Toufan: Hail May 1st!

The Working Class Will Bring About the Spring of Humanity!

One hundred and twenty-two years ago, the workers of the world decided to celebrate May 1st as “Working Class Day.” This decision was made in 1889 at the Congress of the Socialists of the World in Paris, France. On May 1st, when nature wakes up from her winter sleep, when the mountain and forest become freshly green, when the meadows and wheat fields sprout, and the sun bestows more warmth, when the exuberance of freshness is felt in the air, when nature becomes once again alive and finds its happiness, the socialist workers in Paris declared loudly on this day that the working class will bring about “The Spring of Humanity,” that the working class will break the chains of the capitalist yoke, and that the working class has the mission to build a new world on the foundations of freedom and socialism.
May 1st, the day of unity and solidarity of labourers, is drawing near at a time when the regime of the Islamic Republic continues its attacks on the rights of workers and toilers, on the growing worker-movement, on the demands for bread and jobs and freedom, and on the job security for the working people. The Islamic regime finds itself weak in the face of the democratic movement of the Iranian people. The capitalist regime of the Islamic Republic, under the cover of the “Plan to Appropriate the Subsidies to Low Income Families,” has started to cut all subsidies to the basic necessities of life. The Plan was
encouraged by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. This policy will result in more economic poverty, higher inflation, and a deeper class gap. In the rule of the Islamic republic, the working class has no hope for better living conditions. The Supreme Council of Labour, which is the de facto representative of the government and employers, has set the monthly minimum wage for the workers as 330,300 Touman (equivalent to $300 US dollars). This minimum wage is about 20 percent above the level of the absolute poverty line in Iran. The Council has also approved an annual of 9 percent wage increase,
far less than the rate of inflation. This year, the dinner tables of the workers are emptier than they were last year. Taking into account rapidly rising inflation and the runaway cost
of the basic necessities, the monthly minimum wage for Iranian workers should have been set at 1,500,000 Touman (equivalent to $1,500 US dollars.)
This year, we welcome the arrival of May 1st in a situation that the young workermovement in Iran, inspired by the spring of revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt, challenges the regime of the Islamic Republic at every turn. It is this spirit of resistance that has caused fear and panic for the Iranian regime and has threatened the future of the Islamic Republic. The revolutionary movements in Tunisia and Egypt, with the banner of bread and
freedom and dignity, have launched major offenses on the unpopular, corrupt, and despotic regimes and are the sources of inspiration in the entire Middle East. Fearful of this inspiration, the dark regime of the Islamic Republic has intensified the repression of the worker-activists and the prominent members of the independent trade unions. Despite this reactionary repression, the struggles of the Iranian workers against privatisation and
collective layoffs, for payment of delayed wages, for higher wages and the right to form independent trade unions, and for the elimination of the government Plan on subsidies have increased. The worker-strikes in factories such as Khodro Machinery, Iran Petro-Chemical Plants, Iran Communication Company and in many other places indicate that the regime’s attempts to silence workers by the use of repression have been in vain.
May 1st is coming up at a time when the imperialists have invaded Libya in order to stop the deepening and spreading revolution of Arab people. The major imperialist powers have
waged a criminal war on Libya under the pretext of “safeguarding” the Libyan people. They have used the reactionary decision of the UN Security Council to colonise Libya and to gain direct control of oil production and the other resources of the country. It is important that on May 1st, the working class of all countries loudly condemn the invasion of Libya and demand an end to and the bombardment and destruction of that tiny country. It is the
internationalist duty of the communists and revolutionaries of all lands to demand the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of the Saudi army from Bahrain and the complete withdrawal of the imperialist occupying forces from Afghanistan and Iraq, to defend the Palestinian people in the face of Zionist aggression, and to emphasise the widespread boycott of the terrorist regime of Israel.
We send congratulations to the heroic workers of Iran and of the world on the occasion of May 1st, our “Working Class Day.” The Party of Labour of Iran (Toufan) is certain that it is only through unity and organisation and the political leadership of the party of the working class and only through a socialist revolution guided by Leninism that the victory of the camp of labour over the camp of capital is possible.
 
Hail May 1st, the Working Class Day!
 
Long live the revolution of Arab People against Imperialism and Reaction!
 
