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January 4, 2014 - No. 1 Our Work in 2014 • Committees for People's Empowerment • Democracy and Human Rights • Important Questions of War and Peace 55th Anniversary of the Cuban Revolution • Long Live the Cuban Revolution! All Out to End the Blockade! • 55 Years of Revolution! 55 Years of Independence, Self-Determination & Dignity! - Canadian Network On Cuba - • Historic Victory Celebrated in Cuba and Worldwide • All Out to Free the Cuban Patriots in U.S. Jails! 210th Anniversary of the Haitian Revolution • Outstanding Victory for Freedom and Human Rights Imposition of "Emergency Rule" in Egypt • Down with the Blacklisting of Political Opponents as "Terrorists" - Nathan J. Freeman - Our Work in 2014 Committees for People's Empowerment  In working out its program for 2014, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist) adopted the theme Build Committees for People's Empowerment. To build these committees has the aim of making sure the working people, youth and seniors have a social form where they can address matters of concern to themselves, the society and the world. The people who participate can themselves set the agenda of discussion and work on the basis of the principles of learning together, working as a collective and carrying out social responsibility. The most important thing is to get together to address the needs of the people in a manner which provides solutions which harmonize the individual interests with those of the collective and the individual and collective interests with the general interests of society. The method of work in these committees is to unite in action on the basis of programs which are set by the members themselves. Without the participation of individuals in setting the agenda, the role of individuals and their collectives remains one of being reactive to decisions taken by others. This leads to an endless cycle of reactions, and people deprive themselves of having a proactive program of their own. We live in a world over which we do not exercise control because we are constantly forced to react to decisions about the economy and social and natural environments over which we have no say. This is quite different from reacting to something on the basis of advancing one's own program. Rather than simply accommodating oneself to a program decided by others, a proactive program is necessary in order to assess the significance of the chaotic developments which are taking place and find our place in relation to them. CPC(M-L) has adopted this theme "Build Committees for People's Empowerment" in the context where working people are coming forward to represent Canada's interests in the fight against the neo-liberal anti-social offensive that attacks their rights and the rights of all. Indigenous peoples are standing up for renewal on the basis of nation-to-nation relations while the intelligentsia, the youth, seniors and others are also standing up to defend enlightened ideas and social solidarity. In order for their views to be heard, the importance of establishing social forms such as the Committees for People's Empowerment cannot be underestimated. They provide a means to ensure the unity of the people under conditions where reactionary forces use disinformation to sow doubt in the people's capacity to fight, smash people's ability to think and make sure there is no organized opposition. The advocates of neo-liberalism want influential forces to reconcile themselves to the anti-social offensive. It is urgent to recognize that our security lies in the defence of the rights of all and the importance of the workers' opposition in achieving this aim. It is crucial to give primary importance to culture in ideological and social form to ensure that the human factor is activated instead of negated. This is the most important task under the conditions of anarchy and violence and integration with the U.S. imperialist war machine that threaten the well-being of all.
Democracy and Human Rights   With this issue, TML Weekly will begin treating two of the most important questions of our time -- democracy and human rights. Democracy was one of the most important problems of the twentieth century and it remains so today. So too the topic of human rights has assumed great significance at this time. How do the issues of democracy and human rights pose themselves today? What is the relationship between the two? DemocracyThe meaning which the word "democracy" conveys and the forms which it has historically assumed are inseparably bound up with the division of societies into classes. Each class in history has provided and justified its own form of rule according to the needs of society at that time. As societies evolved, they invoked definitions and forms of governance consistent with their level of development and the broadening of democracy achieved in this way was crucial to the further material development of these societies. However, while the conditions have demanded the abolition of privilege and a hierarchy of rights, the domination of society by the economically most privileged and powerful has strengthened to the point that the elites in positions of power have destroyed the society based on a public authority and installed a society which enshrines monopoly right, not public right. Rights are trampled underfoot with impunity. Resistance and conscience are criminalized; politics are wrecked and disinformation is used to disempower the people so that no organized opposition can coalesce.
