File spoon-archives/marxism-international.archive/marxism-international_1997/marxism-international.9706, message 161


Date: Tue, 10 Jun 1997 06:26:30 +0200
From: Robert Malecki <malecki-AT-algonet.se>
Subject: M-I: Reply to PO/Lcmcri..


The Lcmcri writes;

>We don't think that Bolivia is Germany or Banzer is a >Hitler. The
Bolivian ADN is not a Nazi squadist party. It >is a far right party with
many similarities with Le Pen. >At the time that we wrote our document we
were demanding >the international left to make a united action against
>Banzer. If the masses in Bolivia and elsewhere could made >actions against
him, it could had created problems around >the four parties which made a
block behind him or put >Banzer and the USA in a difficult position.

So it wasn't a joke! You really do have this position! Amazing..The above
paragraph shows once again that the Lcmcri only pays lip service to the
tactic of the Proletarian United Front but in reality are fighting not for
and independent mobilisation of workers in Bolivia or elsewhere but in fact
and anti imperialist front!
In the above paragraoh it is posed quite clearly! They say;

" If the masses in Bolivia and elsewhere could made actions against him, it
could had created problems around the four parties which made a block
behind him or put Banzer and the USA in a difficult position."

So at best this formulation can mean putting pressure on the four parties
that support Banzer and to top it off they throw in that it might make
things difficult for the Americans! How quaint but this is popular front
tactics and anti-imperialist strategy in all your rhetoric and that is why
I wrote the original letter critising this kind of stuff. It has nothing at
all with Trotskyism..
But a lot to do with neo-Stalinist popular-anti imperialist front rhetoric!

>No other organisation until now denounced in the internet >the fact that
the former dictator Banzer won the >elections and, even worst, nobody
called for a campaign >to try to avoid that nomination. One day later after
our >message, Bob Malecki produced an e-mail which he probably >sent as
always to  20 lists and newsgroups. In that paper >asked if our message is
>suppose to be a joke?"

Why should the left try to help you build some sort of anti imperialist
anti Banzer front to put pressure on this popular front in power? You are
not talking about a campaign to defend workers organisations or anything
else but the classical popular front strategy of uniting everybody to fight
the right in this case Banzer and quite openly admit that you want to
pressure the other parties in this coalition..And this was the reason for
the original letter...

>He said that it was not possible to make a united front >against the
former dictator because it was necessary to >make a united front against
the union leadership!

This is a lie and a slander by the Lcmcri. Here is what the
Malecki/Cockroach article said on this matter word for word;

"In Bolivia and in France it is hardly a united left to fight the right
that is needed
because in France that is exactly what we have already and in Bolivia the
PO are
begging for a popular front with these kinds of arguments of uniting the
"left" to
condemn Banzer. In fact the PO article points out that it is not only
Banzer who has a rotten political history and that even some of the major
trade union leaders are prepared to sell out to Banzer."

and

"It would be much better to build a united front in the Bolivian trade
unions to oust the present leaders who are prepared to deal with anybody
who sits in the presidential palace connected to fighting for a Trotskyist
Party in Bolivia and Internationally that can really change things! Not
this "Unite the left to fight the right" garbage which just about any
Stalinist or reformist organization could agree with and in fact would
include just about everybody except Banzer himself. Down with this fake
left kind of propaganda. Down with popular fronts and anti-imperialist
fronts..both in France and Bolivia!"

Now here is how the Lcmcri make my quote;

>He characterised our positions as a "classical neo->Stalinist and
reformist kind of manuvre","a clasical >ezample of fake left "unity"
mongering" 
>.."the PO are begging for a popular front with these >kinds of 
>arguments of uniting the "left" to condemn Banzer. In >fact the PO article 
>points out that it is not only Banzer who has a rotten >political history
and that even some of the major trade >union leaders are prepared to sell
out to 
>Banzer. *It would be much better to build a united front >in the Bolivian
trade unions to oust the present >leaders*"

Notice they stop in the middle of a sentence taking the arguement
completely out of context and then write!

>Poder Obrero Bolivia is fighting in the class struggle >against a former
dictator who would be elected President. >Malecki, who spent all his
political life behind a PC, >doesn't show any respect to people which are
struggling.

