The newly-elected
Central Committee of the Iraqi Communist Party held a press conference at its
headquarters in Abu Nuwas,
Baghdad,
on Wednesday
16th May 2007,
to brief the Iraqi
media and press about the party's
8th National Congress.
Comrade Mufid al-Jazairy,
Politburo
member,
pointed out in his
brief opening statement that a press conference held on 6th September 2006 had
launched the public discussion of the draft party documents and the process
leading to the 8th National Congress.
These documents
were debated by thousands of people through the pages of the party's
daily newspaper Tareeq Al-Shaab
(People's
Path), in public meetings and party organisations,
scrutinizing
and amending them so that they better reflected the hopes and the aspirations
of the broadest masses of Iraqi people.
Comrade
Hameed Majid Mousa then spoke at length about this important event in the life
of Iraqi CP,
which recently
celebrated its 73rd anniversary.
He said that
all previous party congresses had been held inside Iraq,
but added that
the 8th National Congress has a special significance because it is the first
to be held in Baghdad since its 3rd Congress in 1976.
"A bloody campaign was
then launched,
in the late 1970s,
with the aim of
physically liquidating the party and eliminating all forms of freedom,
and installing
instead a brutal type of dictatorship.
But after 31
years,
the party has come
back to hold its congress in Baghdad..
It has emerged
revived,
rebuilding itself,
with its cells
and organisations spreading all over Iraq."
"The
insistence of Communists on holding their congresses in Iraq,
and in Baghdad
whenever possible,
is further proof on
their determination to be with the people.
After 31 years
of hard struggle,
full of self-denial
and sacrifices,
Communists have
returned to the heart of Baghdad to hold their three day Congress.
The
dictatorship,
however,
has collapsed
and came to a shameful end".
Historic Juncture
Regarding the
deliberations at the 8th National Congress,
comrade Musa
said that the Congress devoted a lot of its time to discussing the current
situation in Iraq,
and the interaction
between internal and external;
regional and
international,
factors.
The party and
its comrades have to face this historic juncture as a unifying patriotic force,
always
reflecting the people's
higher interests and consciousness.
This force
would embody national unity through its policy and practice,
thus becoming
the impetus for a broad national movement,
while acting as
the lever for the broadest democratic action!
049,
struggling to end
foreign occupation and control,
restoring
national sovereignty and independence,
rejecting any
form of authoritarian rule,
and building
the foundations of a modern democratic Iraqi state,
based on the
rights of citizenship and social justice.
"The
complex Iraqi political scene,
with its
numerous possibilities,
was analysed in
a frank,
scientific and
realistic manner.
Resolutions were made
to tackle the current situation and identify the forces that have an interest
in overcoming the crisis.
It was pointed
out that unifying these forces,
in government,
parliament and
society,
could lead eventually
to surmounting these difficulties. But this requires all of them,
regardless of
their position,
to relinquish the
infighting and unprincipled struggles that have exhausted the homeland,
drai! ned its
wealth,
and most precious of
all,
the blood of its
people,
and dissipated their
hopes."
Violence Only Serves
the Enemies
Comrade Musa stressed
that "The
path of violence and counter-violence
will not lead to the triumph of any side.
Sectarian
bigotry has destroyed all sects.
Resorting to
armed militias has made matters worse,
bloodier and
more violent.
The policy of
sectarian quota has not only failed to resolve the crisis but,
on the contrary,
served to
aggravate it."
The Congress has thus
come to the conclusion that
"the
only solution and means of salvation is the patriotic-democratic
solution.
The party will put
this forward for public discuss! ion in the form of a concrete programme,
as a foundation
for the unity of the people's
forces,
that is essential for
achieving salvation."
National
Reconciliation
This requires,
first and
foremost,
an emphasis on
National Reconciliation as the best,
indeed the only,
option in the
current situation.
Comrade Musa said that
"national
reconciliation as a policy has not been alien to Communists since the collapse
of dictatorship.
They have adopted this
concept very early on,
given the
complexity of the situation,
in order to
tackle the painful legacy of dictatorship.
We are glad
that this concept has become widespread,
and is now
adopted by even those who used to be startled just to hear it.
! This is a
good thing,
though had its
significance been realized at the beginning,
the painful
journey could have been shortened.
It is essential,
however,
to activate
this process in order to create a favourable climate for dialogue.
There are a lot
of complex issues that require concrete initiatives,
and translating
words into deeds requires reciprocal concessions."