The wrecking of the old arrangements through which people had a say over their conditions of life and work, however limited, is the single most important reason why anarchy and violence prevail in the economy and all of life. The monopolies have directly taken over the role of governance. The aim of society which was to uphold what was called public right, has been overthrown in favour of narrow private interests and they have become the "authority." A system of monopoly right has been imposed using so-called majority rule in the Parliaments and Legislatures. The striving for domination inherent in monopoly rule leads to the state of anarchy as no monopoly will accept an inferior position for itself. The threat of the use of force and the use of force are the means used to sort out differences. The problem with this "Might Makes Right" dictatorship is precisely that there can be no "Right" because another "Might" can always come along and replace it. The expression is in self-contempt. In opposition to this state of affairs where governments act with impunity, movements have arisen which reflect the striving of the people for empowerment. From coast to coast to coast, people from all walks of life are speaking out, putting forward their demands and tackling the problems caused by their disempowerment. How to fight effectively so that governments are forced to change direction, or resign, or be replaced with a government that does not repeat the same, is on everyone's mind. How to be effective has become a crucial question. In 2014, the Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist) will make every effort to involve the working class and its allies in providing this question with an answer. It means that the movements against the unacceptable dictate which prevails have to be supported and joined and helped to develop, so that they gain momentum and the people gain experience. It also means that they have to be provided with consciousness and organization, especially with the kind of mechanisms which enable the people to participate in setting the agenda of work and in taking the decisions as to what needs to be done at any time.
This is why the Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist) has given the call to build Committees for People's Empowerment in 2014. Their aim must be to fulfil the need for consciousness and organization so that collectives of the people can provide themselves with the information they need, the forms where they can think things through, work out how to intervene in any situation at any given time in a manner that serves the interests of the people themselves, not those of the elites which benefit from the people's disempowerment. Only if this is taken up will people once again solve the problem of establishing a system through which they can participate in governing society and exercise control over the decisions which affect their lives. The Harper government claims it has majority
rule. So too the governments at the provincial
level do as they please in the name of majority
rule. But the kind of rule they call majority rule
is in fact minority rule and the electoral process
which brings it into being is anachronistic -- it
exists to perpetuate minority rule. Majority rule
is required in deeds as well as words if we are to
end all forms of domination by this or that group
of individuals over others. This is the battle of
and for democracy. People have come to appreciate
that to wage this battle effectively requires a
concrete form, the establishment of mechanisms in
the course of day-to-day life which ensure that no
privilege or power can take the decision-making
authority away from the people. Developing these
mechanisms is the challenge in 2014. Human Rights Crucial to the fight for democracy is the fight to provide human rights with a guarantee. Every human being is born to society and hence has claims upon society. The main demand at the present time is for society to guarantee the rights which emanate from the fact that individuals are human beings who are born to society and that they depend on society for their well-being and the well-being of future generations. If the society is to be known as a human society, it has to satisfy all those demands which make a human being possible. Governments must be made to reckon with the fact that they are duty-bound to guarantee the rights which belong to all members of society by virtue of the fact that they are human beings. Democracy and Human Rights   Putting the battle for democracy and the battle for the recognition of human rights together, it is clear that today a form does not exist which can hold governments to account. The first step is to create a form which affirms the right to conscience, the freedom to think and hold whatever opinion a person deems fit. This is a basic human right which can neither be given nor taken away. It is ours to affirm which is why a form is required so that this can be done. A society which is based on privileges, not rights, targets the right to conscience first and foremost. The right to conscience is the first casualty because immediately a hierarchy of opinions is established to undermine any authority whatsoever except that which has been usurped and imposed by force. Historically, the theories and opinions which serve privilege get enshrined and canonized. In medieval times, questioning minds had to reckon with the risk of being excommunicated as a result of being branded as "heretics." With the advent of the striving of the working class to come to power, the epithet "enemies of the state" was coined and, today, those who do not conform to the ruling ideology are in addition called "extremists," "terrorists" and "traitors." In fact, one of the main problems the people face in terms of their disempowerment is the hierarchy