edi acces

‘Wo-day holiday where workers
| 4nd the population generally in all
towns and cities demonstrate

| their devotion to socialism, their
| thanks to the USSR for the assis-

1 ea oo

Alderman witnesses country’s success

Oscar Kogan visited the Social-
ist Republic of Romania for one

: Month this summer and partici-
_ pated in the celebration of the

35th Anniversary of that coun-

_ tty’s liberation which is marked
_ On August 23. Kogan represented

the Communist Party of Canada
as a member of its Central Com-

| mittee. He is an alderman in the

Borough of York. The Tribune re-
Ceived this account of Kogan’s

_ Visit to Romania in an interview

Sept. 25.
‘ * * *
The 23rd of August is the 35th
@Mniversary of the day when
Mania joined in the struggle
against Hitler fascism and is
Marked as the country’s national
liberation day.
Each year it is celebrated as a

tance received in'arms and man-
Power; and is a rededication by
the people to their socialist state

. and the Communist Party.

I attended the celebration in
Bucharest which is the largest —I
Would. estimate there were
500,000 people — from the six dis-

Wicts of. the city who marched.
Te were factory workers, mili-
lary personnel, sports organiz-

| ations and others. The demonst-

Tation paid tribute to Communist
y leader Nicolae Ceausescu

| and their devotion to the Party.

‘ANepresentatives were present
m almost every country in the
World and I was very fortunate to
be part of the reviewing stand.
Receptions were also held
ughout the city and the coun-
tty. I attended an official re-
_C€ption where a cultural program

Was presented from various reg-
10ns as well as a statement by.

sescu who had just returned
ftom the Middle East. He said the
Problem of the Middle East re-
Quires the participation of the
estine Liberation Organization
be successfully solved.

_ _ The Romanian people are very
 nscious of their geographic role
'N the centre of Europe and are

SeNsitive to the dangers of con-
"Ct. They are, therefore, very

4 ‘

supportive of the policy of
détente.
We spent 10-days at the Black

Sea and were tremendously im- -

pressed at the facilities available
for tourists. We saw visitors there
from all over the world.

Throughout the country we
noticed a vast variety of goods in
the shops, people were well dres-
sed and life in general appeared
comfortable. The amount and var-
iety of goods available is compar-
able to our own here.

Their plan is to continue to im-
prove the living standards of the
people and further industrialize
Romania. In Brasov, the third
largest city, we visited a truck
plant employing 26,000 people —
one-third women — and were
struck by its efficiency and mod-
ern technology. Its machinery
was to a large extent imported
from countries like Sweden, the
USSR, the German Democratic
Republic and the Federal Repub-
lic of Germany but as well uses
some of their own.

One of the most amazing
examples of energy and progress
was seen in the city of Bucharest
which suffered severe damage
two years ago due to earthquake.
Large parts of the city were de-
stroyed but today not a trace of
damage can be seen. A result of
this was a plan developed of resi-
dential complexes in four areas of
Bucharest where construction is
proceeding at an amazing pace.

You know, Bucharest is a
beautiful city, a city of parks and
lakes. Along with these huge resi-
dential complexes being built,
they’ve built artificial lakes for
swimming in summer and skating
in winter.

As a civic official, I met with
people from the state and city
council. Bucharest is a very well
run city and a very well planned
city — as can only be done under
socialism. I was told, for exam-
ple, the council immediately met
after the earthquake and re-
quested a huge amount of funds
from the central government.
These funds were provided at
once with the result they were
able to plan reconstruction so that
no area is more than a school dis-
trict away from a park.

Despite a desperate need for the very necessities of life the people of

| UFE RETURNS TO KAMPUCHEA

Mpuchea are struggling to normalize their lives. The Pol Pot regime
: cune Country wunOut schools: medical facilities, housing, industry and

& sports festival.

re. The task of rebuilding resumes in the face of starvation. The
eathotities allocate what they can for education, health care and physi-
dypculture. Photo shows a football match, the first in a very long time

PHOTO

_ 35 years of Romanian liberation

So the four areas being built are
not only being built around indus-
trial complexes but around parks.
Bucharest is a city of 1.5 million
and the plan is for continued
growth based on planning for
people’s needs.

One evening we were invited to
a performance by the Jewish
State Theatre, a state-supported
theatre, and heard a concert of
Jewish folk songs. Its artistic
quality was very impressive and
gratifying.

I spoke with a number of the
artists who are very satisfied with
the role they are playing cultural-
ly. The fact there are only some
20,000 Jewish people in Bur-
charest attests to the importance
the state places in supplying the

wherewithall to support cultural - |

development for minorities.

I would certainly urge any
Canadian considering a visit to
Romania to go — for its beauty,
its culture, its progress and de-
velopment — it’s a fascinating
place to visit.

