Letters

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Recent federal budget cutbacks on VIA
Rail have virtually sounded the death knell
for a Canadian rail service.

A brief presented to the federal trans-
port minister by the Federation of Cana-
dian Municipalities outlines some of the
broad negative and potentially disastrous
Consequences and the impact of the move,

This will result in a large transfer of
travel infrastructure costs to the provinces
and to municipalities. Municipalities —
that’s us folks — will pay heavily for this
Policy if we allow the feds to get away with
it. A number of Canadian municipal
g0vernments have already filed suit that
they will take action against the federal
government. All this is also happening at
the same time as the federal government is
stubbornly refusing to share in costs of
Tepair and renewal of Canada’s aging
infrastructure, which is beyond the finan-
a SCORE of most municipalities to cope
with.

_ Not only that but we will be the only
industrially developed country in the
world without a supporting railway infra-

VIA cuts shift road
costs on to taxpayers

structure. All other countries, having rec-
ognized a railway system as the most
efficient, clean and in the long run cost-
effective way to move both people and
cargo, are spending megamillions on capi-
tal improvements. ;

When major cuts to rail service began in
the 1970s the capital costs of roads and air
transport grew astronomically, mail was
shifted to trucks or planes and express
services moved to the publicly funded
highways. Sixty-six per cent of Canada’s
roads are in municipal jurisdiction and
trucks and heavy equipment are estimated
to be responsible for 17,000 times: more
damage than the average car so again, the
costs are being shifted to the local tax-
payer.

The federal government cites the sub-
sidy for rail service as one of the criteria
that necessitate the big cut. But not menti-
oned are the large subsidies that go to
ports, airports, etc. Nor is it ever menti-
oned that railways got as an incentive over
20 million acres of land free, all across
Canada and massive cash subsidies to

VIA TRAIN ... service could be made fast, efficient.

build the rail link and much of this land
has been turned into the most lucrative
real estate in Canada — amassing mas-
sive fortunes in real estate, minerals and
ores and a myriad of subsidiary companies
and fortunes.

The job losses will be devastating for
hundreds of people, will cut off communi-
ties that depend heavily on the railroad

and will have an impact on Canada’s tour-
ist trade.

We should call our MPs and urge that
this move be reconsidered and instead
funding should be put into making Cana-
da’s railway system a fast, comfortable
and efficient service for moving both
people and cargo.

Eunice Parker,
Coquitlam

I would like to thank reader Yossi
Schwartz for giving me the opportunity to
€xpress some additional thoughts on what I

ote (Behind Greece's leferight “alli-
ance”, Tribune, July 17). His view
(“Greek gov’r alliance queried, Tribune
Aug. 14), to some extent voices the concerns
of some followers of the Alliance of Left
and Progress (ALP) and even of a small
number (at least two) members of the cen-
tral committee of the Communist Party of
Greece (CPG).

I will try not to be the devil’s advocate for
the Nea Demokratia Party (ND) — it isa
night wing party and this does not need any
More explanation. But I do not agree with

'm, nor do a majority of CPG members,
nat PASOK isa “working class” party. In
act PASOK itself never uses that term,
Preferring the vague phrase, “party of the
non-privileged people” (as if its goal is to
anes Someone “privileged”). For many
% G members, PASOK is nothing more
I an a party with a right-wing policy and a
eft-wing Phraseology.
€ main issue of the recent electoral
of ppnign was catharsis, or the cleaning up
: PASOK scandals, (even PASOK was
rene to do some pseudo self-catharsis in
fn Pre-election period). After the election,
: © Left Alliance became a real power
geoker and could form a government with
ither (or both) of the other parties.

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Stephen Learey,
DERA, Vancouver

I did not include in the above choices the
option of not participating in the formation
of some kind of government. Contrary to

Schwartz’s" comment: ““Why should com=

munists be interested in forming govern-
ments?,” I believe there was no way that the
Left Alliance could return back to (almost
one million) voters their demand for cathar-
sis, without trying to work out a viable
solution. es

If Communist parties are not interested
in forming governments, why are they par-
ticipating in the wasteful “fanfare” of elec-

‘tion campaigns, or why keep the term

“party?” I believe Communist parties
should not condemn themselves to a kind of
voluntary or obligatory isolation and self-
satisfaction, but should fight along with
other willing parties for workable solutions
for the good of their peoples, even under the
restrictions of a capitalist system.

An All-Party Coalition: Through the
idea of an all-party government, its first
choice, the Left Alliance tried to activate the
respected personalities of all parties in order
to facilitate a deep (and largely acceptable)
catharsis. Unfortunately PASOK rejected

his proposal.