Down with the Regime of the Islamic Republic!
 
Long live Socialism, the Banner of Human Salvation!
 
The Party of Labour of Iran (Toufan)

WWW.Toufan.org
Toufan@Toufan.org

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Declaration of the International Conference of Marxist-Leninist Parties and Organizations

DECLARATION

International Conference of Marxist-Leninist Parties and Organizations

The earthquake and tidal wave that struck on March 11 in Japan caused a catastrophe whose extent is still not known, since the authorities of that country lie and hide revealing data. This raises more sharply than before the problem of nuclear energy, of power plants that are being built in many countries of the world. A month after the beginning of that catastrophe, it has still not been controlled and continues to dump into the ocean enormous quantities of radioactive particles, which have ruined the lives of hundreds of thousands of human beings and the fishing on all those coasts. It is still unknown how far the contamination that the ocean waters carry can go.

This April marks the 25 anniversary of Chernobyl. An international conference on this was held in Kiev, at which the government of the Ukraine distributed a document whose data need no commentary. According to this the soil around Chernobyl is contaminated with cesium 137, strontium 90 and plutonium 238, 239 and 240. It warned of contamination with americium 241 until the year 2056, due to which “between 1,500 and 2,000 square kilometers will never be fit for life […] because there are radioactive isotopes with a period of disintegration of 24,000 years…”

Considering that the radioactive leaks in Japan are or may be much greater than those of Chernobyl, the consequences will also be much greater. All this shows that in spite of what we are regularly told, at the present time one cannot state that nuclear energy is totally controllable, with total safety. This is because the operation of nuclear power plants, financed by the States with public money, is in the hands of financial groups whose main objective corresponds to their essence: to increase their profits more and more, leaving safety in second place, that is, the costs go to the people, the profits to the capitalist, imperialist sharks.

We must insist, once again, that the governments must strive to develop “clean” energy such as water power, solar or wind energy, for example, as a priority over nuclear energy. This is a problem that goes beyond the demands of the ecologists, since it has a political basis of vital importance to the peoples.

We the workers, youths and peoples of the world, demand to make the defense and preservation of the planet a proposal forcefully integrated into the objectives of the struggle for democracy, progress and freedom.

April 2011

Coordination Committee of the ICMLPO

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Communist Party of the Workers of Tunisia (PCOT)- Communiqué

Communist Party of the Workers of Tunisia

Communiqué

It has been two months since the glorious revolution of January 14. In this period the people have made important gains thanks to their struggle and sacrifices.

After bringing down the two governments of Ghanouchi, the Tunisian people were able to impose their demand for a constituent assembly, the dissolution of the “Democratic Constitutional Union” and of the political police. They also won great progress in freedom of expression, organization, meetings and demonstrations. But despite all this, the revolution has only gone half way and great dangers hang over it, dangers that grow day by day.

Power is not in the hands of the people who rose up against tyranny, exploitation and corruption, it continues in the hands of the reactionary forces, which, through the provisional presidency and the transition government, are trying to take control of the revolution and to reduce it to a simple whitewashing of the old regime. Mbaza and Beji Kaid Sebssi are not controlled, they have refused to recognize the “National Council to Safeguard the Revolution” to avoid any control; on the contrary, they have set up a consultative authority whose members they themselves have appointed.

Mbazaa and Beji Kaid Sebsso have accepted the election of a constituent assembly but it is they who have set the date of the elections without taking the interests of the people into account. On the other hand, the dissolution of RCD¹ has not prevented its reconstitution under the guise of new parties and organizations linked to them, such as the “National Union of the Tunisian Woman.” It has been shown that the dissolution of the political police has been just a pure formality because they continue to exist; they carry out repression and torture, surveillance, tapping telephone calls, blocking the Internet… Some of their most notorious people are occupying high positions in the Ministry of the Interior, those responsible for murders and tortures have not been bothered in the least.

Threats as in the times of the old regime have reappeared, under the pretext of the “fight against violence and disorder.” The police have repressed “sit-ins” in the Kasbah and in Mahdia. Speeches that distort the aspirations of the citizens about security, to the detriment of social and political problems, are multiplying with the aim of turning aside the revolution.

