MD News. 24 April 2001. Moldova's
Communist Leadership Believes in
Perspectives of
Communism.
The Moldova's ruling Communist Party (MCP) held its IV (XXI)
ordinary
congress past Saturday and Sunday which was
attended by over 400
delegates and about 800 guests.
The forum re-elected Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin as
MCP
Chairman, andparliamentary MCP faction leader Victor
Stepaniuk as
Secretary of the MCP Political Executive
Committee.
The congress was attended by communist party delegations from
the
Russian Federation, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Armenia,
Georgia, Belarus,
Cuba, Slovakia, Greece, Portugal, Cyprus,
Yugoslavia, Vietnam, China,
Romania, Spain, North Korea,
and Turkey, as well as from Transnistria.
To the standing ovation by delegates and guests, party leader
Vladimir
Voronin appeared at the podium against the
background of a gigantic
portrait of Lenin, and made a 1.5
hour report in which he spoke, in
particular, about
"the deadlock of capitalism" and "revival of
socialism".
"The capitalist way of development is a way to a
deadlock", he stated,
and referred, as an argument, to
the aggravating standoff between a
dozen and a half
developed nations and dozens of poor countries.
"These contradictions have become particularly sharp after
the demise of
the former Soviet Union", he said.
He believes the only reasonable alternative to such a standoff is
the
socialist way of development, "whose temporary
defeat only proves this
truth".
Broken ties with the East, in particular with the Russian
Federation, is
viewed by Vladimir Voronin as the chief
reason of the economic and
social hardships being suffered
by the Moldovan people.
The party leader indicated the historic heritage left to the
Communist
Party by "democratic reformers": a fall
in GDP by 3-fold, a complete
de-industrialization of the
national economy, a $1.5 billion external
debt,
three-quarters of the population living below the subsistence
level, hundreds of thousand Moldovans earning their living
abroad.
"The Right forces deliberately ruined Moldova's traditional
ties with
Russia and the CIS, thus turning the vector of
the country's external
policy", said the MCP leader.
"The shadowy economy has drawn under its
roof over a
half of the GDP size".
"Over last 10 years, [pro-Romania] unionist forces -- which
have never
regarded Moldova as a sovereign state but only
as a province of the
neighbor country -- have been acting
driven by 'the worse - the better'
principle.
He emphasized that the MCP's crucial achievement since its III
Congress
was "the democratic overthrow of the
anti-popular power regime".
"History has ruled so that Moldova has become the first of
all European
states where Communists are back at power. The
MCP's historic mission is
to prove to the world: the
Communist idea, the Communist movement have
most favorable
historic perspectives", he said.
Among MCP's drawbacks the leader mentioned a poor work with the
youth
and insufficiently active party construction.
Currently the MCP has 840
basic party organizations
functioning across the country, whereas the
objective was
to have organizations in each of Moldova's 1.5 thousand
cities, towns and villages.
"So, this question remains on the agenda. It is necessary to
further
struggle for people's minds", he said.
During the whole congress, the word 'privatization' was only
once
mentioned in a positive sense -- when the auditing
commission reported
that a portion of the party budget was
used for privatizing the MCP
office and newspaper.
Voronin said the party's main objectives are rehabilitation of
economy,
improving the population's life, society
consolidation, reforming of the
country management,
Transnistrian conflict solution, pragmatic foreign
policy.
He confirmed the Communists recognize the equality of all
property
forms. For the first indulgences to be done by the
Communist Party will
be the income tax lowering, and
raising of pensions and salaries
proportionally to the
minimal consumer basket cost. Presently, the
average wage
is Moldova constitutes only 30 percent of the subsistence
level sum.
Among social priorities the Communists indicate the need to
make
secondary and higher education as well as health care
free of charge.
"It is essential to return people's trust in power. We must
be wise
managers and must not be thieves. This must apply
to everyone -- from
the President to the last village
mayor". These words caused delegates'
prolonged, loud
applauses.
The Communists are not ruling out that at the first stage of work
in all
state power structures they will have "to
restore order through the
dictatorship of law... The
Communist Party is supposed to bring to a
logical end the
parliamentary system building in Moldova as the most
suitable model of a democratic society".
"Synonymously confirming all the Moldova's international
accords and
commitments in relations with other countries,
we at the same time must
place more emphasis on pragmatism
in our foreign policy", said the MCP
leader.
He named Russia as Moldova's chief strategic partner, but
underlined
that "currently, the experience of the
ruling communist parties in
China, North Korea, Cuba and
Vietnam is particularly interesting and
useful to
us".
Voronin stated the Communists must struggle for the minds of the
youth
and workers, and to increase the MCP's propaganda
work. Heretofore, the
MCP's main electorate have been the
older generation and
Russian-speaking citizens who are
attracted by the party's pro-Russia
orientation.
The Communists are projecting to establish a Central Party
School, to
found their own news agency, and restore the
Young Pioneers
organization.