Is this true? Has Malecki spent most of his life in front of a PC? Anyone
who thinks that this kind of slander should be called the truth I suggest
go to my homepage where you will not only find out that I have been living
in exile over 25 years for political activities direct against the United
States and their war in Vietnam. You will also find a book there which
fairly well describes Malecki's background. Let us see if the PO/Lcmcri are
telling the truth on this manner.In fact until recently the Lcmcri were
accusing me of being the equivalent to the infamous "icepick" Aldolfo who's
main fame to claim is his 
Stalinist steel boots with threats of violence and everybody being and
agent of Fujimora who don't suppport his line on Gonzalo's PCP in Peru! So
obviously the PO/Lcmcri now have changed tact and are using new slanders to
replace political arguements.

>Malecki thinks that it is a joke to ask for a united >front against
Banzer. For him any common action against >Banzer and the fascists is a
popular front. In fact, for >him every joint activity is the same of a
bourgeois-led >counter-revolutionary front.

Oh no I don't. But Malecki and Cockroach are against the LCMCRI and PO's
ideas of what a united front is! In fact you are fighting for something
which is hardly supportable in fact at best as you claim in your reply
above to put pressure on the other four parties in the Banzer coalition and
the Americans. The classical popular front connected to the
anti-imperialist "Yankee" front. That is what is really going on here. But
also the classical Menshevik broad family of the "left" being
revolutionaries if they join in your popular-anti imperialist front
ambitions...

>A popular front is an inter-class block with and behind >the bourgeoisie.
It is an strategic front in which the >mass workers organisations adopts a
capitalist programme. >A united front is a tactic agreement to defend
workers >interests against the common enemy. For malecki >everything is the
same. He simply doesn't care about the >REAL world outside his computer room. 

The PO/Lcmcri are not try to defend the working class. You are trying to
put pressure on some of the components of the new Banzer regime connected
to anti American Imperialist rhetoric. And quite blazenly admit it! And
once again the slander about Malecki sitting in front of the computer. I
really thing that all the people who are reading this on numerous lists
please go to my homepage and see if this organisation is telling the truth
about this stuff. I have nothing to hide and it is all there at my homepage.

>For him the main enemy is not Banzer and the far right >but the union
leadership. One of the most important >unions in Bolivia is led by Vilma
Plata, a so-call >trotskyist from the POR who was arrested some days ago.
>The COB leader is "Huracan" Ramirez, a miner leader who >is advocating an
insurrection against the system and who >was against the last general
strike (the four in the last >four years). These union leaders are militant
reformists >or centrists. many union leaders are more linked with the
>bourgeoisie. 

And now after admitting that they are trying to pressure some of the
parties in the new popular front in Bolivia connected to anti American
imperialist front rhetoric they try and turn it around claiming that
Malecki wants to smash the unions. How quaint but not true. Read my quote
again above. It quite explicitly says to build a united front in the trade
unions to oust those leaders that support the new regime! I find nothing
wrong in principle with this type of united front. And if it is true that
there are "Trotskyist" leaders in the unions all their efforts should be in
exposing those trade union bureaucrats who are supporting this new
government. Connected to a program that leads towards real workers power..

>Of course, the Bolivian bureaucracy is an opponent and a >revolutionary
party needs to replace them. However, they >are not trying to physically
smash the unions or to put >more capitalists attacks. They could disarm the
>resistance of the masses but they are not the ones which >are organising
the attacks.

No! And nobody has called for physically smashing the unions! Trotskyists
on principle defend the mass organisations of the proletariat. But we do
not defend the reformist and Stalinist traders who lead them and support
this new government. That is the whole point. So work in the unions is
building and fighting for demands that move things forward, expose the
bureacrats and lead to revolutionaries winning the unions to there program
and struggle for power. This must be done unfortunately by getting rid of
the present leadership. In fact your fake left front only creates illusions
by saying everybody who is against Banzer is a friend and allie of the
working class. 

But this is not the issue here. The real issue as I said in my first letter
is;

"In fact I find it quite disgusting that it is the so called "Trotskyists"
who are trying
time and again to pump life into the broad fake left kind of rotten block
solutions to
the problems facing poor and working class people. In fact what is needed
is a real
Bolshevik Leninist alternative in order to fill the vacuum that now exists
after the
demise of Stalinism. The PO article seems to me to be nothing other then a
transmission belt for Menshevik and neo-Stalinist political solutions to
the question
of party building and tactics. I think that we have had quite enough
decades of this
kind of opportunism which has led to defeat after defeat after defeat. In
fact there is
no difference in the PO article and political thrust of most of the present
day Pabloite organizations Internationally."