In spite of the suspension of the Constitution, the laws against liberties are still in effect: those against the press and on associations, parties, meetings and demonstrations. Those laws must be repealed and be replaced by decrees that guarantee liberties, to avoid serious problems for the people.

The administration continues to be under the control of the members of the tyranny and corruption of the “Destur”², and they dominate various governmental posts. They have renewed the old practices that oppress the population; they marginalize the Committees to Safeguard the Revolution on the local and regional level and try to eliminate them.

The economic and financial situation is similar; those responsible for robbing the people, the accomplices of the criminal gang, continue in power as if nothing had happened. The justice system, undermined by corruption, has also not changed, as the Magistrates Association confirms. The media are still under the yoke of the henchmen of the Ben Ali regime and continue to function in the same way. There has not been any advance in the plans to prosecute and condemn the representatives of the tyranny and corruption, including those who assassinated the martyrs of the revolution in Sidi Bouzid, Menzel Buzaiane, Regueb, Thala, Kasserine, Tunis and other regions. Members of the circle close to Ben Ali have returned and are continuing their provocative activities.

In the economic sphere, the transitional government has not shown any will to take urgent measures, in this decisive period, to benefit the popular classes. The majority of the population, particularly in the marginalized areas, feels that there has been no change in their situation, which is very critical. Unemployment and the high cost of living continue, the public services are being cut back and the government has not shown any will to face these difficulties.

The government is not making any concessions to the revolution; it does not even condemn the minority who carried out looting while relying on the despotism.

The government continues with the budget decided by the dictator Ben Ali last December, giving priority to paying back the foreign debt incurred by the old regime, and to finance its gigantic security apparatus. In spite of its provisional character, the government has not hesitated to incur new foreign debt, nor has it taken any measures to lower the prices of products and services under control of the monopolies of the members of the ruling gang. The families of the martyrs have not been compensated, and no measures have been decided in favor of the impoverished regions.

The government justifies its attitude by its provisional character under the pretext of “not having a magic wand” to fix these problems…

However, it is the government that is preventing the prosecution and judgment of the gang that plundered the public money and confiscated public property. Besides, what is stopping them from suspend the repayment of the debt for some time, and using this to solve the problems of the people, since has been done in other countries? Why are the prices of basic foods, water and electricity not lowered? Why has it not eliminated the tax on television? Why does it not give any aid to the inhabitants of Sidi Bouzid so that they can provide electricity for their wells? Why does it not implement the proposals of the teachers to hire the unemployed with advanced degrees?

The Communist Party of the Workers of Tunisia emphasizes the dangers that threaten the revolution, because it assumes its responsibilities. The people have the right to use all legal means to defend their revolution and their gains, to confront the dangers that threaten them, they have the right to fight against the government that restricts their liberties and tries to reduce their activities to debates in the “high authority.”

This period demands that the revolutionary process be deepened in order to obtain its objectives:

1. – To maintain the National Council to Safeguard the Revolution, both as an instrument for control of the provisional presidency and watch over the transition period.

2. – To postpone the election of the Constituent Assembly until after the summer, to allow the people to vote conscientiously, and for the political forces to prepare themselves well.

3. – To prevent the ringleaders of the RCD from organizing themselves into new parties.

4. – The effective and transparent dissolution of the political police and the prosecution of the torturers, murderers and looters.

5. – To clean up the public and semi-public administration by eliminating corruption and the representatives of the repression.

6. – To clean up the judicial institutions and allow the magistrates to choose their Superior Council.

7. – To clean up the news media, getting rid of the elements of the regime that was eliminated.

8. – To repeal the repressive laws and respect the rights of the people to freedom of expression, meetings and demonstrations.

9. – To immediately arrest the murderers of the martyrs and those responsible for crimes against the people, to judge the representatives of the old regime, to confiscate their property and their fortunes deposited abroad.

10. – To suspend payment of the foreign debt for three years, and to use that money to create jobs and develop the marginalized areas. To refrain from incurring new loans that undermine the independence of our country.

11. - To lower the prices of basic consumer products, of water, electricity, gas and the elimination of the tax on TV.

12. To urgently compensate the families of the martyrs and the victims of repression and looting during the revolution and during the events in the mining river basin, in Ben Guerdane, etc.

