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Some thoughts on democracy

By NORMAN FREED

ECENT people everywhere are in rebellion

against a society that produces Vietnams and

‘ prepares to destroy by atomic war the civili-
zation that has been built through the ages.

‘The great debate and clash of ideas of our time
around such questions as democracy, freedom and
the sacredness of the individual, if it is to have
any meaning at all, must first resolve the over-
_ tiding issue of: peace and war. Whether or not an
atomic disaster can be prevented depends on the
ability of the people to exercise their democratic
will. Democracy is therefore closely connected with
the fight for lasting peace.

Democracy is connected with all aspects of life.
- We find ourselves in the midst of a revolution in
science and technology. Man has reached the
stage in human development when all: the condi-
tions are present for the solution of the age-old
problem of material well-being, yet he is prevented
from enjoying the full ie of his great inventive
capacity.

People rightly want to know: what and who
stands in the way of man enjoying the fruits of
his labor by hand and brain? More and more of
_them are coming to the conclusion that there is
something wrong, undemocratic, morally unjust
and indefensible about a society in which the great
abundance man produces is appropriated by a hand-
_ ful of people who own and control the big corpora-
tions. And then this accumulated wealth is used as

an alien force against him, limiting his right: to

_ enjoy a full and meaningful life.

In the course of their battles to gain a greater
share of the wealth they produce the people learn
through bitter experience that they are up against
the power of the corporations, and’ the whole
power of the state. Thus nat only does the wealth
that man produces stand against him as an alien
force but the state as well stands against him as
a foreign force. This is the main reason for the
widespread movements against the “status quo”
and the “establishment”. This is where the fight
for real democracy starts.

The recent period has seen a great wave of
_ militant strikes. Working people after patient
efforts to negotiate agreements for higher
wages in face of rising prices and increased
productiveness of labor, are compelled to go on the
picketlines. In these struggles they learn much
about the real meaning of democracy. The working
people are finding out that its not much_use to pos-
sess a democratic right if in fact you’re prevented

| from exercising that right.

| resolutions on the same topic printed
| below, the Tribune is opening its pages

With this article by Norman Freed,
which is being published in two parts,
and two Communist Party convention

‘to a discussion on the Communist view
of democracy. We invite our readers,
Communists and non-Communists alike,
to take part in this discussion by sending
in articles or letters containing their
questions, comments and views.

sections of organized labor consider it a defense of

democracy to defy undemocratic, unjust, arbitrary
laws and class-biased court edicts.

The debacle around medicare is another case
involving the question of democracy. The demo-
cratic will of the people is well known, yet one
man, or at most a small group of men, have de-
cided against the expressed will of the people to
postpone and perhaps scuttle altogether this very
essential health measure. One could pile up ex-
ample on example to prove that while the people
through their struggles have won many worthwhile

democratic rights the “establishment” continually

seeks to interfere with, obstruct and even deny the
rights.

Democracy therefore is no abstraction. It is not
a luxury item that one can do with or without.
History has shown that democratic rights cannot
be taken for granted, they have to be constantly
defended and extended and made more meaningful
if humanity is to make progress toward a better
and fuller life.

It is only a little over 20 years since ‘the guns
against fascism were silenced. Millions gave their
lives to defeat this most beastly form of capitalist
rule. Many people have gradually forgotten the
horrors that were perpetrated by fascism at that
time; many don’t know fascism at all.

‘Yet, fascist and neo-fascist rule persists in
many parts of the world—Spain, Portugal, South
Africa, to mention but a few. In West Germany,
in the United States and in Canada ultra-right
forces are now once again coming to the fore.
These. sinister anti-democratic forces are the pro-
duct of the powerful financial and industrial cor-

- porations. As the people move leftward the mono-

polies seek to counter this trend by influencing
existing capitalist parties (the Liberal Party, for

example) to turn to the right and seek to create
new extreme right-wing combinations.

Democratic forces must therefore not fall for the
propaganda “that it cannot happen here” or that —

“it cannot happen again”. Great vigilance is needed —

to recognize in good time the danger from the
right, no matter how it masks itself.

Sonié people are prone to measure the level of
democracy in a country on the basis of the
cold statistics of its cultural development; the
number of schools, libraries, laboratories, factories,
cars, TV sets, all the things that go to make up —
what is called affluence. Measured by such statistics
Germany of 1933 and the United States of 1966
would be among the most cultured countries. Yet
this cultural affluence did not prevent the German
scientists from experimenting in their laboratories —
with “Eastern Jews” instead of guinea pigs. It’s
not preventing Americans from using napalm
bombs and other means of mass murder against
the people of Vietnam and or white Americans from
practising jim-crowism against the Negroes in
their own country.

