The following statement was published in "The Guardian", newspaper of
the Communist Party of Australia in its issue of Wednesday, 26th
February, 2003.
Contact address: 65 Campbell Street, Surry Hills. Sydney. 2010 Australia.
Phone: (612) 9212 6855 Fax: (612) 9281 5795.
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Webpage: http://www.cpa.org.au>
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Build the peace movement
At its meeting last weekend the Central Committee Executive of the
Communist Party of Australia adopted the following statement.
Hundreds of thousands of Australians are contributing to the worldwide
movement to stop a war against Iraq before it starts and to maintain the
peace and security of Australia and other countries.
The unprecedented demonstrations in all Australian capital cities and
many country towns are the most dramatic and forceful indication that
the overwhelming majority are firm in their demand for NO WAR!
This is also being expressed in the emergence of many suburban and
country peace groups, in letters to newspapers, on talk-back radio, by
petitions, postcards, resolutions by organisations and so forth.
There is new breadth in this movement. It crosses all political,
religious, age and social differences. Its unity and clear purpose are
its great strength.
The resistance to US efforts to impose its will on the world has
developed swiftly, is broad, well organised and has a high political level.
The growing trade union involvement in the anti-war movement is an
important step forward. Bringing the organised working class into the
struggle for peace can give it greater strength.
The Australian Government, particularly Prime Minister Howard and
Foreign Minister Downer, are playing a despicable, lying and
hypocritical role in the drive to war.
Australian governments, Liberal and Labor, have a long history of
subservience to US economic, political and military priorities.
Howard and Downer are the junior sheriffs, expecting that the TNCs
[transnational corporations], whose interests they represent, will get
generous regional pickings if the US achieves global domination and
recolonises the world.
Attempting to weaken and divide those opposed to war, Howard derides the
demonstrators as a "mob" and asserts that they are giving support and
comfort to Saddam Hussein.
In reality the anti-war movement supports the right of the Iraqi people
to freedom and democracy. And it sees the need to prevent war as the
first and most important task.
The conflicting interests of different states and the impact of the
massive international anti-war movement have created difficulties for US
imperialism in its drive to war.
The peace movement is having an impact on the United Nations by
insisting that the Security Council upholds the UN Charter, finds a
peaceful solution and restrains the war mongering governments of the
United States, Britain and Australia.
If, despite this, the US does launch a unilateral attack on Iraq,
international law will be torn up and replaced by the law of the jungle.
The United Nations may be destroyed. A long period of chaos and
insecurity affecting all nations will develop. Trade and economic life
will be disrupted. Huge environmental damage will take place.
ALP Leader Simon Crean supports a military attack on Iraq if it is
endorsed by the United Nations.
This position has the potential to split the peace movement.
We have to ask people to consider: a UN endorsed war would still be
fought by US troops under US command.
It would still be a war run by the US military-industrial complex to
serve US oil interests.
It would still devastate Iraq and kill hundreds of thousands of its
citizens.
This would not be just another war. The Bush administration has set its
sights on Iraq as the next target in its drive to dominate the world in
an endless imperialist war to fill a bottomless pit of corporate greed.
The capitalist system cannot provide peace, just as it cannot supply the
vast majority of the world's peoples with food, clean water, jobs, good
health, education, housing and much else. To challenge this system will
require a massive popular movement.
Today's anti-war movement is a small example of what can and must be
built. We are seeing, in microcosm, the force that can eventually
establish a new type of government that will serve the interests of the
people, not the corporations.
To help sustain and develop this movement, to contribute to clarity in
its political direction and strengthen its organisation, every member of
the Party must become active in the many anti-war activities.
Ø Make your Branch a centre of political activity - establish / join
a peace group in your suburb, your trade union or community organisation.
Ø Make full use of The Guardian in your work.
Ø Write letters to newspapers. Take part in talk-back radio sessions.
Ø Help to distribute the leaflets from your peace group and from the
Party.
Ø Check on the commitments of every Branch member and discuss with
them how to move to work in the anti-war movement or how to develop the
peace work in their area of activity or, where support already exists,
how to increase the level of political understanding and organisation.
It is possible that Bush can be stopped. It is clearly possible that
Australian involvement in a war on Iraq can be prevented. ACT NOW!
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