Saloojee returns from African tour

Africa challenges imperialism

TORONTO — ‘Africa has
been a picnic ground for im-
perialism,’’ Yusup Saloojee
charged in a major speech, June
25, at the Third Annual Interna-
tional Peace Picnic at Palermo.

“Ever since the defeat of im-
perialism in Angola, in Mozam-
bique and Guinea-Bissau, and
particularly Angola, imperialism
has devised new tactics — not
Strategy — for ‘maintaining
economic power in Africa,’’ he
said. Saloojee is Canadian
spokesman for the African Na-
tional Congress (ANC) of South
Africa, and had just returned from
a tour of southern African coun-
tres.

He said that today the people of
Africa are challenging im-
perialism before anything else —
before Vorster, before Smith,
“because it is imperialism that
has created the conditions of ra-
cism and human exploitation on
our continent.”’

He said that is changing today
— that in Angola imperialism had
been handed a tremendous set-
back ‘“‘because here imperialism
carefully planned to take over
Angola and to reverse the gains
and .the victories that were won
by the people of Angola.”’

The effort to ensure the cheap
raw materials imperialism has
taken for hundreds of years goes
on, Saloojee said, but the tactic
now is to work through puppet
regimes, to try to create neo-
colonial conditions.

But the struggling people of
South Africa, said Saloojee, ‘‘are

not prepared to accept (U.S. Pres-
ident) Carter’s solutions, (U.S.
Secretary of Foreign Affairs)
Young’s solutions ... but a solu-
tion of their own, which is the
total dismantlement of the apar-
theid system, and to decide their
own destiny themselves, led by
the liberation movement.”’

Correcting the notion spread by
the reactionary press that the
main force for change switches
from Black student movement to
Black consciousness movement
and various other groups, the
ANC spokesman said: ‘‘I can as-
sure you that if ever there has
been complete clarity in southern
Africa as to what form of struggle
is to take place, and as to what the
real solution is, and as to who the
real enemy is, it is now.’’ He said
the ANC remains the mainstream
of revolution in South Africa,
swelled by many tributaries.

In Africa they are absolutely
clear, he stated, ‘‘that the main
enemy of the liberation move-
ment, of the frontline states
(Zambia, Angola, Mozambique,
Tanzania and Botswana), of the
people of Africa, and of the
people of the entire world, is im-
perialism.

_ “They also know that the only
genuine aid that can be given to
the progressive forces in Africa
and to the liberation movements
without any strings attached, is by
the socialist countries led by the
Soviet Union. We have seen this
aid in the past few years and are
seeing it now.”’

Assuring listeners that libera-

“Africa has been a picnic
ground for imperialism,” said
Yusup Saloojee.

tion, led by SWAPO in Namibia,
the Patriotic Front in Zimbabwe,
and the ANC in South Africa is
not years away, but, given suf-
ficient aid, much closer to
achievement.

Stating that the South African
people will do their ‘‘international
duty by defeating imperialism in
our part of the world, Saloojee
appealed for the necessary con-
crete aid from Canadians.

*“We appeal to you,”’ he said,
“‘to ensure that the Canadian
Government does not play a de-
vious role in the struggle of the
people of South Africa, to ensure
that Canadian complicity in
southern Africa is ended.”’

Constitution made by workers

eed enter Marxism-Leninism in Today’s World

WORLD NEWS.

U.S. PRESIDENT CARTER HALTS B-1 BOMBER PRODUCTION
WASHINGTON — U.S. progressives achieve a partial victory June
when their campaign succeeded to halt production of 240 B-1 bombers
at the cost of 102-million dollars each. Carter however. has
stated that the B-1 program has been halted in favor of the developmen!
of the Cruise missile, a strategic first strike weapon.

RADIO CENSORSHIP IN URUGUAY

BUENOS AIRES, (PL) — The Uruguayan radio stations face the
threat of severe sanctions when their programs are not to the liking of
the regime, even though no ‘‘crime or fault’? — to quote the authorities
— is involved.

A broadcasting statute that came into force recently involves 4
stiffening of the already rigid norms of censorship in effect for the past
four years. The measures adopted in 1973, cover newspapers, tele-
vision, books and theatrical programs.

Radio and television stations in Uruguay are expressly banned from
carrying protest songs, those with social content or any number at all
by left-wing performers or composers. The same stipulations are also
in force for all live theatrical performances.

Broadcasting and TV stations, along with the newspapers and maga
zines, are obliged to carefully analyze their news reports to prevent
sanctions. In certain areas they are permitted to carry only official
statements.

