News From the Soviet Union

From Newspaper
"Voice of a Communist"
Moscow Russia

This newspaper is the official organ of the CC Russian Communist Party-CPSU. In an article about the past March 26th presidential election, here's what the Editorial said:

What's Ahead

Yes, the election choir has ended its concert. What is waiting for Russia? What does the State want from the people and what do the people want from the State?

It's obvious that the State (Putin) wants perseverance and obedience. The State shall receive this but only for a short period of time. The people shall receive from the State 100 days of hopefulness and 100 days of disappointments. This is the guaranteed position of Putin -- the person who wants to immediately sit on all the chairs.

"We must fight not with the Communists, but for a better life for the people"- said Putin. We also state that "We must fight not against Putin but for a better life for all the people, which means struggles against the present regime and against those who are defending it!"

Putin immediately stated that he must make the State stronger and continue much faster the market reforms. But at this conjuncture this is impossible in Russia. The manipulation of counted votes is obvious to all even by this one fact alone. On March 27 the counted ballots overnight gave Putin votes quite different from those that were officially tabulated on March 26th… they rose from 45% the night before to 52% the morning after!?

Putin pictured here as a two-headed eagle who will try to rule by pleasing both sides and thus make it easier to divide and rule

Even in spite of this manipulation Putin and his administration did not get a majority of 70% of the votes as they predicted.

The political situation is understood, since Putin has not yet formed his own party to support his every effort. His main support is from the "New Russians" and their capital and also from the national-patriots and from the flow of former left-wing voters who voted for Putin. Thus Putin's tactics will be to try and please the right and the left... very tactfully exploiting each side against the other and thus "governing".

What about the "official" opposition? We would like to be wrong here, but the CPRF (Zyuganov) shall do everything necessary to go on a compromising road with Putin. Now, the tactic of the CPRF leadership faction in the Russian Duma is not to vote as a "bloc" but to have each CPRF Deputy vote as he likes... and thus guarantee acceptance of any plans as put forward by Putin.

It is predictable that Putin shall get full agreement from the CPRF on privatization of the land and the new Labor Code, which the Russian working class is fighting against. All this will bring into play the complete disorientation and fragmentation inside the CPRF ranks in the Duma and also amongst its membership.

Therefore, the role of all the left Communist parties now is to unite its ranks, come up with a fighting program and tactics to meet the present situation."

For those that saw the Inauguration of Putin on TV they should have no doubt that he has pretensions to be the Czar of Greater Russia. Even the honor guards during the lavish and costly ceremony were dressed in the uniforms of the Czar’s Guards of old. The participation and the role of the Russian Orthodox Church leaders is deplorable and to be condemned!

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

If I am not enthusiastic,
If you are not enthusiastic,
If we are not enthusiastic,
Who'll dissipate the darkness
here then?
(Nazim Hikmet Ran*)

Helen Blau

The subject of patriotism is as old as the human race, for historically elements of patriotism as a kind of attachment to national land, language, traditions were formed already in ancient times. But at the same time as society evolutionally developed, social and economic structures changed, new elements entered into the concept of patriotism. The subject of patriotism is urgent up to now when peace is unstable and the people are under the pressure of hunger, cold, illness and other misfortunes caused by the dismemberment of the Soviet Union and the elimination of socialism.

Political life now in Georgia as well as in other former republics of the USSR is characterized through its diversity. More than 125 political parties are engaged in it. The palette of political views is multi-colored. Probably each member of each political party considers himself to be a real patriot and is sure that his energies are bent only to the successful development of Georgia. At least no one loses the chance to convince the citizens of the country of that. Under the circumstances a rhetorical question is quite natural to arise: "Which political forces then are carriers of genuine patriotism in Georgia?" At first sign the question may seem difficult to answer. But, on the second thought, the answer can be found as easily as ABC, considering that in a class society the content of patriotism also becomes a class one, for each class expresses its attitude towards the Motherland through specific interests characteristic of it. As the bourgeoisie becomes a ruling class its patriotism ceases to reflect national features and limits itself to exploiter interests, for according to V.I. Lenin (Complete works; Edition 5, B.36, pages 322-339) "... capital puts the protection of its union of capitalists of all the countries against the working people above the interests of the Motherland, people and whatever else..."

Adhering to the lately preferred of differentiating political parties as the Right and the Left, it is appropriate to mention here that Leftism is pursued in Georgia only by the Union of People's Patriotic Forces (a social and political movement) which comprises the United Communist Party of Georgia and several other organizations. All other political parties are in fact bourgeois.

