European Communist Meeting Held in Athens

The proceedings of the Meeting of the European Communist and Workers’ Parties of Europe, organised by the KKE, were conducted on the 11^th and 12^th of April, on the following subject “Social and political processes in Europe and the response of the communists”. 38 parties from 31 European countries participated in the meeting.

Aleka Papariga, GS of the CC of the KKE, Giorgios Marinos, member of the PB of the CC of the KKE, Elisseos Vagenas, member of the CC and responsible for the International Relations Department, and Kostas Papadakis, member of the Secretariat of the CC of the KKE and the International Relations Department, participated on behalf of the KKE in the Meeting.

The proceedings of the Meeting were opened by Aleka Papariga, who stressed in the opening speech, amongst other things that “Today there is a historic opportunity on the basis of the unrelenting class struggle: the thoughts and activities of the peoples in struggle – with the working class in the leading position- to be directed towards working class power.

It must be understood that even if in a particular country a pro-people majority in parliament is elected by the people and a government is formed on the basis of this, it will not be able to overcome the limits of the basic laws of capitalism if it does not resolve the central issue of the socialisation of the basic means of production, withdrawal from the EU and NATO, nationwide planning and workers’ control from the bottom up.”

Representatives of the following parties participated in the meeting: Communist Party of Styria [Austria],Communist Party of Belarus, Workers' Party of Belgium, New Communist Party of Britain, Communist Party of Britain, Party of the Bulgarian Communists, AKEL-Cyprus, Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia, Communist Party in Denmark, Communist Party of Denmark, Communist Party of Estonia, Finland Communist Workers’ Party for Peace and Socialism, Pole of Rebirth of Communists in France, Union of Revolutionary Communists of France URCF, German Communist Party(DKP), Communist Party of Greece, Hungarian Workers' Communist Party, The Workers' Party of Ireland, Communist Party of Ireland, Communist Peoples' Left, Italy, Socialist Party of Latvia, Communist Party of Luxembourg, Movement of People's Resistance, Moldavia, New Communist Party of the Netherlands, Communist Party of Norway, Communist Party of Poland, Portuguese Communist Party, Communist Party of Russian Federation, Communist Workers' Party of Russia - Revolutionary Party of Communists, Communist Party of Soviet Union, New Communist Party of Yugoslavia, Communist Party of Slovakia, Communist Party of Peoples of Spain, Communist Party of Sweden, Party of Labour, Switzerland, Communist Party of Turkey, (EMEP), Turkey, Union of Communists of Ukraine

Mirta Castro, head of the Cuban delegation to the European parliament, ambassador to Belgium and Luxemburg and representative of the CP of Cuba, was present at the Meeting.

It should be noted that the Socialist People’s Front of Lithuania, which had stated its intention to participate in the meeting and was to be represented by its Chairman A. Paleckis, was not able to attend. And this was because- as E. Vagenas mentioned when he opened the proceedings of the meeting- “The Lithuanian authorities will bring A. Paleckis to trial tomorrow on the basis of the anti-soviet anti-communist law concerning the “Soviet occupation”, because he challenged the official version of the bloody events which occurred in Vilnius in January 1991. Today there is substantial evidence, both from the forensic investigation and witnesses who took an active part, which demonstrates that these events were organised by anti-soviet forces, which acted as agent provocateurs, creating victims, in order to burden the soviet army with the responsibility for these things. Comrade Paleckis mentioned these facts in an interview and is being tried for this reason. We express our solidarity with the Lithuanian comrades, with all comrades who come face to face with anti-communist machinations in European countries and with cde Paleckis personally.”