Chalidon with PASOK: This solution
seemed more natural, but the main problem
was that with a combined majority of only
153 MPs, and some of them under investi-
gation for involvement in the Koskotas

‘Scandal, the government would not have

survived many days. What PASOK wanted
was not catharsis, but absolution blessed by
the Left to present to the Greek people.
Understandably, the Left Alliance refused
to play that role (already five former minis-
ters, including Papandreou, are under

investigation).

Coalition with the Right: Finally the |

CPG was left with the solution it least
wanted (except for non-participation): a
“world premiere,” becoming the first
Communist party to form a government
with the Right in the absence of war or a
state of severe political emergency. We
believe that, given the circumstances, the
decision was corrett, although it shocked
some people of the Left.

We believe that the statement, “We are

clean, they are dirty,” is more a theological
aphorism than political reality. Corruption
exists not only in capitalism, but also in

‘socialism (as recent events indicate). We

may argue that in the first case corruption is
the nature of the system, while in the second
it is a cancer in the body of socialism, but it
is neither a better kind nor less deadly.

It’s also unrealistic to say, “Let capitalists
clean up their own dirty-system.” We are
going to live in that system for years to come
and it is natural that we wantit less unclean.

Our reader repeated three times that the
Right “butchered our people” during the
civil war. Fortunately, CPG never uses that
expression, mainly because it does not want
to play the role of a masochistic victim.
There is a lot of talk, even among party
leaders, about the errors of the Left during
that period. In any case, references to the
civil war, its atrocities and its mistakes, does
not help either the CPG, or the Greek peo-
ple.

Future collaboration with PASOK:
PASOK leadership will undoubtedly con-
demn the Left Alliance and CPG for form-
ing a government with the Right which,
according to Schwartz, “will make it much
more difficult to establish a CPG/PASOK
united front for a long time to come.”

We don’t think so. In politics what really
counts is not the rhetoric but the practical
need to form alliances. If PASOK leaders
see that need, I’m sure they will use all their
rhetoric to convince people for it. For
example, the two main partners in the Left
Alliance, (CPG and United Left), work
together harmoniously today though in the
past they had many sour things to say about
one another.

Socialism and strategy: I agree that the
aim of communists is the overthrow of capi-
talism. But how? “Violent” revolution is
abandoned in reality (and forgotten in the-
ory) by most Western Communist parties.
And peaceful transformation has to go
through many other strategies and, of
course, through parliament.

The influence of world socialism:
Undoubtedly, perestroika and new thinking
influenced the decisions of the CPG. We are
all influenced (positively or negatively) by

Writer reaffirms stand on Greek coalition gov't

the successes or failures of world socialism.

I think the CPG constructively used the
experiences of the international movement
and the changes in Soviet Union. As well,
the formation of the Alliance coalition
enriched the party with new ideas, new
strategies and new people.

I believe the CPG made the correct cho-
ice. But socialism is not a religion. It does
not have infallible dogmas in case of emer-
gency. It’s a product of human thought, its
highest product up to now, and its only way
to find the correct solution is by trial and
error, diagnosis, correction and revision.

The CPG could not offer its supporters
the dream of a perfect society to come some
day in the future. In everyday political life
Communists must choose between the “bad
or worst” in order to help the people. Even
if the present alliance with the Right is nota
great success, it is not an immense failure
either, as long as the party does not aban-
don its ideology. In the worst case this cho-
ice was one of the various equal alternatives,
one of which the party was obliged to take,
and which we hope will clean up the politi-
cal corruption.

And (who knows?) maybe after some:
years, the CPG will collaborate with
PASOK to clean up the scandals of the
Right . .. Will that seem again as an alliance
without principles?

Well, if you choose politics as one of your
strategies, try not to get yourself trapped in
the corner of the arena. If Communists are
badly beaten in politics, then will come the
unions’ turn, then the universities, and soon
the socialist voice will diminish dramati-
cally.

That’s why I started my Tribune article
with a reference to ancestor Aristotle on the
clean-up of a drama: “catharsis,” “peres-
troika,” or “cultural revolution” are forms
of fighting corruption everywhere.

To be inactive, to sit on the sidelines, is
the worst choice. Our hope is that socialism
naturally fights corruption from within,
instead of covering it up. If we do not
understand how important this is, then we
are incurably utopians in a tough world.

Christos Mangoutas, Editor,
Greek Voice, Toronto

Pacific Tribune, August 21, 1989 « 5