LETS BLOW OUR OWN TRUMPET! THIS IS IDEOLOGICAL AND PROGRAMMATIC REVOLUTIONARY RELAY!
On Wed, May 25, 2011 at 10:36 AM, Mafika Damane Mndebele < [email protected]> wrote: > *In Praise of communism: Happy 89th Anniversary Young Communist League of > South Africa* > > * * > > *Introduction* > > Tomorrow we celebrate the 89th anniversary of the Young Communist League of > South Africa, the hope of the working class Youth, the voice of the > voiceless and the (ideological) home of the homeless. The Young Communist > League of South Africa is our home, our family, the proverbial pot where > future Communists are cooked, the school where scientific theory is infused > with practice. Where young people are taught, consistent with Lenin's > forever relevant view that our role is to *“learn, learn and learn.* > > Let us admit that we do not necessarily intent to bombard you with the > history of the Young Communist League of South Africa in this piece of work. > Our intention is merely to celebrate this giant Youth organ. However it > suffices to mention that the Young Communist League of South African was and > continues to be built on basic principles which, amongst others, include > mutual respect, trust, frank, robust but comradely discussions, > self-criticism, constructive criticism and life-long learning. While we are > an organisation that encourages debates we should not be confused with a > debating society whose primary existence is merely to debate without > arriving at a collective and binding decision. > > The principle of democratic centralism and unity in action had united this > organisation during difficult times; today the Young Communist League of > South Africa is 89 years old. > > As a political organ of the working class Youth we can not view our > celebration as just another celebration but as the opportunity to > consolidate our gains whilst reflecting and refocusing our energies in > building *SOCIALISM IN OUR LIFETIME.* As we celebrate this oldest youth > formation and certainly the only Marxist-Leninist youth formation in our > land, we should look back with pride and march forward with hope. We should > do so primarily because today it is increasingly becoming difficult to speak > about the future of the South African working class youth without mentioning > the word *uFasimba.* > > While others had chose shortcut to the problems facing our country, with > the Youth in the receiving end, we had a chose to be part of the solution > and work selflessly for our people. The choice we made was also partially > informed by a simplified understanding of the dialectics that the present is > the ‘product' of the past. Just like the generation of Ruth First, Duma > Nokwe, Thomas Mbeki, Seperepere, Esther Barsel, Ahmed Kathrada, Joe Slovo, > Brian Bunting, Norman Levy, Mike Feldman, Paul Joseph, Barney Fehler, Eric > Laufer, Harold Wolpe, Sara Sable, ES Sachs, Eddie Roux, Stanley Siwana and > many others, we made a choice not to stand in the margin only to cry foul of > being marginalised. > > We made a choice to be an integral part of the solution informed by a > popular slogan that “nothing about us is without us. Today, the Young > Communist League of South Africa is a force that can be reckoned with. It is > for this (and many other reasons not mentioned because of time and space > limitations) that the generation that came before us are wearing a > revolutionary smile given that today UFASIMBA is a powerful agent of > revolutionary change. We believe that their spirits are having a peaceful > rest because they have found solace in the knowledge that we have > consolidated the foundation that they had laid. > > By the way, where do we come from or what is this foundation? > > *A glimpse to our history* > > Once again, this is not a historical lesson about the origins of UFASIMBA > but as learners, whose task is to learn, we need to understand the past so > that we are able to make sense of the present and strategically locate > ourselves so as to plan for the future. For this reason, it's important to > say that the 25th of May 1922 is the date registered on history books as > that upon which the Young Communist League of South Africa [UFASIMBA as it > is known today] was officially launched. It must however be noted that the > Young Communist activism in South Africa started as early as in 1921 in > towns like Johannesburg and Cape town. > > Like we have said above, today we celebrate 89th anniversary of Young > Communist League of South Africa. Put differently, today we celebrate the > oldest Youth formation in Africa and, undoubtedly, one of the most > revolutionary instruments of change of our times. On the occasion like this, > one may be tempted to ask: what has UFASIMBA achieved thus far? Since its > inception, the Young Communist League of South Africa has, amongst other > things achieved the following: > > · *Participating and guiding the 1922 Rand revolt and fighting racist > tendencies during and after the strike together with the Communist Party of > South Africa,* > > · *Formed strike Prisoners committee, distributed leaflets, organised > meetings and carried propaganda work during the strike.