Gennady Ziuganov, Russian Communist Party leader, was welcomed by
the
congress with a standing, stormy ovation. He wished to
his Moldovan
comrades to join the efforts of the
Parliament, President and Government
"into one strong
fist for re-uniting the ruined Fatherland".
Ziuganov believes the ongoing globalization process is sought to
be
realized in the interests of only one nation -- the
United States.
"All financial, informational, energy flows are in the hands
of America.
Many countries are trying to live by IMF
prescriptions, but fail to,
because strong countries suck
all juices out of weak countries'
economies", said
Ziuganov.
He promised to delegate to Chisinau young Russian economics
scientist
Sergei Glaziev to help the new Moldovan
Government to work out an
economic program.
Ziuganov said Moldovan wines are distinguished for their high
quality.
"When I was running for presidency, 30
million Russian citizens voted
for me. If I ask each of
them to buy at least a bottle of Moldovan wine,
this will
solve your wine exports problem".
- A Cuban Communist Party representative stated from the podium
the
United States has failed to break down the Cuban
people's adherence to
Communist ideals. "Our people do
not doubt the correctness of the path
we chose on January
1, 1959. History has placed the Cuban Communists
into the
first ranks of struggle against the world imperialism which the
Cubans must win", he emphasized.
- Transnistrian Communist Party leader Vladimir Gavrilchenko
expressed
hope that, under the MCP rule, residents on both
Dniester river banks
will come to live in a re-unified
country and, with time, in a socialist
state.
"We regard your victory as a natural process of people's
awakening in
the former USSR area. The people of Moldova
have been ahead of all
republics", he said.
Gavrilchenko presumes that without restoration of the Soviet
Union,
communist victories in separate republics will not
be complete or final.
"We, the Communists, must take control of the situation in
our two
republics [Moldova and Transnistria]. We welcome
the actions of our two
leaders aimed at phased settlement
of the Transnistrian question", he
said.
In his opinion, Moldova's accession to the Russia-Belarus Union
must
become a step-by-step joining the USSR. "The
membership in this Union
will mean a return of our
countries onto the socialist way of
development", said
the Transnistrian communist party leader.
A gala concert of revolutionary songs was staged for congress
delegates
and guests, during which the whole audience,
including Vladimir Voronin,
Gennady Ziuganov and their
Ukrainian colleague Peter Simonenko, were
standing and
singing loudly "... And Lenin is still so young, and the
October [revolution] is yet to come" -- a song that was
very popular
with the USSR party leadership in 1970s and
1980s.
The forum also voted for changing the party leader's
official
denomination. Since now on, this shall be not
First Secretary of the MCP
Central Committee, but Party
Chairman.
A new post has also been introduced into the MCP structure --
Secretary
of the MCP Political Executive Committee. This
will be Victor Stepaniuk,
Chairman of the parliamentary MCP
faction. He will be in charge of
party's current matters as
the party leader, Vladimir Voronin, will be
busy tackling
state problems as President.
Before the forum closure, the delegates adopted congress'
final
documents, including an Address to the Nation and a
resolution entitled
"Republic, Popular Rule,
Socialism" which stressed the desperate
condition of
the Moldovan economy and indicated priorities in realizing
the MCP electoral program and overcoming the socio-economic
crisis.
The forum was closed with the sounds of "The
International" which was
chanted by all the standing
delegates and numerous guests. Observers
pointed out that
no state symbols of Moldova could be seen anywhere
inside
or outside the Opera House building where the congress was held,
and it was only at the forum opening that the Moldova's state
anthem was
played. The theater's stage was decorated with a
big portrait of Lenin
and the red Soviet flag.
>From Klo:
This post is replete with good
news and progressive steps, but, unfortunately, avoids either intentionally
or unintentionally, the central question. It's the question that
people viewing themselves as Marxists or Communists or Leninists throughout
the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe have been avoiding. It's the
question upon which all others reside, namely, who owns or controls the
basic means of production, distribution and exchange. Who owns the
factories, mines, mills, fields, crops, lands, machinery, tools, forests,
and all other productive forces within Moldova? That is the critical
issue, because that will ultimately determine what policies will be
instituted and followed and who will benefit. No amount of rhetoric,
singing, pictures, regalia, partying, bravado, unity, combative speaking,
grandiloquent oratory, or threats will substitute for controlling that which
really matters. When all is said and done, and we have repeatedly seen
similar scenarios played out in other countries, the fact remains that they
are avoiding the "E" word like the plague. No matter how you
look at the scene or how you wish to approach the problems, there is no
avoiding the ultimate requirement--nationalization without compensation
which is EXPROPRIATION. THAT IS MANDATORY. YOU ABSOLUTELY MUST
GET YOUR HANDS ON THE MONEY AND THAT WHICH PRODUCES THE WEALTH. I
certainly wish them well but if they don't confront this most important of
all issues head-on, all else is for nought. If they don't face this
central fact, the Moldovan people will be highly disappointed in the
Communists of Moldova, turn their backs on socialism and Marxism, and adopt
the prevailing attitude of so many in Eastern Europe.