"The ultimate weakness of PO is quite clear. When the pressure is on they
are prepared to liquidate the party and program for fake unity that will
not take the Bolivian working or the working class internationally one step
forward but in fact backward into all kinds of "unite the left to fight the
right" political opportunism."

In a nutshell at best you are calling for putting pressure on four of the
parties supporting Banzer connected to some anti-American Imperialist
rhetoric. This has nothing to do with Bolshevik Leninist politics..
 
>The line of Malecki is so extremely sectarian and stupid >that he could
only work for creating even more confusion >and helping the far right. What
he wants? If he would be >in Bolivia he would be against any united left
against >the far right but for a front against the union leaders >(which is
a front against ALL the left, because all of >that have positions in the
unions).

Are you saying that fighting for a revolutionary line inside the unions
connected to exposing and ousting the present leaders that support the new
Banzer regime in the unions is "sectarian". How quaint. And yes I am
against a family of "revolutionaries" who fight the "right" because it
always means popular fronts/anti imperialist united fronts in the final
analisis. We do not need a "united" left against the right we need a
Bolshevik Leninist organisation in Bolivia as elsewhere. 

>Malecki attacked us as "Mensheviks", "Neo-Stalinists", >and other non
senses. Some months ago he sent hundreds of >e-mails accusing our group of
being cop-lovers and later >he confessed that he agrees with our position
on the >police.

Notice the slanders and lies out of any kind of political context! Well,
for people interested this discussion started off on the elections in
Britain and quickly led to a discussion on many things including the Lcmcri
line of building communist cells in the police and military! After which
they claimed that this was not there line! Not to mention the Lcmcri seeing
the Argentinean general Galteri as part of and "Andean" revolution. But
don't take my word for it. The entire exchange of over (250KB) I have on a
diskette and upon request can send to any and everyone to read. You can
certainly judge for yourselfs who is doing and saying what politically. 

>He doesn't have a clue of what is happening in the real >world. In a way
he is showing how sectarian and stupid >could be the Spartacists. In 1974
the Spartacists said >that the Pinochet's coup and the overthrow of Allende
>could had a good aspect because it could discredit >reformism and it also
could clean the terrain for a >development of a revolutionary party.
Pinochet destroyed >the workers movement and the revolutionary groups were
>weakened. The Spart group in Chile was completely >demoralised and finally
left this current.

More slanders against the Spartacist now International Communist
League.However I must honestly admit that at this particular point in time
I was a member of the USec here in Sweden. But the Lcmcri is using the same
method here against the ICL as they do Malecki. So naturally these kinds of
political arguements without proof are just slanders. Cheap shots in order
to cover up their own real opportunism on popular and anti-imperialist
fronts! The PO/Lcmcri people must really be getting desperate to resort to
these kind of polemics!

>Malecki supported Jarusleski's coup against the Polish >workers. He
doesn't want to defend the Argentina semi->colony against US-UK military
attack. In Britain he >supported the Spartacist position which is to only
>support the SLP (the only party which stood candidates >which OPENLY
vindicating Stalin's terror against Trotsky) >against Labour, the so-call
trotskyist candidates and >even against the SLP's left. 

I suggest that anybody interested get the very long exchange. I will gladly
send it to you...And judge for youselves exactly who was saying what and
why.But the PO/Lcmcri Stalinphobia pushing it to block with the new Labor
Party of Tony Blair who is taking the party out of the Labor movement is
very clear. In Bolivia the PO/Lcmcri want to unite the "left" to fight the
right and in Britain they want to unite the right to fight the left split
from Tony Blair's new Labor. Wow. Everything the Spartacist said about you
people is true! 

>In Bolivia Bob is against a united front against Banzer, >but in Zaire he
called for a united front with and behind >Kabila with the aim of making a
popular and democratic> >revolution. His international. the Spartacists,
are on >the other side of the barricades, calling for the defeat >of Kabila
and Mobutu. The Spartacist don't call him a >traitor and Malecki doesn't
call them as sectarian who >are not defending his "popular revolution."
Nevertheless, >both are quite good labeling the rest of the left with >the
worst insults. 