It is only the Rights among whom the Parliamentary seats were distributed after the October 1999 election. Working out the policies of the country, both the party in power, which has a majority of seats, and the opposition minority are sure that they are going the right way. But members of the Union of People's Patriotic Forces have an opposite view, which was openly expressed by the speakers at the 3rd Congress of the UPFG held on February 10 of this year in Tbilisi (First stage) and February 25th in Kutaisi** (Second stage). The participants unanimously denounced the present ruling regime as undemocratic and anti-popular. The Statement adopted by the Congress says: (printed in the Georgian newspaper Kommunist, No.3 page I, 2000) ". Mr. Shevernadze and his regime have brought the country to the edge of catastrophe; the only way for Georgia and the Georgian nation to survive is to change the present regime…"

The word "patriot’ is defined as a person who loves and is ready to defend his country. As far as I understand it, love of a person for his Motherland is expressed to his attitude toward the people living in it, especially if a person is one of those in power, one of those who are trying to prove the necessity of carrying out the reforms in all spheres of life, which in fact have ruined all the remnants of socialism in Georgia... repeatedly claim that the world is changing. Of course, it is. And it would be a political blunder to deny that. But, their statement inevitably entails two rhetorical questions: "Is the world changing for the better or for the worse? Is it changing for the advantage of all the working people or only for the advantage of a comparatively small group of world bosses?"

Asserting that Georgia is on the way to progress and social stability, the representatives of the ruling regime, using all of the propaganda means within their grasp, enumerate first of all the latest achievements of the country on the international level... such as joining the United Nations Organization, the European Union and the World Trade Organization, as well as laying of the oil pipeline Baku-Supsa and putting it into operation. (The value of this oil pipeline is $6,009 million American and its length through the territory of Georgia is 370 kilometers.)

But when the Left opposition produced well-grounded claims that these achievements haven't settled urgent internal problems of the country, which are not confined only to ones present day problems to the large section of the population, the people in power responded right away, "None so blind as those who will not see." My reply to that would be, "The rich and the poor see differently."

Though under pressure of all the dismal facts of daily life, the leaders of the country had to admit openly that little attention has been attached both by the former membership of the Georgian Parliament and the present government to the mounting urgent social problems. It should be noted however that in the pre-election appeals October 1999 the party in power asserted that the next 4-5 years would be the beginning of the golden years for all citizens. My reply to that would be, "Of course, while there is life there is hope, but yet a bird in hand is worth two in the bush!"

Dear readers:

I cannot tell you how many compatriots would share my reply, but according to the reports of the progressive Georgian press, 80% of the population of the country are starving and are deprived of common living conditions. Some newspapers cite data of 90% or even 95%. Whichever figure is true, no doubt, it is regrettably striking and proves..." that... the Georgian model of market economy and the construction of a democratic state have totally collapsed, and as more time passes the more the country sinks into an economic crisis. The leaders of Georgia failed to pay off the pensions, salaries and wages for the previous few years." (Newspaper Zarya Vostoka, No. 18, page 2, 2000).

Mass poverty of the majority of the Georgian people is an indisputable present-day reality. I would like to draw the NSC readers’ attention to another grim fact. Old age pensions, which were not paid up for 6-7 months on end, at the best make up 12 lari (=$6 U.S.) or 14 lari (=$7 U.S.). The cheapest loaf of bread costs 35 tetri (1 lari=100 tetri). Average monthly salary of an employee is 40-50 lari. According to the data of the Statistical Department of Georgia (printed in the newspaper Zarya Vostoka, No. 22, 2000) "a living wage of a Georgian family consisting of 4 persons amounted to 184.5 - 196.6 lari per month. Do many people have a living wage if 3-4 persons in a family are unemployed? The data of late 1999 are even less consolatory - the living wage accounted for about 200 lari per person per month. But the present regime keeps mum on these figures and supplies their own inflation figures, although its Statistical Board gives the lie to their figures. All pensions and salaries are now firmly frozen. Doesn't it look like an undercurrent policy of genocide?

"Ten years have passed since the coup d'etat in Georgia. The Soviet power was thrown down with the "national liberators" i.e. violent nationalists rose in applause, - says the article in the newspaper Zarya Vostoka, #8, 2000. "The new powers rejected all the socialist values and quickly turned to the path of a market economy - meaning capitalism. Under the slogans of sovereignty and independence, the newly baked "patriots-fathers of the nation", disregarding everything solemnly stopped Georgia’s membership in the Soviet Union."

