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- Central theme at coming PUWP congress

| THONUOUUOUAUUnanenuuuuneNaeuUNeQQOUUUOCOOOUUUEUOUOUUCOEOOGOUUUOHEGHHL
» Some 300 readers and supporters of the

Komorowski, columnist for the
New York Daily World, discussed recent

developments in Poland, and afterward |

answered a flood of questions raised by the
audience. :
The evening was part of the Tribune’s

* Ongoing commitment of bringing to its

Teaders and the Canadian public facts

» about life throughout the socialist world,

facts which the big business controlled
Press energetically tries to suppress and

_ The enthusiastic audience responded to
8 call by the chairman, Tribune manager

rman Brudy, with pledges and cash
amounting to $7,000, a healthy one-night
os on. Metro Toronto’s target of

650,

LUTTE

The situation in Poland is serious.

We're facing a difficult and complicated

eo there. Make no mistake about

What is taking place is a very hard
Class struggle with Poland’s future on the

‘agenda. And-the question is: who will

win? ;

Over the past period we have seen a |
form of creeping counter-revolution. It’s -

a different kind of counter-revolution,
Not in the form of an armed uprising, but
a counter-revolution of a peaceful
character, relatively speaking.

The aim here is to achieve, step by
step, a situation in which counter-revolu-
tion can replace the Polish United Work-
ers’ Party and move toward capitalist
Testoration. Rightist anti-socialist ele-
ments have been using public discontent
to attack the foundations. of socialism.

This is made evident by the series of
Strikes which has plagued Poland in the
Past period. On one hand it reflects an
effort of workers to resolve legitimate
grievances which have accumulated over

years and which the trade union
fe cnet in Poland did not properly re-.
ct.

That’s why there was the move away
from the central trade union movement
towards Solidarity.

But the strikes also had another side

' which, objectively speaking, had nothing

to do with the aims and aspirations of the
Polish working class. Those who were
8uiding the strikes from behind the
Scenes aimed at destabilizing Poland's
€conomy, prevent a return to normalcy
the overcoming of the crisis.
aim of destabilization was clear
€nough: add to the difficulties facing Po-
> Open the door to shortages, create
Conditions for sharpening discontent by.
working people with the Govern-

Ment, the PUWP and the socialist state, .

and create conditions for more direct ac-
Hon against socialism.

2A second feature of creeping counter-
revolution was the beginning of a chal-

> lenge by Solidarity to the Polish United
Workers Party. When agreement was

Teached between Government and Sol-
idarity it was clearly spelled out by Sol-
darity that it upheld the leading'role of

the PUWP in the building of socialism,
8nd would not aim to contest political

| Power. In other words, that Solidarity

Would confine itself to the problems of
Workers,

This was the basis of the agreement —

‘that Solidarity would not become an op-

§ oe ional force against the PUWP and

lalism,
This was equally true of Rural Solidar-

ity. That body, too, signed an agreement
which recognized the PUWP as the lead-
ing force in building socialism. This
agreement also included recognition of
the United-Peasant Party as part of the

- alliance of workers and farmers in the

building of a socialist system of society.

What has happened since that agree-
pent was reached? Interestingly enough,
now on the eve of the emergency con-
gress of the PUWP scheduled to take
place July 14-18, and which has pub-
lished its policy statement for debate
among the Polish people, Solidarity has

issued a program which appears to be a _

challenge to the document advanced by
the PUWP.

The Solidarity document which only
devotes a few lines to trade union mat-
ters, doesn’t once speak of the agree-
ment it signed which recognizes the lead-
ing role of the PUWP, doesn’t once

speak about building socialism in Poland, -

doesn’t once speak about the inter-
national alliance to which Poland belongs
which is the guarantee of Polish in-
dependence — but speaks of the Solidar-
ity movement as a so-called independent
force that sees the socialist state as an
alien, hostile force.

Marxists know that the capitalist state
is an oppressive weapon against the
working class, the working, people and
democracy. That’s capitalism.

The socialist state, even though it may
sometimes make mistakes — and it has
unfortunately — is not an oppressive
weapon against the working class and its
allies. It is a means by which the working
class can maintain power and_ build
socialism. Without a socialist state there

would be no working class power and

if

classes there are two ideologies — the
ideology of capitalism and the ideology
of socialism. There is no third ideology.

Unfortunately, in the past period of
time the PUWP allowed complacency to
take over in the ideological struggle. It
became preoccupied with the necessity
of industrial development and allowed
the ideological struggle to take a back
seat. In real life as in nature there are no
vacuums. What the PUWP let drop was
picked up by others to strengthen capital-
ist ideology and nationalism.

In fact some views were spread inside
the PUWP that a stage of development
had already been reached whereby the
ideological-political ‘struggle could be
forgotten. Polish socialism is paying a
heavy price for becoming lax on this
front. :
Any. party claiming to be a Marxist-
Leninist party that foregoes the ideo-
logical struggle unwittingly opens the
door to capitalist ideas whether in condi-
tions of socialism or in conditions of
capitalism. Thiseis an absolute law of
development if one is permitted this
term.

Because of shortcomings in the ideo-

logical struggle and the. penetration of -

alien ideas among some communists,
ideological pluralism seemed to be an ac-
ceptable idea together with the idea of
political pluralism.

Recently there has been a concentra-
tion of capitalist media attention on the
forthcoming emergency congress of the
PUWP. This is not accidental. It sees the
revisionist elements, the rightist forces in
and outside of Solidarity as a factor_in
transforming the PUWP into some varia-
tion of a social democratic party. All its

» ey :

Remarks by CPC leader William Kashtan
at a public meeting, Toronto, May 15.

a See ee ee en ee ai

- without working class power there
would be no socialist state.