16th Congress of the WFTU: Internationalist class contribution to the global trade union movement

The 16th Congress of the World Federation of Trade Unions, which held from 6-10 April in Athens, began with a large opening ceremony in a packed Tae Kwon do stadium. PAME, which unites the class-oriented trade unions of Greece and participates in the WFTU, warmly greeted the opening of the proceedings of the WFTU congress which constitutes an important class and internationalist event for the global trade union movement. The congress is being conducted in the conditions of the capitalist crisis and the total assault of capital and is being called on to give impetus to the development of the class struggle in each country and internationally. The workers of Athens, with ceaseless clapping and slogans, holding aloft the banner of the class struggle and international solidarity, enthusiastically welcomed the trade unionists who had arrive in Athens from every corner of the globe in order to participate in the 16th World Trade Union Congress.

The success of the congress has surpassed all expectations. It is indicative that at the previous congress in Havana,Cuba, five years ago 503 representatives from 64 countries participated, while this year 828 delegates from 104 countries will participate.

The opening ceremony was a massive internationalist celebration worthy of the 6 decades of the WFTU’s history. This history was honoured by the showing of a video dedicated to the 65 year anniversary of the WFTU. On behalf of the Executive Secretariat of PAME, which is hosting the congress, Giorgos Perros in his greeting to the 16th World Trade Union Congress mentioned that “we salute the millions of working men and women that you represent who are struggling in the ranks of the WFTU for the interests of the working class in a tough struggle against the monopolies and imperialism.”

The President of the WFTU, Muhammad Shaaban Azouz, announced the official opening of the congress, while the President of Cuba and Second secretary of the CC of the CP Cuba, Raul Castro, sent a message of greetings.

A message from the President of the Hellenic Republic, Karolos Papoulias, was read out at the opening ceremony. The First Vice-President of the Greek Parliament, the Prefect of Attica, the Mayors of Athens and Piraeus also greeted the congress.

Giorgos Mavrikos, General Secretary of the WFTU underlined in his speech: “We came here, to the Congress of the WFTU, after great struggles at sectoral, local, regional and international levels, through an open, democratic, militant discussion in all the unions, workplaces and main branches.

In many of the countries in the five continents the working class resisted, showed defiance, organised significant strikes and struggles and multifaceted activities against these anti-worker policies. We are more deeply aware of the fact that the capitalist mode of production cannot offer anything else other than barbarity. (…) Our answer is clear, we continue on the path of class struggle; against imperialism and capital. For a world without exploitation of man by man; for a future that will belong to the working people.

The 16^th World Trade Union Congress held in Athens, was a historic Congress! An open – democratic – class-oriented Congress for the benefits of the workers in the struggle against the capitalist barbarism, for a world without exploitation. The calling of Athens has to reach at every corner of the earth, every work place, every native village, every home of the working family!

CPI(M) plans mass movement against nuclear power plant in Orissa

Plans are on to build up a large mass movement in Ganjam district against the proposed nuclear power plant at Pati Sonapur.

The CPI(M) has decided to take the lead in this movement. According to State secretariat member of the party Ali Kishore Patnaik, they have started making contacts with organisations and leaders of all walks of life to chalk out the plans of this mass movement. People of all fields irrespective of party or ideological leaning would be part of this movement as it would be a movement to safeguard life of ours and our next generation.

The issue of proposed nuclear power plant at Pati Sonapur also came up for discussion at the Ganjam district committee meeting of the CPI (M) on Wednesday. The party cadres decided to build up awareness regarding dangers of nuclear power plants in the context of recent nuclear holocaust in Japan in rural areas especially the coastal region of the district.

The party demanded that the State government break its ‘silence' regarding the matter and come up with a white paper regarding the proposed nuclear power plant project. “It is an irony that while the Orissa government is totally silent regarding the proposed nuclear power plant project the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) openly states that it is going to establish a nuclear power plant at Pati Sonapur under its expansion plan,” Mr Patnaik said.

‘Callousness'

The party alleged that it was callousness of the State government to sideline this issue of proposed nuclear power plant at Pati Sonapur. The CPI (M) wanted the State government not to allow the NPCIL establish this nuclear power plant on Ganjam coast. State energy minister Surya Narayan Patra had informed the Assembly that the NPCIL had proposed to establish a nuclear power plant at Pati Sonapur under Chikiti block. In 2009 the National Aluminium Company (Nalco) authorities had declared to join hands with the NPCIL for establishment of this mega nuclear power plant.