Another lie and slander! I did nothing of the sort. And in fact it is quite
interesting that you raise this question in this way. Because obviously you
are calling for a united front with Kabila! Amazing. The "new" Lcmcri
position on Zaire! What a bunch of fakers. Some of your leading Comrades
actually had a fairly correct position on Zaire and the only critisim i had
of there line was that they did not see South Africa as the key to
revolution in this part of the world. And after this discussion the leading
comrades agreed about this stuff. Is the Lcmcri now doing a pancake number
on Zaire and supporting the line of the neo-Stalinists? Because the
formulation that PO makes above says that you are critically supporting
Kabila! It makes sense though because it is this kind of anti imperialist
united fronts that PO/Lcmcri are into in Latin America and now you are
extending this to the Kabila regime. Here is what Malecki really said on
Zaire which is diametrically against the new line that PO/Lcmcri have
presented us with. In fact without even knowing the Spartacist position I
from the very beginning make it very clear about NOT supporting Kabila. In
fact I thought this was the Lcmcri position. I was wrong! The PO/Lcmcri are
now saying that Malecki and the Spartacists are on "the other side of the
barricades" because we call for the defeat of both Kabila and Mobutu! So
obviously the Lcmcri are supporting both Kabila and Mobutu! Amazing. In
fact quit incredible! Anybody that takes this organisation serious after
this pancake operation need really to see a doctor. I suggest contacting
the nearest branch of the Spartacist/International Communist League..

But for Communist/Revolutionaries Internationalists the problem is
approached out of a perspective of both local/national and international
goggles because we know from history that this is the only way to go. Every
isolated military revolt or even deformed revolution
China/Cuba/Vietnam/Korea in "backward" countries shows us that unless we
know where we are going historically and have a party,tactics and program
in order to take us there then all the blood and gore in history will have
not helped one bit. Despite the crowing of the crowd on M-I these days.

Another thing that bothers me is how these neo-Stalinists look at the
recent "nationalisation" of the railway as the revolutionary credentials of
 Kabila. In fact calling on nationalisation when the movement on the ground
controls 2/3's of the territory means dip shit. Any words at this point can
be used by anybody to control and head off this movement in order to
control it. I notice that the list Neo-Stalinists were not quite as loud
talking about the almost daily visits of the multi-nationals to Kabila who
are already claiming business as usual. 

However! There are and have been two distinct positions on this list in
regards to events in Zaire. The Neo-Stalinist crowd who quite clearly see
Kabila as a new leader and movement to support. Then there are the various
"Trotskyists" on the list who basically say that the struggle must be based
on the  the movement of the masses on the ground, their democratic
aspirations and goals, not in the least connected to the "Land" question
and connected to a revolutionary Internationalist analisis where in this
part of the world it is South Africa that is the key. Not saying by the way
that these kinds of struggles could go much futher then the leaders intend
them to which in a sense could be a catalist in getting things going in
South Africa where the social power of the black proletariat could really
mean a revolutionary change in this area of the world and with far going
International consequences.

Already today the signals are pretty clear that this Kabila character
despite everything is and emperor with new clothes.  It is the throne
change of the deadly sick and cancer ridden body of Mobotu. Because of the
misery, poverty and general backwardness of Zaire and the surroundings,
lack of and organised and sizeable proletariat, it will be the land
question which will be decisive and who controls that land. So naturally
any convening of a constituit assembly, which in this case I doubt, because
Kabila has no interests in doing this, must take up this vital question. By
the way the land question if handled correctly can and will put and end to
new rounds of tribal and ethnic bloodbaths. A general collectivisation and
state ownership of all land with a program of individual lotts and
collective lots to all who live in the area above and beyond tribal or
ethnic background is the programatic key 
to the future spreading of the revolution and making sure that it is not
beheaded by some new emperor in the same clothes or a whole new series of
potential emperors
in these endless rounds of ethnic and tribal conflict. And a temporary end
to the endless rounds of ethnic and tribal conflict can be replaced by a
nationalisation of all land and redestribution of the land. This is why the
land question in Zaire is fundemental in presenting transitional demands!

 The other key question is that all of the resources in the form of natural
resources on the ground mining,oil whatever must be nationalised and in the
hands of the armed population. Regional Soviets in the form of militias and
towns-village people must be armed to make sure the nationalisations of the
resources being wripped by the multi-nationals is in their hands. A popular
program of distribution of land to all who will work it must be put forth.
Connected to a nationalisation and arming of the entire population with a;

A program to link up with the powerful South African Miners Unions as other
unions and the black proletariat their in instructing and helping to create
and education of the population of Zaire in how to mine and make use of
these resourses. The slogan should be that the colonialist have always
wripped us off now it is are turn too take over,learn and run the operation
in the form of Soviets. 