Some 500,000 people marched through Bucharest to mark the 35th

Anniversary of Romania’s liberation.

‘No U.S.

The following interview was
conducted for the Tribune by
Lloyd Mattson with members of
‘the Sandinista Defence Committee
(SDC), Barrio (district) Riguere,
Zone 2 of the Nicaraguan capital of
Managua. “‘All those in the office
were. young ‘people,’’ Mattson
writes, ‘‘all had fought in the resis-
tance in Managua and other parts
of the country.’’

* * &

Q: What was the actual situ-

ation here during the fighting .
A: This barrio was one of the

‘combat barrios. We put up 15

days of resistance, practically
without arms. This zone saw 10

’ young people killed, most follow-

ing denunciations by stool pi-
ge ie civilian population as
well, suffered losses from mortar
fire, rockets and bombs.

Q: What do you see as the most
important task facing the SDCs.

A: To consolidate the revolu-
tion. Several important phases of
this are: forming a comprehensive
Sandinista Youth Organization
on three fronts — secondary
schools, barrios and universities.
We mustestablish an organization
of women and work to strengthen
and unify the working class and
their organizations. :

This work, combined with the
organziation of the peasants in the
countryside, will determine to a
large extent the course of the
revolution, consolidating it and
coping with counter-revolution.
Restructuring of the army is also a
prime task.

Q: How are your streets and
zones organized in this barrio .

A: This is Zone 2, one of the
three zones in the barrio. About

2,000 people live here. We have

some 30 block committees in this
zone and a council of block rep-

resentatives. :
A barrio committee of five

members provides an_inter-
mediate channel with the -Re-
volutionary Council.

Q: (directed to one young per-
son) What has been your
involvement in the revolution. ‘

A: My first involvement with

the Sandinista struggle began in

moves can prevent
_a free Nicaragua’ fighter vows

1977, organizing resistance in var-
ious barrios, colleges and
schools. I was involved for some
‘time in organizing Civil Defence
Committees whose basic task was
to involve masses in struggle.
Now called Sandinista Defence
Committees.)

Q: How do you see the revolu-
tion proceeding?

A: Stage by stage. First was the
defeat of Somoza. Now, defence
of the revolution, reconstruction.

Q: And the future?

‘A: A free Nicaragua, a
Nicaragua libre in a future Central
American bloc that will be anti-
imperialist by nature. No U.S.

moves to prevent this can
succeed. _

Mo

Canadian Communists
greet GDR anniversary

The following greeting was sent
by the Central Executive Commit-
tee of the Communist Party to the
Government and people of the
German Democratic Republic
which celebrates its 30th Anniver-
sary October 7. The greeting
was addressed to the Central
Committee of the Socialist Unity
Party.

* * *

The Communist Party of
Canada sends its warmest fra-
ternal greetings to you, the

-Government and the people of the

German Democratic Republic on
this, the 30th Anniversary of the
German Democratic. Republic.
This is a holiday not only for the
people of the GDR but for all of
mankind who see in the GDR a
beacon of peace and a champion
of the welfare of man.

These past 30 years have drawn
attention to the stable economic
development of the GDR which
socialism made possible, in sharp
contrast with growing economic
and political instability in the
capitalist world. Instead of high
indices of production, all capital-
ism is able to show today is high
inflation, high unemployment and
stagnant economies.

Thirty years is a short period in
the life of a country. In this time a
virtual miracle has been achieved
in the GDR which, from the ruins
of war, is today building an ad-
vanced socialist society.

These 30 years have also been
years of sharp international strug-

gle in which imperialism did
everything possible to undermine
the economic and political
foundation .of socialism in the
GDR and open the door for the
return of the revanchists. If they
have not succeeded, thanks are
due to the staunch and consistent
efforts of the SUP and people of
the GDR and to the firm alliance
of the GDR with the USSR and
other socialist countries, and to
international solidarity of the
peoples of the world. These were
major factors in strengthening.
European security and in-
fluencing international develop-
ments in a favorable direction.
The present complex inter-

_hational situation shows how im-

portant it is to extend and deepen
unity and cooperation of all anti-
imperialist forces so as to
strengthen détente, deter the
aggressors and defeat the cold
warriors who ‘‘have learnt no-
thing and forgotten nothing’’.
This is evidenced in their effortsto
scuttle SALT-II and in their drive
to reverse the course of history.
Vigilance and unity, which we
share with you, ‘constitute
important building blocks in the
continuing struggle for peace,
détente and disarmament.

We greet the GDR which,
throughout its 30 years of exis-
tence has been a consistent battler
for peace and security, and the
well-being of its people.

Long live friendship between
our two peoples and countries.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—OCTOBER 12, 1979—Page 9