Communist Party of the Workers of Tunisia

March 31, 2011

1 The Party of the dictator Ben Ali.

2 Destour: Former party established in Tunisia in the 1920s that later split into the “old” and the “new.” The “New Destour” led the struggle for the independence of Tunisia, headed by Habib Bourgiba.

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Communist Workers' Party of Tunisia opposes Libya intervention, calls for completion of revolution

The Communist Workers' Party of Tunisia on Libya: "The Tunisian revolution has spread to many Arab countries. Egypt's dictator fell, while authoritarian regimes in Yemen and Bahrain are fiercely repressing popular uprisings, in Bahrain, with the help of Saudi Arabia. Our neighbour, the Libyan people, rose up against their tormentors, but events took a bad turn with the intervention of the United States and its allies, under the pretext of protecting civilians. The US administration has hardly mentioned the killing of civilians in Yemen and Bahrain, as it has also never done regarding Gaza, Lebanon or Iraq and Afghanistan, countries it occupies. And didn’t Sarkozy support the Tunisian dictator until the last moment?
    "What drives Obama, Sarkozy and Cameron to intervene is the frantic race to grab a portion of Libyan oil, after the failure of its revolution. We support the Libyan people in their uprising, but we are against any foreign intervention, which not only hurts the revolution in Libya and Tunisia but also hurts all Arab countries. We oppose the use of our territory or our airspace in the aggression against Libya. The US, French and English colonialists have no interest in the triumph of the Arab revolution, given the danger it represents for them."
By the Communist Workers' Party of Tunisia/Parti communiste des ouvriers de Tunisie (PCOT) حزب العمّال الشّيوعي التونسي
Translated by John Catalinotto for Tlaxcala