of thought which gets reflected in the classification of opinions and theories as "mainstream," if they serve the powerful and privileged, and "fringe," if they do not. Those who fight for their rights are said to be "fringe" elements because otherwise they would constitute the majority in government. The so-called mainstream opinions are touted as "good for the economy," "necessary for security," "moderate," "reasonable," etc. They must uphold a "free market economy" and on this basis they are said to be consistent with the requirements of democracy and human rights. What these requirements are is not to be discussed but, on the basis of the ruling ideology, governments are passing laws which make resistance illegal. The stranglehold of the official orthodoxy and dogma has become even stronger than during medieval times due to the tremendous power of modern technology and force the ruling class controls. To counter this anti-social power, human beings have to unleash their own pro-social human power. They have to start by creating a form in which they can sort out how matters pose themselves. For instance, there is a very close connection between the nature of democracy and the state of human rights. Today it can be seen that the more there is no place in the political process for the people to govern, the more there will be no place for them to exercise the right to conscience, assembly and free expression either. When privilege and power can define what is truth, human rights disappear and a terrible pressure is exercised on the people not to be human. Political power which is based on privilege will never be able to guarantee the right to conscience, not to speak of other human rights such as the right to a livelihood, education, healthcare and a dignified life. By taking up discussion on democracy and human rights, the aim of TML Weekly is to assist all those who are engaged in fighting for both. Reports will take into consideration the requirements of modern democracy and the modern definition of human rights in order to ensure that those who block the future advance of society are not able to get away with it.
Important Questions of War and Peace   2014 marks the 100th anniversary of the start of World War One, the first great war for the redivision of markets, sources of raw materials, cheap labour and zones for the export of capital. It was a terrible slaughter of the working peoples of the combatant countries which wrought asunder the Czarist Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Ottoman Empire and, in Canada, ended the euphoria of belonging to the British Empire as well. To help them cope with the danger of another cataclysmic world war today, it is important for the youth across the country to study the historical significance of the events which unfolded 100 years ago. They can educate themselves on how to deal with the crucial questions of war and peace. It is important that the youth make sure Canada has an anti-war government and that the youth are not used as cannon fodder for wars of aggression and occupation. In 2014, let us go all out to make sure Canada is a factor for peace, not war as is currently the case.
55th Anniversary of the Cuban Revolution Long Live the Cuban Revolution!
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It is not
enough to say that the current developments are
proving to be very harmful to society. The fact
is, a dangerous situation prevails which requires
a firm approach in the coming year.
"The Revolution continues
to be the same, without commitments to absolutely
anyone, only to the people," the Cuban President
exclaimed.
However, from that point
until the present, great efforts have been made by
the colonial and imperial powers to interfere in
the development of the Haitian nation and block
the realization of the aspirations of those
courageous human beings who freed themselves from
their condition of slavery and bondage. This
February marks a particularly notorious
anniversary in Haiti's history, the 10-year
anniversary of the 2004 coup against the
democratically-elected President of Haiti
Jean-Bertrand Aristide. This coup was orchestrated
by the U.S., France and Canada. One of Canada's
point-men in facilitating this coup was none other
than Denis Corderre, presently the new Mayor of
Montreal, who in 2004 was the Minister Responsible
for La Francophonie in Prime Minister Paul
Martin's government. This coup set the stage for
the "death-squad democracy" used to brutally
suppress the progressive forces in Haiti. The
consequences of this coup are evident in the
present government of Michel Martelly, a consort
of the much-hated Duvalier dictatorship, which
today is the agency of especially the U.S.
sweatshops and cruise ships and their political
representatives opening up Haiti for plunder by
foreign monopolies. The shame of it is how Canada,
France and the U.S. not only staged the coup but,
along with the United Nations, do not permit Haiti
to recover from the devastating earthquake of
January 12, 2010.
 Anti-coup protest, Beni Suef, January 3, 2014 (Anti-Coup Alliance) |
During the subsequent nine days, the resistance on the streets to the junta's latest attempt to assert its authority has grown on the streets of numerous Egyptian cities. On Friday, December 27, tens of thousands of Egyptians from all walks of life filled the streets and squares of towns and cities throughout the country following Friday prayers in open defiance of junta's latest "anti- terrorism" decrees and proscriptions. By early evening Saturday Dec 28, international media reported more than 200 people arrested by police and security forces, and nine confirmed deaths among the protesters. Broadcast TV pictures showed tens of thousands of people demonstrating against military rule. By Friday, January 3, 19 deaths were confirmed.