While the material basis for the production of
abundance has been created, deep-going social and —
moral problems have been engendered, tearing our —
affluent society apart at its roots. There is a grow-
ing lack of faith in the present and future, a lack
of perspective and of confidence among many —
sections of people, particularly among young
people, popularly referred to as the “alienated
generation”. The young generation is searching —
for new concepts and new roads ahead. However,
through their daily experiences people are becom- —
ing aware that democracy in our country is condi-
tioned and limited by class interests. :

We cannot avoid noting the fact that our demo-
cracy is in fact bourgeois class democracy. The |
“establishment” fears change and fights stubbornly —
to maintain the status quo. It seeks to perpetuate
economic inequality. It openly provides special
benefits and rights to the privileged classes. It
openly and covertly uses the power of its own
wealth: as well as the power of the state ap-
paratus to limit democracy and individual freedom.

We Communists believe, on the basis of expe- |
rience, that democracy is as vital for the develop- |
ment of the human personality as is the satisfaction
of material needs. We are convinced that one can-

- not effectively satisfy the material needs without

the democratic participation of the people and, —
since man cannot live by bread alone, the satisfac-
tion of his material needs is inseparable from-hiS —
spiritual needs. We therefore defend and cherish —
every democratic right won by the people.

It is a very healthy sign of our times that large

TWO RESOLUTIONS

_ The 19th convention of the Communist Party of Canada, which
met last May, did not have sufficient time to consider several resolu-
tions before it, among them two dealing with democracy. The con-
_ vention authorized the party’s incoming central executive committee
to edit them. This has since been done. Following is the text of

these two resolutions:
ON DEMOCRACY (1)
Whereas, the aim of commun-
ism is a better world in which
people, having satisfied their
- material needs, will be able to

concentrate their energies on liv-
ing happy and creative lives, and

_ Whereas, one of the necessary
conditions for happiness and cre-
_ativity is the ability to reason
and form opinions, the right a
Opportunity to express thes
opinions publicly, and above all
_ the healthy expression of being
an active participant in the shap-
ing of one’s own environment,

Whereas, the Communist Par-
ty of Canada, while having been
compelled to fight unceasingly
for its right to exercise the de-
mocratic practices that are sup-
posed to be guaranteed to all
Canadians, has paid too little
attention to the important task
of explaining and popularizing
its concept of democracy as a
great historic goal of the strug-
gle for human progress and,
because of that, has failed also
to popularize understanding of
the revolutionary transformation
from capitalist democracy which
takes place in the socialist revo-

lution and the historical process

through which socialist democ-
racy develops and comes to full
flower and,

Whereas, there are many Ca-
nadians who are very concerned
about democratic issues who
have much to teach us, and who
might eventually be won to fight
for socialism if they could be
convinced that we shared their
concern,

Therefore be it resolved:

1. That the Communist Party
devote more attention to ques-
tions of democracy, humanism,
and alienation, and engage in
dialogue (with a view to learn-
ing as well as teaching) with
other Canadians who are con-
cerned with these issues, partic-
ularly the “New Left” which has
done a lot of research in these
areas.

2. That as part of our party’s
program, we include under the
heading of a new constitution
for Canada, the demand that

such a constitution guarantee:
—freedom of speech,
_—freedom for the arts,

—freedom of philosophical
opinion including freedom of
worship,

—freedom of association Sl
assembly,

—freedom to organize and to
engage in democratic popular
activities aimed peacefully to
bring about changes, including
the right to form political parties

and contest elections.

3. That it be made clear in
our program that our vision of
a socialist Canada includes the
retention of all these guarantees
and their enrichment as an in-
tegral part of the full develop-
ment of socialist democracy.

ON DEMOCRACY (2)

Whereas, the Communist Par-
ty of Canada is concerned with
the highest development of so-
cialist democracy, and

Whereas, we are concervé
with the conception the Cae
dian people have of social

towards democracy in genera

Therefore be it resolved, t®
the Communist Party of Cana
in its own publications and fr!
its own platforms, etc., impro¥
and extends its educational A
tivity to explain clearly in
light of Canadian experience
relation of capitalist democra°
to the class struggle and
inseparability of the full all- sid¢
development of socialist dem?
racy from the maturing of sot
ist society.

And be it further resolve
that in development of this th
cessary educational activity 4
Communist Party of Cané'
shall criticize frankly and with
out discrimination all of what
considers unjustified or unnec®
sary violations of personal libe
ty whether such violations ta
place in a capitalist or a socia