Socialist unity?
On unity and the Contras

Basahin ang artikulong ito sa Pilipino

"Unity� has been one of the constant themes of the anti-communist propaganda of the revisionist renegades. They raise empty slogans of �Leftist unity� and call for a �new Party� or �Socialist Front� in accordance with their anti-Stalinist and anti-Maoist line of accusing Marxism-Leninism and the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) of being �dogmatic�, �inflexible� and �sectarian�.

Even, however, if they yell themselves hoarse with cries of �unity� and condemnations of �sectarianism�, the Contras will always fail to hide the fact that the unity of the Filipino masses along the line of the people�s democratic revolution is resolute and broadening; and that the Party and revolutionary movement are further strengthening themselves consequent to the Second Great Rectification Movement and their firm repudiation of revisionism and opportunism.

Unity and the CPP

The Party always gives the highest premium to uniting and strengthening the unity of the revolutionary and democratic classes and forces. On the basis of the concrete situation of classes in Philippine society and from the practical experience of the Philippine revolution, we can point to three levels of unity that are upheld, pursued and valued by the Party:

First, the unity of the proletarian vanguard on the basis of Marxism-Leninism-Maoism on ideological, political and organizational questions, on its practical application in analyzing the semicolonial and semifeudal social system and the need to carry out a two-stage revolution. This unity is embodied by the CPP which serves as the vanguard of the Philippine revolution.

Second, the broad unity of the Filipino people on the basis of the program for a people�s democratic revolution encompassing the oppressed and progressive sectors carrying out armed and non-armed struggles. This unity is strategic and stable. The unity of the Filipino people is forged on three levels: the basic alliance of workers and peasants; the revolutionary alliance comprising the basic alliance in further unity with the urban petty bourgeoisie; and the alliance of positive forces comprising the revolutionary alliance in further unity with the middle bourgeoisie.

At the core of the broad people�s unity is the workerpeasant alliance embodied, principally, by the NPA that advances the agrarian revolution in the countryside under the absolute leadership of the proletarian party.

Third, the tactical alliances between the revolutionary forces and other forces, including reactionary individuals or forces, on the basis of parallel interests against a common enemy. This is in line with the Party�s policy of taking advantage of contradictions within the ranks of the reactionary enemy in order to further weaken the ruling system.

The unity of the Filipino people on the basis of the people�s democratic revolution to resolve the basic contradictions of the semicolonial and semifeudal society is the most important among the three levels of unity.

To build these three levels of unity, the unity and strength of the vanguard party is crucial. Conversely, the unity and strengthening of the vanguard can only be carried out consistently if the Party correctly advances the people�s unity and struggle along the path of the democratic revolution. Adhering to the correct political line is decisive in forging the unity and strength of the vanguard party and the Filipino people.

Before carrying out the rectification movement in 1992, the unity and strength of the Party were destroyed by the neglect of fundamental tasks in the field of ideology, politics and organization. Weaknesses and disunity emerged and were immediately accompanied by the aggressive entry of destructive bourgeois and petty bourgeois influences. Serious deviations such as military adventurism, urban insurrectionism, revisionism and various forms of opportunism prevailed within the Party. The strength built through many years of persevering along the correct line was dissipated by such deviations, resulting in unprecedented losses and setbacks.

Revisionism and opportunism brought the Party to the verge of total destruction. The Party�s unity was undermined by the aggressive revisionist and opportunist attacks against Marxism-Leninism-Maoism and the line of the people�s democratic revolution and protracted people�s war. The Party�s efforts to convince all cadres and members to adhere to the correct line were met by the worst advocates of military adventurism, urban insurrectionism and revisionism with further attacks, secret maneuvers, sabotage and abuse of the Party�s organizational integrity. They upheld the �unity� of Marxism and revisionism in the name of �anti-Stalinism� and �anti-dogmatism�; pushed for the surrender of the proletariat�s interest, freedom and initiative in the name of the �united front� under the sway of the anticommunist petty bourgeois forces; and peddled the line of class collaboration.

The rectification movement was a decisive step taken by the Party to repudiate serious deviations and errors, thoroughly oppose revisionism and opportunism, uphold basic proletarian revolutionary principles, overcome major setbacks and raise the Party�s capability in the ideological, political and organizational fields. To thoroughly uphold Marxism-Leninism-Maoism and the correct line, there should also be a thorough struggle against revisionism and opportunism and a thorough repudiation of serious deviations and errors. To strengthen the unity of the vast majority of cadres and members who remained loyal to the Party and the revolution, the incorrigible revisionists and opportunists who had sabotaged and launched an all-out attack against the Party needed to be exposed, isolated and repudiated. The rectification movement reinforced the Party�s unity and strengthened it on the basis of Marxism-Leninism-Maoism in order for the CPP to effectively lead the Philippine revolution.

The steady recovery, resurgence and restrengthening of the Party and revolutionary movement consequent to the rectification movement provide clear and profound lessons on Party unity and how this is preserved and strengthened. On the other hand, the rapid and continued diminution, disunity, destruction and disintegration of the revisionist renegades present indubitable proof of the absolute bankruptcy of their counterrevolutionary revisionist and opportunist line.