The sharpest confrontations centred initially on
Al-Azhar University. Demonstrators used campus
buildings as fire barricades against the attempts
of security, police and armed forces to kill or
arrest the demonstrators. The regime's security
squads have continued the tank and automatic
weapons assault on the university's dormitories
and entrances, including attempts to snatch
students from the dorms. Regardless of the threat
to impose three-year sentences on anyone arrested
for defying the regime's authority, the more than
100 students captured in the university's
precincts have been given two-year sentences. This
hints at the internal resistance in the regime's
own ranks over how severely the police and the
courts are to crack down on street protest.
International condemnation of the Al-Sisi gang's
proscription of the Muslim Brotherhood as a
terrorist organization has grown to the point that
even the U.S. NGO Human Rights Watch has issued a
widely-circulated statement of condemnation.
These recent events have been the most dangerous for the Egyptian people since the Egyptian Army fired live rounds back into large crowds of opposition demonstrators on August 14 , killing and wounding at least 1,500 people in acts of wanton slaughter. At that time, Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird raved -- on Washington's cue -- about how "both parties [need] to avoid violence and engage in a meaningful dialogue for the good of all Egyptians." But he did not stop there. He went on to lecture the Egyptian coup-makers about their responsibility to ensure "a transparent democratic system that respects the voices of all its citizens, and that encourages and respects civil society and all other segments of the population."
The Egyptian people are courageously opposing the
backward measures Al-Sisi & Co. continue to
take illegitimately in their stolen name.
Protest by anti-coup forces, Alexandria, January 3, 2014 (I.A. Rahman)
Background
The July 3 Coup
The background to the latest developments goes back to the Al-Sisi gang's coup on July 3 2013. The coup declared a "temporary state of emergency." The constitution under which this was done -- a constitution drafted by a committee appointed by the Morsi government and approved by a public referendum -- provided for such a declaration to be reviewed in 90 days, one time only.
In June 2013, after almost a year and a half of President Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood serving in elected office, many opponents of the previous Mubarak regime's military-dominated crony rule were encouraged by the U.S. State Department to be less picky about potential allies and get on with the job of removing the Morsi government as soon as possible, using all means at hand. Meanwhile the U.S. Defense Department for its part put in place the moment at which the plug would be pulled.
This would be done, however, by trusted agents from inside the Egyptian High Command, without whom civilian opposition figures could partner, but not be allowed to assert any commanding role. Accordingly, a U.S.-backed mass demonstration of opposition to the Morsi government was staged June 30. Al-Sisi & Co. widely popularized an unverifiable claim that more than 30 million Egyptians participated in these demonstrations around the country and this justified the coup. Behind the scenes, on the evening of July 3, directed by U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel -- and obviously not known at all by most of the civilian political forces lining up against the Morsi government -- Morsi's Defence Minister, General Mohammed Al-Sisi and his closest cronies took power. At that point, they suspended the Constitution, installed certain anti-Muslim Brotherhood civilian political figures, such as Mohammed el- Baradei, into high office (el-Baradei was named vice-president), and proclaimed a so-called "roadmap" as the legal basis for their rule thenceforward.
The August 14 Massacres
On August 14 -- long before the 90 days of emergency rule would undergo review, indeed not even half-way there -- the Al-Sisi gang opened live fire on mass demonstrations led by the Anti-Coup Alliance. The Anti-Coup Alliance is a political front comprising the Muslim Brotherhood and many non-Islamic currents opposed to the Egyptian military's return to political power. The exact number killed or wounded in this assault remains unknown; 1,500 is the lowest estimate. El-Baradei quit.
Since August 14
Since those events, the Anti-Coup Alliance has sustained continuous mass opposition in the streets of cities throughout the country in the teeth of escalating efforts by the Al-Sisi gang to suppress any and all other resistance.
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