tional self-detérmination. Looking at
the situation superficially it would ap-
pear as if the circumstances were simi-
lar and that the socialist and progres-
sive forces inside and outside Nigeria
should support the Biafran cause. Look-
ing at the Nigerian situation more
closely and concretely one must come
to the conclusion that the Nigerian so-
ciety is basically different from the
Canadian society. The relationship be-
tween the two nations in Canada as
compared to the relationship within
Nigeria are as different as day is from
night. Canada is a highly developed
imperialist country. Anglo-Saxon domi-
nation over the French Canadian na-
tion has placed the French-Canadians
in a position of national, economic and
social inequality. Nigeria is a newly
emerged country—eight years young,
seeking to give substance to its. poli-

tical independence. It is-faceu Waiui
tremendous odds within and without.
It is threatened by reaction, narrow
nationalism, tribalism and regionalism.
It is faced with the onslaught of neo-
colonialism which makes use of these
differences and operates on the mod-
ern version of divide and rule. The
Biafran secession is more akin to the
Tshombe carnage associated with the
secession of the Katanga province
from the Congolese State.

The Ibo people, who are in the ma-

. jority in Biafra, because of a number

of historic reasons, are amongst the
most talented and educated people in
Nigeria. Following independence they
occupied leading positions in the gov-
ernment, civil service, armed forces,
business and professions and provided
the greatest percentage of the skilled

personnel in all aspects of life. They ©

were certainly not the oppressed, on

the contrary, they played a leading

role in Nigerian life.

Nigeria, as most newly emerged
African countries, the big and the.
small, ig confronted with the neces-
sity of finding ways of economic co-
operation and integration, if not on a
continental scale, at least on a regional

basis, such as North Africa, West Afri- —

ca, East Africa, and Central Africa.
They must do this in order to make
the most efficient use of their restric-
tive sources of capital formations.

We do not deny that there are legi-
timate national ethnic grievances
which require solution. As we exam-
ine Africa we must take into account
the fact that we now have in existence
numerous small independent states,
most of them without a viable econo-
mic base. Most of them are very young,

sent si

fragile states, with fragile classes, fra-
gile nations, some only in the process
of formation, just emerging from tribal
society. We must avoid applying the
same yard stick to Africa as we do to
highly developed capitalist countries.
The solution of the Nigerian conflict
cannot be brought about by “interna-
tionalizing” it through the United Na-
‘tions. The Organization of African
Unity can and should play the leading
role in bringing the war to an end; to
preserve the integrity and unity of
Nigeria; to satisfy the legitimate griey-
ances of the various minorities and re-
gions; to counter the imperialist ma-
noeuvres which obstruct closer Afri-
can unity; to elaborate a realistic ap-
proach to continental cooperation,
which in the final analysis means that
the African people should take the
non-capitalist path of development.

PRAGUE, Oct. 13.

Alexander Dubcek, First Secretary
of the Central Committee of the Com-
munist Party of Czechoslovakia, on
October 11 addressed a meeting of
chairmen and executives of a number
of CPC factory organizations of the
Prague 9 district. He devoted his speech
to Czechoslovakia’s present-day politi-
cal situation, pointing out the need to
reply to a number of questions which
have arisen.

At the talks in Moscow, he pointed
out, we discussed how the decisions of
the preceding talks which were to lead
to a normalization, had been carried
out. We agreed that certain results had
been attained but that much had as yet
to be solved in order to achieve the
full consolidation of the country’s in-

ternal life and our relations with the

countries of the socialist community.

Dubcek repeating a number of ap-
praisals he had in the past advanced
as to the so-called pre-January period
in the country, noted that the post-
January development was most com-
plicated. Some people, he said, under-
stood and interpreted socialist demo-
cracy in a liberal sense: they forgot
that democracy also demands respon-
sibility and discipline, that society
should not only create conditions for
the development of each individual but
should also avert such conduct which
contradicts the interests of socialist
development of the whole of society.
Otherwise the door is opened for spon-
taneity under the conditions of which
diverse groupings come to the fore-
front.

Such groupings also appeared in our
country. For instance, the organizers
of Club-231 wanted to play such a role:
some strove to organize an opposition
political movement “kap,” a club of
non-party activists, others attempted
to set up a Right-wing social democra-
tic party. Such groupings also started
to operate in the press.

In this respect Dubcek pointed out
that it is impermissible for some to
have .greater opportunity to uphold
their interests only because at their
disposal is the microphone or a paper.
This is precisely why, he added, the
March, May and other plenary meet-

-ings of the Party Central Committee

came out against such phenomena.

At the same time, Dubcek pointed
cut the inconsistency in carrying out
the decisions of the Party, and insuf-
ficient responsibility on the part of cer-
tain Communists aggravated the situ-
ation, although there was no need for
this. We should, he further said, draw
a lesson for the future and on all sec-
tions consistently implement the Len-
inist principle of democratic central-
ism, raise the discipline and responsi-
bility of every Party member for ‘car-.
rying out the Party’s policy, strength-
en the Party’s unity along Marxist

- Leninist principles., All. Party bodies.
and organizations,” Starting. with. the _

Party Central Committee, should draw
a lesson from this.

Dubcek further admitted that out-
and-out anti-socialist forces used the
shortcomings in the post-January deve-
lopments for their own ends. We clear-
ly pointed this out at the May Plenary
Meeting. We characterized as anti-
socialist actions the desire to discredit
the Party, to deny it the right to direct
society, to violate the mutual contacts
with other socialist countries, to dis-
credit the socialist system.and to set
up in our society an opposition politi-
cal force, thus evoking a struggle for
political power.