That is the short version. But the most important part must be naturally
for warning the population in Zaire who know what Mobotu is and was that
the Kabila forces
are not used in order to carry out a thone change for the dying Mobutu. And
pointing out that top meetings with people like Mandela will solve nothing.
Better to link up with the powerful trade unions of South Africa and carry
out a program of education on how to develop the nationalised resources in
this country to benefit the millions upon millions who live in this part of
the world.. 

Finally South Africa is the key. Unless South Africa and its mighty
millions of black proletarians are drawn into the struggle in Southern
Africa well then we are going to see round after round after round of these
kinds of struggles from time to time as the contending imperialist
countries try to find new "Bonapartes" who they can make a deal with. It is
impossible on the African continent to rule at this point with a classical
colonial occupation along the lines of Britain in  India. Much better to
make a deal with a section of the population and its leaders in order to
hold things under control.

The only way to break this dead end cycle is the development of a
Pan/African Bolshevik/Leninist tendency in a future revolutionary
International which sees as its task the liberation of the African masses
from the imperialist/colonialists and there black political henchman. The
human material already exists in the form of the South African Proletariat
which in this part of the world is the vanguard of any long going
revolutionary change worth mentioning. Although Nigeria and its Proletariat
and the development of proletariats in other African countries is working
in a favorable direction.

VICTORY TO THE POPULAR AND DEMOCRATIC REVOLUTION IN ZAIRE!!

GOOD RIDDANCE TO MOBUTU'S REGIME! NO TO AND EMPEROR WITH NEW CLOTHES IN THE
FORM OF KABILA!

FOR POPULAR DEMOCRATIC CONTROL OF THE REVOLUTIONARY FORCES AND THE NEW
REVOLUTIONARY REGIME! FOR AND ARMING OF THE ENTIRE POPULATION IN DEFENSE OF
THE REVOLUTION.

NOT JUST THE RAILWAYS! NATIONALIZATION OF THE PRODUCTIVE RESOURCES OF ZAIRE
UNDER DEMOCRATIC AND POPULAR CONTROL! 

NATIONALISATION OF ALL THE LAND! A PROGRAM FOR REDISTRIBUTION OF THE LAND
IN BOTH COLLECTIVE AND INDIVIDUAL LOTS TO ALL IN THE AREA IRREGARDLESS OF
ETHNIC OR TRIBAL BACKGROUND!

A CALL FOR A CONSTITUIT ASSEMBLY TO CARRY OUT THE ABOVE THROUGHOUT THE REGION:

NO OUTSIDE INTERVENTION TO SAVE ZAIRE! IMPERIALISTS GET OUT!

FOR THE CREATION OF A PAN_AFRICAN BOLSHEVIK/LENINIST PARTY
IN A REFORGED TROTSKYIST FOURTH INTERNATIONAL!

FOR A SOCIALIST FEDERATION OF SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL AFRICA!

>
>Bob is NOT a serious person. With his e-mails he is >discrediting himself.
Our European comrades were right. >It is not worth taking him seriously.

After PO/Lcmcri make a bunch of false accusations, take political
arguements completely out o context and to top it off openly admit that
what they are really after in the "United Front" of the "Left" is to put
pressure on four of the parties taking part in the Banzer government
connect to anti-imperialist front rhetoric they claim Malecki should not be
taken seriously. Not only that they also now have done a 180 degree turn on
Zaire and now support both Kabila and Mobutu. Amazing! Well my friends
please read and judge for yourselves! Both this letter but also the long
exchange earlier with the PO/Lcmcri on many of the major questions facing
the International workers movement.
Or for serious militants in the Lcmcri who are really serious about
building a revolutionary Trotskyist International it will unfortunately
have to go over the dead political bodies of the present centrist
leadership who change political lines on major international questions like
Zaire as if they change underwear! The Spartacists and the ICL I suggest
would be good starters for anybody in this swamp who wants to find a way
too Trotskyism..
 

Bob Malecki and Cockroach
--------------------------------------------------------

Check Out My HomePage where you can,

Read the book! Ha Ha Ha McNamara,
Vietnam-My Bellybutton is my Crystalball!

Or Get The Latest Issue of,

COCKROACH, a zine for poor and working-class people

http://www.algonet.se/~malecki

Back issues of Cockroach and my book at 
http://www.kmf.org/malecki/

--------------------------------------------------------


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