By speaking of the socialist state as an
alien force the groundwork is being laid
by the anti-socialist forces in Poland to
separate the trade unions from responsi-
bility in building socialism.

Thus instead of adhering to the agree-
ment it signed, Solidarity is being pres-
sed to take on a political character, the
purpose of which is to challenge the lead-
ing role of the PUWP, and appear as an
oppositional force to the PUWP and to
socialism.

This is but a first step to the next one,
that of wresting power away from the
PUWP and restoring capitalism. :

This dangerous situation is further
complicated by the fact that within the
PUWP itself, different voices are heard.
That, in fact, has been the problem from
the time of the crisis. :

What has emerged in the PUWP is a
revisionist force which challenges the
basic principles of a Marxist-Leninist
party. There is a meeting of minds here
between these revisionist elements and
rightists and anti-socialist elements in
and outside Solidarity.

What do the revisionists advance?
They advance a challenge to the princi-
ples of democratic centralism. They see
no reason why there could not be fac-
tions within the PUWP. We have had
some experiences with this in our own
party and so have other Communists and
Workers parties during the revisionist
wave.some years ago. :

These revisionist elements also raise
the question of ideological pluralism.

However, Lenin made the point many
years ago that in the struggle between

chatter about ‘interference’? by the
Soviet Union and the other socialist
countries in Polish affairs has one aim at
this stage — to help build up hostility to
the Soviet Union and widen opposition
to socialism in Poland.

The central ideas being advanced for
the emergency congress is that of social-
ist renewal. It is important to note this
because Solidarity also speaks of renew-
al but not socialist renewal. There are
these two different concepts, two differ-
ent roads, two different paths of
development advanced. The PUWP
calls for an alliance of all forces who are
for socialist renewal as the pre-condition
for an independent Poland. It has spelled
this out to include Solidarity, the
Catholic Church, women, youth, the au-
tonomous and branch unions.

It has declared it will do everything to

preserve and consolidate socialism and
the alliance with the Soviet Union and

the other socialist countries. It sees as
the most important task at the coming
Congress pulling the country out of the
crisis, the development of socialist
democracy, the strengthening of the
leading role of the PUWP in socialist
construction, the stabilizing of the.
economy. It has correctly stated that the
key to.overcoming the crisis lies within

the PUWP. The aim is to make the Con-

gress a congress of workers.

The choice before the Polish people is
either socialist renewal, the elimination
of mistakes of the past, or the restoration
of capitalism. These are the two courses
open. There is no third way.

There is no need to stress what capital-
ist restoration would mean. It would
open the door for demands for changes of

~ socialism,

The struggle for socialist renewal

the Polish borders by the West German
revanchists who have never given up the

idea that part of the territory of Poland

belongs to West Germany. Not only the
territorial integrity of Poland is involved
but here also the political map of Europe.
The USSR and other socialist states have
declared their full sympathy and support
for the PUWP, the goverment and
people. They have given every assis-
tance possible to Poland to help the
Polish people overcome their difficult
moment. They have warned imperialism
to keep its hands off Poland. They have
expressed confidence that the Polish
people will work out their difficult prob-
lems, providing imperialism does not
interfere in their internal affairs.

In face of this complex and dangerous
Situation we have different groups in
Canada and elsewhere-coming forward
as supposed champions of Poland.

Right wing social democracy here and
in other countries have come forward in
support of Solidanty. Mr. Broadbent is
one of them. He did not have enough
courage to speak up in defénse of the
postal workers when their president was
jailed, but he apparently had enough
courage to defend Solidarity. However
he kept quiet about other union bodies
which embrace millions of Polish work-
ers.

Why this difference? The autonomous
unions, the branch unions support social-
ism while Solidarity, these forces hope,
will become a Trojan horse, an instru-
ment with which to dismantle socialism.

They know the workers wouldn't
understand them if they publicly op-
posed socialism. They therefore attack
totalitarianism, their code word for
socialism: This was the essence of a re--
cently held public meeting in Toronto at
which one of the officers of the OFL
spoke.

It is useful here to note that Secretary
of State Haig and these right wing social
democrats are in the same bed. Haig,
too, attacks totalitarianism, meaning
but he. is kind to
‘‘authontarianism’’, that is, fascism and
reaction.

Right-wing social democracy says it is
opposed to imperialism and to total-
itarianism, that there is a third way. But
history has already shown that this so-
called third way leads back to capitalism,
in fact never goes beyond capitalism.

When right-wing social democracy
and the ultra-left play the same game as
imperialism they ought to be pilloried
from door to door, up and down the
country by class conscious workers, by
real revolutionaries and democrats, as
supporters of imperialism.

We don’t deny that mistakes were
made in Poland. Indeed the PUWP was
the first one to say so and state that they
had lost the confidence of the workers.
They are correcting these mistakes.

- Time here is of the essense. Delay, com-

placency of procrastination could prove

These mistakes are not within the na-
ture of socialism. They are deviations
from socialism which the PUWP is cor-
recting. The ‘‘corrections”’ others strive

_ for in and outside Poland, primarily U.S.

imperialism, is of a different kind. They
lead step by step toward the restoration
of capitalism.

The struggle between these two roads
will be a long and difficult one, because at
heart it is a matter of pulling Poland out of
a deep crisis. However we are confident
that with the support of the socialist
community, and of progressive mankind
the Polish people led by the PUWP will
overcome the crisis.

This will be a victory, not only for
them, but for peace in Europe and in the
world.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—JUNE 5, 1981—Page 9