In the present divided world, Dub-
cek said, in which the class struggle
between socialism and capitalism is
being waged: and in which the danger
of a Third World War hovers like a
spectre over the heads of people, every-
thing is harmful which violates our al-
liance with the socialist community,
everything which undermines the lead-
ing role of the Party, everything which
is directed against the political or eco-
nomic foundation of the socialist
system.

We would be shutting our eyes to
reality if we refused to admit that
that there were such aspirations in our
country. To the honest efforts of most,
people aimed at exploring better meth-
ods and forms of social life, there have
hung on those who, wittingly or un-
wittingly harbored ulterior motives,
those who sought to discredit the Party
and the Communists. Those who did
not reconcile themselves to the social-
ist development of our country, the
forces which wanted to take revenge
for February 1948 also tried to act.

We must in future resist all the an-
ti-socialist forces and prevent them
from exploiting the shortcomings of
our development. We will have to
clearly and concretely formulate what is
beneficial for society, what meets the
needs and interests of the working
class, the peasantry and the intelligent-
sia, and at the same time’ say clearly
and openly what harms these interests.

The policy of the socialist state is in
no way isolated from the struggle of
the socialist forces of the world against
imperialism and the danger of war.
Such a policy is an integral part of
this struggle. Proceeding from this
point of view we should pursue a home
policy taking into account the broad
internal interconnections.

Experience has taught us that the
consequences of our internal activity
on an international scale cannot but be
taken into account, that the views and
apprehension of our socialist allies can-
not but be considered.

We must understand that our future
development is impossible without co-
operation with the socialist countries,
and first of all with the Soviet Union;
that this cooperation. is not only of

Wee ene

sentiments, should strive for it. And if
we in the past at times underestimated
the apprehensions of the socialist coun-
tries regarding the nature of our deve-
lopment, this all the more so should be
considered today.

The meaning and purpose of the
further activities of the Party, Dubcek
added, is to strengthen socialism in
our country, to reinforce the stability
of the political. system with the help
of a number of new measures and also
by consistently implementing the mea-
sures we have already adopted so as
to prevent any anti-socialist activity.

Dubcek then dwelt on the tasks
facing the Party at present.

These are deepening and Consolidat:
ing the leading role of the Party in
society.

The requisite for consolidating the
leading role of the Party, he said, is
above all its ideological and organiza-
tional unity, the level and efficiency of
its organizational work. It is now when
the Party is undergoing intricate trials
that it is necessary to strengthen the
Leninist standards of its internal life,

ALEXANDER DUBCEK

the principles of democratic central-
ism in the work of the Central Com-
mittee, of regional and district commit-
tees and in the activity of primary or-
ganizations in order to consistently im-
plement the decisions of the Central
Committee and its Presidium enhance
the personal responsibility of the Com-
munists and conscious discipline which
is inseparable from democracy within
the party. The speaker then outlined
his views on the complexity of the
situation within the Party.

Dubcek appealed to all who work
in the press, radio and TV, in all mass
media to devote attention to express-
ing the basic intere.ts of the working
people and carrying out the tasks put
forward by the Party. It is necessary
that. all mass information. media
should really and consistently {serve
socialist development . .. that they

_ | should, offer no room. for: any anti-:,.
socialist and any anti-Soviet manifes-

tations. All workers in this sphere bear
great responsibility before the Party
and the people. This implies not allow-
ing persons working in information
agencies to upset the positive trend. of
the policy of our Party and the govern-
ment, chiefly in relation to the Soviet
Union and other socialist countries. We
say frankly that these serious short-
comings were also displayed prior to
August 20, which introduced consider-
able disquiet in the ranks of our Party.

We must demand that our informa-
tion media work strictly in socialist.
spirit that they unconditionally support
the efforts of the Party and the govern-
ment in implementing the Bratislava:
statement and the Moscow protocol, -
that they express more fully the real
interests of the masses.

Dubcek then discussed the tasks
pertaining to the steadfast restoration
‘of international political and other ties
with socialist countries, with the peo-
ples of these countries. .As Commun-
ists, internationalists, he said, we
cannot formulate our policy otherwise
than in the strategic direction of all-
round cooperation with the Soviet
Union and other socialist countries.

Dubcek pointed out that the Bratis-
lava statement was the platform for
developing relations with socialist
countries. The basic tasks of the Com-
munist Party of Czechoslovakia in the
sphere of inter-Party relations and the

firm membership of our Parties and

countries in the socialist community
are recorded in it, he pointed out. The
CPC Central Committee considers
this document an integral part of its
policy and will proceed from it in for-
mulating the Party’s present-day tasks.
._ Membership of the Czechoslovak
Socialist Republic in the socialist
community has always been uncondi-
tional, and this cannot be different
today because it is a matter of our
basic strategic orientation. We are
bound to the socialist countries, and
the Soviet Union above all, by deeply-

-rooted economic cooperation.

I am convinced, Dubcek continued,
that our relations will be greatly pro-
moted by providing our people with
well-conceived positive information
about the life and work of the peoples
of other socialist countries. It is ne-
cessary to develop personal contacts
between our countries along all lines
—in the sphere of science and culture,
ties between cities, regions, factories
and cooperatives.

The further development of our poli-
tical system, he said, will be based
on the socialist platform of the Natio-
nal Front. Here too we will consolid-
ate the leading role of the Party.

Dubcek discussed the personnel pol-
icy. He stressed the need to Have in
leading posts people fully devoted to
the cause of the Party, socialism and

_ internationalism! who firmly, adhere .to,. .¢ << at |
_ the positions of “Marxism-Leninism. “660 |

—Pravda.
PACIFIC TRIBUNE— OCTOBER 25, 1968—Page 7