* > > · *Championed the ‘chalking and sticker' campaign to mobilise the working > class against the Apartheid government. For instance, “we plastered the > towns with. stickers and pasted them on railway coaches so that their > message was carried to the four corners of South Africa. On walls and > pavements we chalked our slogan ‘Release the Strike Prisoners', and when the > words were rubbed out we chalked them again. At the time there were fewer > than twenty of us in the YCL but we must have created the impression that a > vast underground organisation was at work Roux.* > > · *We were the first to call on young workers to refuse to be part of the > Defence Force responsible for shooting to death workers during the strike. > * > > · *"Since military training began in schools, it was clear that the YCL > had to carry its message to the cadets. Leaflets were handed out at school > gates and some schools were visited at dead of night and plastered with > leaflets and slogans both on the outside walls and inside the > class-rooms...Our anti-militarist campaign had an excellent press Roux.* > > · *We were the first truly non racial organisation in our country, even > the Communist Party of South Africa had to follow after us.* > > · *When we attended the 1924 Conference of the CPSA we had already > recruited two dedicated African Communist, Stanley Siwana and Thomas Mbeki a > move that influenced the Party in this regard.* > > · *Without threatening to remove leaders of the Party who disagreed with > us, we were able to influence Party direction.* > > · *With SP Bunting elected as Chairman and Roux as Vice Chairman we > realised generational mix as back as in 1924, long before it become a > fashion or a publicity mongering tendency.* > > · *As back as in 1925 we fought against Youth unemployment and worked > closely with trade union movements.* > > These are some of the historical victories that UFASIMBA scored which have > also laid the foundation for the modern day generation of "YCLers". Hence > when we speak today, people listen. In other words, The Young Communist > League of South Africa today is an important voice in society. As an > organisation we are a powerful instrument of change. More and more Young > people are identifying themselves with our organisation. In our 2003 > Congress YCLSA had about 2000 members, in 2006 we had grown to 33 00 and our > last congress saw our membership sitting at 53 794. > > Already we are the second biggest Youth formation in our country and the > biggest in Western Cape by far. But part of our 21st challenges is to > translate this quantity into quality through intense political education. It > was this understanding which made the last National Congress directed the > National Committee to come out with a coherent political education program > as a way of responding to challenges that comes with this growth, and the > May National Committee will be adopting that program. Our voice in the > society is not solely strengthened by the membership that we have but by > campaigns we have adopted and implemented. Most if not all of the > progressive campaigns that we had come out with had been adopted by > government and progressive formations. > > To illustrates > > *We spoke against Youth Unemployment: people listened* > > As part of taking the struggle against Youth unemployment and strengthening > our Right to Work campaign in May 2010, UFASIMBA convened a successful Jobs > * for Youth Summit.* The Summit was attended by 85 youth organisations and > 284 delegates representing these organisations. The participants were drawn > from right-wing political formations, the centre right, the ultra-left, > nongovernmental organisations, church movement, civil society, small and > medium business representatives, government agencies and ministries and the > progressive youth alliance. > > The summit adopted *"A Jobs for Youth Charter and"* the Jobs for Youth > coalition was subsequently formed. The Young Communist League took it upon > itself to unite Youth of different classes against Youth unemployment. Today > this is one of government top apex. Young people will be employed and *"that's > the bottom-line because the Young Communist League has said so.* > > *We spoke about sanitary towel: people listened* > > It was the Young Communist League of South Africa that first advocated for > free sanitary towels for Young women in impoverished areas. In this regard, > we had made a submission and engaged with the Ministries of Health and of > Social Development on the question of sanitary towels. Today the campaign > has been adopted by all Progressive Youth Alliance structures, SABC, some of > the Trade union affiliates and varies government departments adopted this > campaign. We shall also ensure that this campaign is not treated as a mere > charity programme, but we should view this more as a social intervention by > government. This shall happen and "that's the bottom-line because the Young > Communist League has said so. > > *We spoke on HIV/AIDS: People listened* > > It was the Young Communist League in its 2003 Congress which identified the > threat posed by HIV and AIDS to economically active Young people. In this > regard, we consequently called for ARVs to be rolled out and supported the > ABC message of government. We had worked with NGOs and community based > organisation. Today, we are please and happy about the change of heart in > government and the programs in place to combat HIV and AIDS. We shall have > an HIV free generation "and that the bottom-line because YCLSA has said so. > > *We spoke about free education: people listened* > > As back