Contra �unity�

The Contras, especially the Trotskyites, are spreading falsehoods regarding the revolutionary movement�s alleged �disunity�. They are singing the same tune as the AFPPNP and other reactionaries. This is part of the service they provide as special agents of imperialism and reaction. Their aim is to deceive the people, mask their counterrevolutionary essence, spit out anti-Marxist- Leninist-Maoist, anti-people�s war and anti-Party venom and induce the Party and the revolutionary forces into loosening their grip on their tasks of advancing the people�s democratic revolution.

This is the main anchor of their various pluralist �unities�: blind, undiscriminating and open to all. Not only is this counterrevolutionary unity composed purely of sentimentalism and inanities; it is deceptive, fraudulent and dripping with anti-Party and counterrevolutionary malice.

In line with this, they wave the banner of �nonsectarian socialism�, insisting that they are all �socialists� and conceal their counterrevolutionary practice and the criminal record of the old and new revisionist renegades, misrepresenting these as �progressives� and �revolutionaries�.

After their failed opposition to the rectification movement and the CPP, the new revisionists, now unmasked, went all out with their parliamentarism and reformism, criminal activities and gangsterism, swindling the workers� movement and persisting in their pernicious roving rebel band activities which cause harm to the peasant masses. They are now plodding the path of the Lavaites and the Taruc-Sumulong gangster-clique, the path of open capitulation to the ruling classes or total disintegration.

They all are special agents of the ruling classes. In fact, most of them cling to a lifeline held by foreign funding agencies including the World Bank, bourgeois institutions in Europe and America and Trotskyist groups serving as fronts of the US Central Intelligence Agency. It is utter foolishness to claim that the unity to be forged by these devils would be �revolutionary� or �progressive�.

The claim to be �pro-people� is Contra deception. The fact is, the revisionist renegades could not subsume their self-interest to the overall interest of the oppressed masses. Thus, each small Contra group enviously defends its narrow interests and could not stand the company of other Contras. Indeed, devils hate their fellow devils.

While various Contra groups go out on their own, compete with and dupe each other on many issues, they are united against Marxism-Leninism-Maoism, the people�s democratic revolution, the protracted people�s war and the Party. But even if they could overcome their own narrow interests, arrogance and thirst for money, the only unity that could spring from their revisionist seed is non other than the anti-communist, anti-socialist and counterrevolutionary united front. Directly and indirectly, they are in the service of imperialism and reaction.

Their fundamental anti-Marxist-Leninist-Maoist and anti-Party standpoint defines their political task�to sow confusion and impede the advance of people�s struggles against imperialism, feudalism and bureaucrat capitalism or lead the people astray onto the path of reformism, insurrectionism, class collaborationism and capitulationism.

They pretend to be �progressives�, �revolutionaries�, �socialists�, and �communists� in order to conceal their tails and worm themselves into the ranks of the struggling people, spit venom and commit sabotage and hamper the advance of the revolutionary movement. On many occasions, they pass themselves off as being on the side of the masses on various national issues only to divert the struggle, prevent the advance of the people�s militant and collective actions and create the illusion of disunity in the �progressive� movement.

No unity with the Contras

In raising the slogan of �unity�, the Contras attempt to weaken the stand of the Party and revolutionary forces against revisionism and counterrevolution. In waving the flag of �unity�, they push for lowering the Red banner of revolution. But as long as it firmly embraces Marxism- Leninism-Maoism, the Party can never be duped by the Contras.

The Party was reestablished in 1968 on the foundations of Marxism-Leninism-Maoism and its repudiation and thorough opposition to Lavaite revisionism. The correctness of this stand became ever clear in the 1970s when the Lavas engaged in open collaboration with the Marcos dictatorship and the revolutionary struggles led by the Party surged forward. The correctness of this line was again demonstrated in a negative manner in the 1990s by the successive defeats and setbacks suffered by the revolution after the Party compromised its basic antirevisionist principle in a pointless bid for support from the revisionist Soviet Union. Various revisionist ideas (Gorbachovism, anti-Stalinism, anti-Maoism, Trotskyism, etc.) circulated and attacked and weakened the internal revolutionary strength of the Party.

It has become clear in the past seven years, that in order to forge the Party�s unity and strength, counterrevolution must be repudiated and thoroughly exposed and opposed�in other words, there is a need for a sharp divide between Marxism-Leninism and revisionism. This is clearly demonstrated by the CPP�s splendid victories in advancing the Second Great Rectification Movement and the revolutionary struggles led by the Party.

As the revolution advances, the Contras will expectedly intensify their propaganda and efforts to build �unity� to weave the illusion of the Party�s �isolation� and cause the proletarian revolutionaries to give up their fundamental principles. Thus, the policy of no-unity with the Contras should be grasped. Hold fast to this policy: the Party�s doors are shut to all unrepentant and incorrigible traitors to the revolution.

04 March 1999
English Edition

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