Intervention of the Syrian Communist Party by Nabih Jalahej

Dear Comrades,

Allow me first, on behalf of our Syrian Communist Party, to convey the warmest congratulations to all the members of your party on the anniversary of its foundation, and to express our party’s high appreciation for your party’s struggle throughout its history, which is full of sacrifices, over many decades, for the triumph of the values of freedom, progress and socialism in your country.

We appreciate your initiative whereby this celebration takes the form of a seminar in which Communists from various communist parties exchange views about the most important issues posed by the current conditions.

Our Syrian Communist Party has tried, in the light of the view conditions on the international and local levels, to analyze these conditions and put forward its own viewpoint about the pending tasks, during its National Council (July 1994) and 8^th Congress (November 1996), which were preceded by a broad open and democratic debate inside the party and outside it. This had a positive impact among our people.

The collapse which took place in the former Soviet Union and a number of East European countries shook the world and totally transformed the way it looks compared with what had prevailed only one decade ago. World imperialism - in particular US imperialism - is trying to restore, by various means, its hegemony and control over all peoples of the world, intensifying plunder and exploitation, affecting especially the developing countries and their economic and social development.

Despite this, we observe that the contradictions inside the world imperialist system, whether in every state or between its various centers, are raging. The claims of imperialism about the eternity of the capitalist system have no realistic basis because it is not possible to resolve these contradictions through capitalist relations themselves. The significant victories achieved once again by the workers and democratic movement in Europe and in other parts of the world, including former socialist countries, give hope and optimism.

Our Party has put at the top of its tasks on the international level: the struggle to establish a new world order based on justice, equality and cooperation between the peoples of the world, so as to ensure they control fully their economic and political destinies, protect human rights and help to establish equal relations between various states.

Dear Comrades,

In analyzing the causes behind the collapse of the socialist model which had been in existence, our Party considered that explaining this as being only a result of external factors and plotting is not enough. The deep causes lay in the nature of that model itself; for a succession of contradictions emerged which were not resolved in a proper manner and in the right time. In spite of the big and significant achievements under those regimes, big mistakes were committed. Extreme centralism was employed in the economy; social democracy was not linked to political democracy; political pluralism was rejected; and there were defects in the relations between nationalities.

Our Party has managed to surmount the confusion which accompanied and followed the catastrophic collapse of the socialist experience. It did not surrender to the sentiments of despair and frustration which hostile quarters tried to spread. But it strove, at the same time, to draw lessons from what had happened, especially with regard to the importance of democracy in the society and the party.

Our party documents which were endorsed by the Congress stressed that the Syrian Communist Party is a voluntary militant union of Syrian citizens, which expressed in its policy the interests of the people and homeland, struggles for the liberation of occupied Arab territories and strengthening national sovereignty; for progress, democracy, social justice and Arab unity; works for constructing a human and democratic society which achieves freedom and prosperity for man and protects his dignity; leading in the end to establishing a socialist system whose aim is to eliminate all forms of exploitation and oppression. It is to be guided in a creative manner by Marxism-Leninism and its historical and dialectical materialist methodology, by the achievements of science, and by all that is progressive in Arab and human thought.

In the context of the party’s internal life, the new inner-party rules, while stressing the need for unity of will and action throughout the party, provided for diversity within the framework of unity as a main principle which ensures the freedom of thinking, independent opinion, mutual respect of opinions, and preserving the minority’s right to convey its views to the party.

We base our struggle for socialism on the concrete historical and social conditions of our country, and its tradition, spiritual characteristics and national bonds.

Our country’s path to socialism will be, in our view, the outcome of ideological and political work, and the resultant of several political forces and broad alliances, through a number of transitional stages which may continue for a long time, during which productive forces can be developed, productivity is increased, and the people’s standard of living is raised. The economic foundation for the various stages which lead to socialism is based on the leading role for the social ownership of the principal means of production, while recognizing the diversity of property ownership.

We believe that socialism is organically linked to democracy, where social justice is coupled with greater democracy. The political system of socialism which we are striving for excludes all forms of dictatorship, authoritarian rule, repression and monopoly of power. It is based on respecting the right of political pluralism, guaranteeing the right of all citizens to practice their rights on the basis of constitutional legitimacy, and enjoy personal, democratic and human freedoms which continue to deepen and expand.

Throughout the various stages of these developments, the alliance of patriotic and progressive forces and their joint work in a democratic atmosphere will provide the social and political basis for ensuring an active role for all forces. In addition, we emphasize the special and big role of the working class, the masses of peasants as well as intellectuals in the struggle for socialism. The Progressive Patriotic Front can play a principal role in the process of developing our society towards the socialist option.

The documents of our Party’s 8^th Congress pointed out that the historic stage through which our country is passing is the stage of achieving the tasks of patriotic and national liberation, democratic development, consolidation of economic independence and completing its foundations, pursuing comprehensive and balanced economic and social development, achieving justice among all citizens, and securing a dignified life for the toiling masses.

Our country accomplished a lot of progress and achievements, but the struggle is continuing to achieve the tasks of this stage. The ongoing class struggle in the country is centered around the patriotic and national questions and the prospects of economic and social development. Popular masses; including workers, peasants, intellectuals, artisans and all producers, are waging struggle to recover the occupied territories, achieve just peace, and take the country along the path of development and social progress. Other class forces, however, especially the parasitic bourgeoisie, try to push things in a different direction.

Our Arab region is going at present through extremely difficult and complex conditions. The Israeli occupation of Syrian Golan Heights and southern Lebanon continues. And since Netanyahu came to power in Israel, the peace process in the region came to a halt. He is insisting on reversing the process back to the starting point in order to impose capitalationist and humiliating terms on the Arabs, showing utter disregard to UN resolutions and the principles reached in Madrid, in particular the principle of land for peace. He is also maneuvering in an attempt to separate the Syrian track from Lebanese one in negotiations so as to isolate Syria, deal with Lebanon on its own, and maintain the occupation of the Golan Heights. He is at present dealing with the Palestinian side on its own, so as to impose his obstinate conditions on it, refusing to implement even those meager and unequal agreements which had been signed in Oslo. All this has been taking place under the protection of, and in collusion with, the US which strives first and foremost to ensure its control over the political and economic destinies of the Arab region, particularly its oil wealth. The continuation of this Israeli policy, and the US position supporting it, threaten to destroy the peace process and draw the region once more into a situation fraught with tension and the danger of wars.

We stress the position taken by our Party, people and the political leadership of our country, which is determined to liberate all occupied Arab territories, and secure the right of the Palestinian people to return to their homeland, exercise self-determination and establish the independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.

Dear Comrades,

The legitimacy of the existence of Communist parties has its objective justification too, in today’s world not only in the pattern of contradictions inside the capitalist system, and in the exacerbation of exploitation and oppression, but also in the eternal aspiration of man for freedom, progress and justice, which Marxist thought expressed most truly and scientifically. Transforming this possibility into a reality, where communist parties achieve success, depends first and foremost on the ability of these parties to renew their concepts in such a way as to be able to grasp the ongoing developments, draw lessons from them, and formulate programs and plans which are consistent with development and in accordance with the concrete conditions.

We are confident that socialism is the bright future of humanity.