as in the early 1940s our late National Secretary Comrade Ruth > First campaigned for free education. They Young Communist League of South > Africa has, in our lifetime, adopted a Joe Slovo Right to learn campaign, as > part of fighting for free education but at the same time highlighting the > plight that continues to engulf our education system. We note the ANC > Polokwana resolution in this regard and the effort by the department of > higher education to gradually introduce free education. As an organisation > we are scheduled to meet Minister Blade Nzimande and free education is on > its way. "That's the bottom-line because YCLSA has said so. > > *Today we say only a Party of power will defend the working class standard > of living: they will listen* > > The epoch upon which we find ourselves on is not of our own choosing hence > it continues to be besieged by contradictory realities. For this reason, we > note with seriousness that while the 1994 democratic breakthrough has > presented many opportunities for our people, with the democratic government > progressively improving the lives of our people, the sad reality is that our > economy continues to genarate racial inequality: with blacks living in > poverty and white people's live improving. In other words, notwithstanding > some inroads as a result of the 1994 democratic space but ours remains > characteristic of, what the author of "23 Things They Don't Tell You About > Capitalism Ha-Joon Chang calls, a "cappuccino society. > > A "cappuccino society because there is a mass of poor black people at the > bottom, a thin layer of white froth above it and a sprinkling of cocoa at > the helm. Admittedly, the ANC- alliance led government has made a number of > advances, we have seen increases in the provision of clean water, expanded > social grants, millions of housings, gradual introduction of free education, > improvements in health care and creation of people organs for people's poor > i.e. street committees, wards committee, CPFs, school government bodies act. > As an organisation we supported and at time fought for all these > developments, it is what in our own view comrade Ruth First, Duma Nokwa and > many other leaders of YCLSA had lived and died for, and which communists in > governments and in all other site of power have also helped to bring about. > > But Because of capitalism we have move one step forward and two steps > backwards in relation to our effort to create Jobs for Youth. For instance, > we have witnessed massive retrenchments and casualisation, we have witness > price hikes and price fixing, the capitalists have intensified the fight > against the working class through amongst other things high food price, high > fuel price, electricity and energy crisis, water scarcity, high costs of > private health care, a highly develop financial sector for the white, > inflation targeting and high interest rate. All these and many other > challenges faced by the working class needs a Party of power, the SACP that > is rooted amongst the masses. The Communist Party which is able (just like > the YCLSA did on Youth for Jobs Summit) to lead not only the working class > but also other s classes and gain it hegemony in society. > > On the basis of the foregoing and moving forward with the fight for the > improvement of the working class standard of living, the Young Communist > League of South Africa will be pondering on the question of the SACP and it > relationship with state power. We believe that the working class is the only > class capable of leading the Nation to Socialism, and the SACP is a > political instrument of the working class. > > Hence, as a way of conclusion, it therefore becomes crucial to ask > ourselves: where do we want to see the Party in ten years and what should be > its relationship with State power? This question cannot be answered without > taking stock and offering a concrete analysis of the challenges of > capitalism and its ideological influences aimed at rubbishing our rich > Alliance history. While that is so young people must continue to pose > difficult questions to the old and the old must never be irritated by such > question. In any way ours is to "learn, learn and learn and that the > bottom-line, because YCLSA had said so. > > Happy 89th anniversary uFasimba > > *Mafika Damane Mndebele, YCLSA National Working Committee member * > > -- > You are subscribed. This footer can help you. > Please POST your comments to [email protected] or reply to > this message. > You can visit the group WEB SITE at > http://groups.google.com/group/yclsa-eom-forum for different delivery > options, pages, files and membership. > To UNSUBSCRIBE, please email [email protected]. > You don't have to put anything in the "Subject:" field. You don't have to > put anything in the message part. All you have to do is to send an e-mail to > this address (repeat): [email protected] . > -- You are subscribed. This footer can help you. Please POST your comments to [email protected] or reply to this message. You can visit the group WEB SITE at http://groups.google.com/group/yclsa-eom-forum for different delivery options, pages, files and membership. To UNSUBSCRIBE, please email [email protected] . You don't have to put anything in the "Subject:" field. You don't have to put anything in the message part. All you have to do is to send an e-mail to this address (repeat): [email protected] .