Well, as you make your bed, so you must lie on it. The truth of the proverb can be easily revealed by referring to some statistical data produced by the article under the headline "Ten years that shook Georgia" (printed in Zarya Vostoka ,#8, 2000, page 1) which in my opinion deserves some specific attention.

Truly there is no difference if you are killed by the government or by an individual - you are just as dead either way. To make the picture even more vivid, several compatible data of the output of certain kinds of products of the staple goods and food processing industries should be illustrated here, which will unfold before the readers the unbelievable production decrease in Georgia.

I think that there is no need for enumerating the rest of the 25 basic data printed in the Table of Data as the same gloomy picture will unfold. Even a comparatively small number of the above-illustrated figures tend to the conclusion that the consequences of the dismemberment of the Soviet Union are horrible.

It is not only the politicians who are worried about the economic crisis in the country. Some Georgian scientists state that the economic reforms have proved to be very destructive. They make their views known via newspaper articles producing well-researched and convincing arguments. From their viewpoint it is impossible to recover the economy and settle social matters under the present power system, which logically leads to the conclusion that it has to be changed. But the representatives of the present regime have staked too much on the present process to allow it to be shattered as easily as ripe summer watermelon.

President Shevernadze in his pre-election promises was full of resolute aim to establish paradise in the next 4-5 years in Georgia! Well, as the proverb says: "The proof of the pudding is in the eating". I personally dare to express very much doubt as to whether paradise can be established by leaps and bounds. It is a long-term task. I think, moreover, under the present regime and system of power it looks like building a sand castle!

Here a question arises as to how to go on and what to do about the people's suffering and bring it to an end. The people are already fed up with broken promises and do not believe the leaders any longer. It is their democratic right. All lies come unmasked sooner or later. The people are sick and tired of the ruling regime with its waste and destruction of moral values, when everything that is opposed to socialism is hailed as positive. The people condemn the hypocrisy of the bourgeois morality. Though they protest against it and the rotten order of things passionately, their indignation turns into a blind al1ey, for many of them are still blind supporters of the alleged "independence" of the country. Yet, more and more people express their disagreement with the policy of the party in power and are ready to uphold the ideas, which can lead the country out of this crisis. More and more people begin to understand that the United Communist Party of Georgia is the only political party advocating the interests of the working class, and more and more people center their hopes on the Union of People's Patriotic Forces of Georgia. More and more people are joining its ranks.

I tend to think that comprising the non-parliamentary parties together and acting strictly under the present law, the tactics and strategy of the UPPFG should be looked at again and some other essential matters should be fully considered. And more and more the following should be borne in mind - actions speak louder than words!

*NAZIM HIKMET RAN (1902-1963)
Turkish writer, publicist, public figure, hereditary revolutionary Communist, founder of the Turkish revolutionary poetry, member of the Bureau (1951) and the Presidium (1959) of the World Peace Council. International Lenin Peace Prize Laureate. Poems by Nazim Hikmet call for the struggle for a better future, for friendship of all peoples with the Soviet Union and for peace.
The quatrain has been translated into English by Helen Blau. Children's Encyclopedia, Moscow Edition, page 172 Vol.10.

**KUTAISI - the second largest city in Georgia

From Newspaper
Voice of a Communist
Russia

One Step Back, Two Steps Forward

A Conference took place on April 22, 2000 of the Russian Communist Parties Union, in which there took part the Russian Communist Workers Party, All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks, Russian Party of Communists and the Russian Communist Party CPSU. At the start of the Conference, all the participants of this gathering laid wreaths and flowers at the Lenin Mausoleum.

Each party leader or delegate spoke on the conference theme at hand - namely the unity of the parties against the present bourgeois regime of Putin.

The AUCPB let it be known that it has decided to rejoin the Russian Communist Parties Union.

All parties agreed that without a second socialist revolution there is no way that socialism or the Soviet Union shall be resurrected. A decision was made then to call an extraordinary Congress of all Communist and all left-wing parties-movements in the fall of this year and to approach those organizations that have not as yet joined the ROSSKOMSOYUZ.

The participants of this Conference unanimously agreed that the biggest revisionist danger in the Communist movement is the policies of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF) and they all agreed that this party (CPRF) cannot be considered a communist party at all, since it carries on the work of Gorbachev and it supports the present bourgeois regime.

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