CORVALAN THANKS CUBAN PEOPLE FOR THEIR SOLIDARITY

HAVANA — Luis Corvalan, general secretary of the Communist
Party of Chile headed a delegation of that party to the Peoples’ Re
public of Cuba. Speaking at a rally held in his honor Corvalan thanked
the Cuban people for the special help given Chile during the years of thé
Popular Unity government and the difficult days of the coup in Sep-
tember 1973. He expressed his gratitude for the special efforts made by
the Cuban Communist Party and the Cuban people to save his life
during his internment and called for renewed effort to free the remain-
ing prisoners and to distover the fate of the estimated 2,500 Chilean
patriots missing since the coup.

SOVIET HIGH JUMPER SETS WORLD RECORD
RICHMOND, Va. — Vladimir Yaschenko, a 6 foot 3% inch Soviet
teenager has set a new world high jump record, clearing 7 feet 734
inches. Yaschenko’s leap breaks by one-half inch the previous record
of 7-7 set by Dwight Stones of the United States. The stirring perfor-
mance came at the sixth annual USSR-USA junior track meet at the
University of Richmond.

| By ALFRED DEWHURST

economy constituted the economic
foundation of the Soviet Union. It

25 once again takes up the cudgels in
defence of human rights and democ-
racy. But where? In Canada? No, the
Soviet Union!

The lead editorial, truth and reality
aside, labors hard to convince Globe
readers that the new draft constitution
of the USSR is merely a facade behind
which lurks a hated despotic regime,

headed by a new “‘tzar”’ in the person of ©

Leonid Brezhnev, and kept in power by
an all-powerful party machine that con-
trols the state.

What is the truth?

* * *

The whole Soviet people, with the
exception of the very young, are pre-
sently engaged in a most intensive dis-
cussion of the new draft. It takes place
at all places of work, the institutions of
learning, in all cities, towns and vil-
lages. This coming fall the draft, to-
gether with all proposals for amend-
ment and suggestions for improvement
‘arising out of the country-wide discus-
sion, will go before the Supreme Soviet
of the USSR for finalization.

The draft, after adoption by the Sup-
reme Soviet, will be the fourth Soviet
Socialist constitution in the 60 years

the
Sout AFRICAN
_, APARTHEID REGIME
is A STABILIZING
INFLUENCE 9?

since the socialist revolution in Russia.
One may ask: why four constitutions in
such a short period of time? The ans-
wer, while basic, is really quite simple.
A country’s constitution should reflect
the real state of affairs in the country in
terms of its class, national and
economic structure, and its historic
path of development. It should reflect
also the people’s goals, their rights and
duties.

Acase in point is Canada. The people
of Canada, both French and English
-speaking, are still, 110 years after Con-
federation, governed under the
colonialist British North America Act
which reposes in Great Britain. By no
stretch of the imagination can that Act
reflect the present Canadian reality.
¢ * * *

The first Soviet socialist constitution
was that of the Russian Soviet Feder-

‘ated Socialist Republic adopted in 1918.

It gave legislative confirmation of the
new socialist political system, the aboli-
tion of private capitalist and landlord
property, equality of all the peoples in-
habiting Russia, and of working class
power.

The second Soviet socialist constitu-

tion was adopted in 1924. It gave legis-
lative confirmation to the formation of a
new state — the Union of Soviet Social-
ist Republics. This was a multi-national
state formed by the expressed desire of
the peoples of each constituent socialist
republic of which there were four. It
was formed on a voluntary basis, with
each republic preserving its national
sovereignty and the right of succession
if the majority of its people so decide.

The. third Soviet socialist constitu-
tion was adopted in 1936. It confirmed
the victory of socialist relations of
production in the USSR, with its ac-
companying changes ip the class struc-
ture of Soviet society. All the exploit-
ing classes had by then disappeared.
There remained two friendly classes
— the working class (which was the
ruling power) and the peasantry, and
the working intelligentsia closely con-
nected with them.

: * * *

The 1936 constitution gave legisla-
tive confirmation to the victory of
socialism in the USSR, namely, that
the socialist ownership of the means of
production and the socialist system of

confirmed the historic fact that thé
USSR had entered a new stage of
completion of the building of a socialist
society and of the gradual transition to
a communist society.

In keeping with the new stage of de-
velopment, the 1936 constitution in-
troduced major improvement into thé
political system aimed at the all-roun
development of Soviet democracy and

.genuine internationalism in the rela-

tions between the different nations and
peoples of the country. It did away
with all the remaining restrictions i0
elections to the Soviets. All citizens
received the equal right to elect and be

elected. It guaranteed also the right of

all citizens to work, to leisure, educa-
tion, and to maintenance in old age,
sickness or disability. It also spelled
out the duties of all citizens in thei!
socialist society.

*x* * *

- Now the Soviet people are discus-
sing a new draft. What changes have
taken place, 40 years after the third
constitution was ratified, to justify 4
new draft? We will come to that next
week.

IN SOUTHERN
_ ARICA.

CARTER
4/13/77

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—JULY 15, 1977—Page 6