March 23, 2011 -- This event [the legalisation of the the Communist Workers' Party of Tunisia] has important symbolic significance. It is the result, among other things, of the January 14 revolution that deposed Ben Ali, won the right to organise and inaugurated a new era for Tunisia and its people.
The PCOT was established January 3, 1986, the second anniversary of the glorious “bread uprising”, which was a way to show our determination to link our fate to that of the Tunisian people, to defend its interests and legitimate aspirations for a decent life, where freedom, democracy and social justice rule. The PCOT translated these commitments into its political program and its militant practices, under the slogan of "national and popular democratic revolution", which it continued to defend at the price of enormous sacrifices: Nabil Barakat died in martyrdom, among hundreds of our activists who have been tortured, imprisoned and denied their most basic rights, many of them forced into exile.
Our party stood shoulder to shoulder with our people during this quarter century, making the fall of the dictatorship a primary objective, considering that it constitutes a major obstacle to the emancipation of the people and the rebirth of the nation. The party had full confidence in our people; it fought against the reactionary thinking that underestimated them, accusing them of helplessness and resignation. It has continually worked to raise consciousness and organise clandestine action to the extent that the lack of freedom permitted. It participated in all the people’s struggles and helped unite the opposition to secure victory against the dictatorship.
The revolution of January 14 is the culmination of over 20 years of struggle and sacrifices of the Tunisian people, of its sons and daughters making up the different ideological and political opponents to the dictatorship, organised in parties, associations and trade union and human rights organisations or unorganised.
This revolution took on various dimensions: It is a political revolution against tyranny and subjugation, a social revolution against exploitation and corruption, a patriotic revolution for dignity. The revolution did not stop inside Tunisia; it has spread to other Arab countries, where people are rising up against corrupt and tyrannical regimes and making them fall one after another.
Revolution not yet complete
The revolution of January 14 is not yet complete because it has not achieved all its objectives, despite the progress it made. Reactionary forces are still lurking and trying to abort the revolution. They are supported in this by the United States and France, which want to reduce the revolution to a mere reform of the old regime, leaving its economic and social foundation intact. The fundamental issue in any revolution is power, and if the sectors of the population that made the revolution do not hold power, we must conclude that it neither complete nor victorious. This is the case in Tunisia where the people rose up but have not yet taken power.
In the first phase of the revolution, the people brought down the dictator. In the second phase for the victory against the dictatorship, the people, through its vigilance and determination, brought down the Ghannouchi government and imposed the demands for a constituent assembly, and dissolution of the RCD [ruling party] and the political police. It also significantly expanded the scope of freedom of expression and organisation.
However, power remains in the hands of reactionary forces, deployed in different units and institutions that continue to preserve their economic interests. These forces are committing crimes against people (assault, looting, riots ...). They try to break its unity through fueling regional, tribal and religious differences and sowing fear and terror in order to discourage the people from continuing the revolution and achieving its objectives.
The interim president and transitional government are bent on sabotaging the revolution’s legitimacy and reject any control over their decisions (appointment of delegates, security officials, the judiciary ...); this process serves the interests of the enemies of the revolution. They refused to deal with the "National Council to Defend the Revolution”, which they replaced by a “body” whose members they have appointed unilaterally. In the same way, the decision to dissolve the RCD can be rescinded by returning this party under a new form. This is also the case regarding the decision to dissolve the political police, which is surrounded by doubts and raises serious questions about its application.
Revolution stolen?
The masses, particularly in the country’s interior, are beginning to feel that nothing regarding their political and social conditions has changed, and that their revolution is about to be stolen. It is a legitimate feeling with understandable reasons. The old regime is still in place, with its apparatus and its administration. The interim government took no action, although an urgent action is needed to alleviate the burden of unemployment and the high cost of living, stop the deterioration of public services that hit the regions -- which have also suffered repression and looting before and during the outbreak of the revolution. This is the case of the mining region, of Skhira of Benguerdane and many other regions.
The Communist Workers' Party of Tunisia believes that the revolution is not over. The Tunisian people must remain vigilant to avert the dangers threatening it. The continued mobilisation, conservation and revitalisation of the "National Council to Defend the Revolution” and its committees are urgent tasks today.
Today, the people remain the only force capable of exercising control over the interim presidency and the provisional government, which it has the right to monitor and hold accountable.
The election of the "Constituent Assembly" is an important event in the coming period. Workers, toiling strata and all our people can, in conjunction with the PCOT and all democratic and revolutionary forces, make this moment a turning point to impose the will of the people and stop the enemies of the revolution in their tracks.
This cannot be accomplished without an immediate mobilisation to postpone the elections and put space between them and the dates of the examinations, to enable the people and political forces to be well prepared, given the importance of the issues that the Constituent Assembly will determine.
We must also prepare a suitable political arena, through the purging of the administration, the judiciary and the media, by the effective dissolution of the political police and the establishment of an electoral law that resolves the issue of financing the elections to ensure transparency and equality among all participants and ensure that these elections are not tainted by corruption.
The character of the transition period in no way precludes the need for urgent economic and social measures, particularly for the unemployed, or for the regions that are neglected despite their wealth and potential.
The transitional government continues to cling to the budget decided under Ben Ali, which provides a significant portion for the Department of the Interior and for the repayment of debt incurred by the dictatorship. Why should the government not cancel the debt or at least suspend it for a while, as did countries that have experienced the same conditions as Tunisia? Why not devote the full budget to improving the lives of the people? Why not revise this budget to reflect new priorities?
Libya
The Tunisian revolution has spread to many Arab countries. Egypt's dictator fell, while authoritarian regimes in Yemen and Bahrain are fiercely repressing popular uprisings, in Bahrain, with the help of Saudi Arabia. Our neighbour, the Libyan people, rose up against their tormentors, but events took a bad turn with the intervention of the United States and its allies, under the pretext of protecting civilians. The US administration has hardly mentioned the killing of civilians in Yemen and Bahrain, as it has also never done regarding Gaza, Lebanon or Iraq and Afghanistan, countries it occupies. And didn’t Sarkozy support the Tunisian dictator until the last moment?
What drives Obama, Sarkozy and Cameron to intervene is the frantic race to grab a portion of Libyan oil, after the failure of its revolution. We support the Libyan people in their uprising, but we are against any foreign intervention, which not only hurts the revolution in Libya and Tunisia but also hurts all Arab countries. We oppose the use of our territory or our airspace in the aggression against Libya. The US, French and English colonialists have no interest in the triumph of the Arab revolution, given the danger it represents for them.
    * Long live the revolution of the Tunisian people.
    * The revolution should go on until it achieves its objectives.
    * Power to the people.
    * Long live the uprisings of the Arab peoples for freedom and dignity.

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