(Courtesy : The Hindu)

Paid News & Manipulation of Media: CPIM Memo to ECI

We would like to draw your attention to a very disturbing development regarding paid news and the manipulation of media organisations through the instrument of financial ratification to influence news coverage by the said media organisation to further the electoral interest of a particular political party. An all-party meeting convened at the behest of the Election Commission had unanimously agreed that the EC can, indeed, act on instances of “paid news” as it vitiates the process of free and fair elections and undermines a level playing field. It was also decided in the said meeting to classify paid news as an electoral offence and recommend an amendment to the RPA to incorporate this understanding.

While it is quite easy to identify news coverage in the media as biased and favouring a particular party or a candidate, it has been equally recognized that it is extremely difficult to establish the modus operandi of financial gratification.

But recently, a glaring development has brought such an instance to our notice. The Kolkata High Court has stayed the leasing out of two acres of prime urban land on the Kolkata Eastern Metropolitan Bypass. The Trinamul Congress-led KMC decided on 22^nd February, 2011 to lease the said land for an amount of Rs. 6.60 crores and Rs. 120 as annual lease rental disregarding the opposition and boycott of the opposition Left Front Councilors. (A copy of the notice for the meeting and agenda is annexed herewith together with agenda paper of the KMC meeting.)

That this act of the Corporation led by TMC can be construed as financial gratification is clearly made out from the fact that the said land is a prime commercial urban land and the price in the area has been going up sharply since mid-1980s. Earlier the Kolkata Municipal Development Authority had sold land for a five star hotel project where 6.2 acre plot was given out for Rs. 213 crores in 2005. Similarly, the Left Front led Kolkata Municipal Corporation transferred 6.29 acres of land to EMMAR-GSF Group (Delhi-Dubai) @ 33.60 crores per acres amounting of Rs. 213 crores, the other bidders were DLF-HILTON Group etc. The KMC in the same year in July 2006 transferred 5.50 acres of land to DLF-HILTON Group @ Rs. 27.79 crores per acre amounting to Rs. 154 crores. The other contestants were ITC Hotels and Raheja Group. The KMC again in August 2006 transferred 5 acres of land to LIC on a long term lease @ Rs. 55.24 crores per acre amounting to Rs. 276.20 crores. When the land price in Bypass area was soaring, the KMC leased out 2 acres of land to Pratidin Trust @ Rs. 5.5 lakh per cottah amounting to Rs. 6.60 crores for 2 acres of land. This dole at the cost of public exchequer would leave a loss of Rs. 100 crores to the public body. (We are also annexing press reports to substantiate this point.)

We are hereby appending a large number of clippings from Pratidin newspaper to substantiate the fact that this newspaper is acting as almost an official mouthpiece of the Trinamul Congress Party. We are confident that any independent study by the EC will also bring out this fact. Apart from this, the media group being headed by a TMC MP in Rajya Sabha and TMC supremo Ms. Mamata Banerjee being a columnist in the group newspaper has a bearing on its news coverage. The media group is also currently controlling a Bengali TV channel – viz, Channel 10. The channel also has the same policy towards news coverage.

In the light of this, we urge the Hon’ble Commission to enquire into the matter by sending notices to the concerned media group, as well as, the concerned political party.

We are also observing that a large number of paid up advertisement is being released by the TMC to both the print and the visual media. We are also observing that a large number of channels and newspapers are having a biased coverage of the elections. In the light of this, there is a need to set-up a media monitoring cell by the EC and scrutinize whether there is a relationship between advertisement revenue earned and the nature of coverage. It is for the EC to draw appropriate conclusions and this initiative will go a long way in ensuring a level playing field in the conduct of the elections for parties – rich and poor and act as a deterrent against the pernicious instrument of `paid news’