things to do 
than argue with a arm-chair revolutionaries. Why don't you try to 
organize the workers in your country than critize national liberations 
groups in another country.
   By the way I support both the MRTA and SHINING PATH.


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