Tasks
The Secretary of the
CC of Iraqi CP also dealt with the tasks for party organisations and members,
as outlined by
the 8th Congress.
The party needs to put
forward initiatives,
based on its
policies,
that will help to
bring about a convergence of viewpoints and establish proper alliances.
The
8th National Congress and its documents considered the external factors
influencing the current crisis,
including Iraq's
relations with neighbouring countries and regional powers.
It noted that
"the
repercussions of terrorism,
encouraged by
some of the neighbouring states,
will not be
confined to Iraqi territories.
Its flames
could extend to them too,
as indicated by
several events.
It is therefore in the
interest of everybody to confront terrorism."
Programme
Comrade Musa explained
the role of the party programme,
endorsed by the
8th Congress,
in mobilising the
party and its supporters around concrete objectives.
He pointed out
that many issues in the draft document were thoroughly discussed to improve
the performance of communists and bring them closer to the aspirations of
their people.
In this respect,
he stressed
that Iraqi Communists reject external advice that do not match the people's
interests,
referring in
particular to some of the recommendations of the World Bank and IMF that are
based on neo-liberal
policies without taking into consideration the interests of the majority of
the population.
He reiterated that the
Communists’ alternative to all this is the patriotic-democratic project that
the party will formulate and propose as a basis for bringing together and
unifying the forces of national salvation.
Communists'
Future Vision
and Socialism
The 8th National
Congress discussed a theoretical document that considered the lessons drawn
from the socialist experience in the Soviet Union and some Eastern European
countries.
Comrade Musa spoke
about the Communists'
vision for the
future,
for which they strive
in the interests of the people". Our choice is socialism.
But what kind
of socialism do Communists want for their people? The collapse of socialism
that existed in the Soviet Union and some countries of Eastern Europe,
in the early
1990s,
has not shaken the
Iraqi Communists'
belief in socialism.
But they have
had to pause and reflect,
undertake a
painful review! ,
pinpoint the
shortcomings and draw lessons from past experience,
in order to
achieve an Iraqi understanding of socialism.
The first
conclusion they have reached is that there can be no socialism without
democracy”.
The theoretical
document has been approved by the Congress for open and public debate,
"because the future option that the Communists are proposing for their country
is the socialist option."
Democratization and
Renewal
Comrade Musa explained
the significance of the 8th National Congress as an important juncture in the
march of Democratization and Renewal launched by the 5th National Congress in
1993 and continued in subsequent congresses.
Principles and
mechanisms for strengthening inner party democracy received a lot of attention
during the process leading to the 8th Congress.
These include
nullifying the tendency for heirarchy,
simplifying the
levels between the party leadership and rank-and-file,
consolidating
the principle of collective leadership through internal referendums on
important issues,
greater involvement in
meetings and other means of bringing the leadership and rank-and!
2049-file
closer.
Furthermore,
after endorsing
the principle of federalism in rebuilding the Iraqi state,
it was
necessary to review the party structure,
including the
mechanism for liaison with the Kurdistan Communist Party
-
Iraq.
"The
new inner party rules have taken into account the latest developments in the
country and the needs of the party,
which is an
open party that develops relations with other forces sharing common concerns,
and interacts
with civil social organisations."
Comrade Musa also
noted with satisfaction that the main concern throughout the Congress
discussions was to get closer to the masses of the people,
especially the
workers,
to understand their
demands and needs,
and to interact with
them.
Work among women,
youth and
students received special attention for the renewal of the party and society.
A positive and
transparent spirit pervaded the Congress. "There was no attempt to cover up
shortcomings.
Indeed, anything that
hinders the party's
work and activity in the interest of the people,
was exposed and
dealt with.
The main concern
throughout the Congress proceedings and discussions was how can communists get
closer and closer to the people,
being more
attentive to the mood of the ordinary people,
interacting and
integrating with them".
The new leadership of
the party was elected in the same spirit.
The 8th
Congress ensured the right of each delegate to nominate themselves,
or be
nominated". The number of nominees was nearly double the required number.
Half the party
leadership was renewed."
Comrade Musa
also pointed out that the elected Central Committee includes two women
comrades,
which is something
that has not happened for a long time.
Comrade Musa,
joined on the
platform by several members of the party Central Committee and its Political
Bureau,
then replied to a host
of questions from Iraqi media representatives and reporters about various
aspects of party policy,
Congress
decisions and political developments.
The press conference
observed a minute of silence at 12.00 pm
commemorating the National Day for the Victims of Mass Graves.
