The Inside Assyria Discussion Forum #5

=> The ICP

Posted by Maggie (Guest) - Wednesday, February 7 2007, 0:05:38 (CET)
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In a communique published earlier this week, the Iraqi Communist Party (ICP) reported on the events and decisions of its recent Central Committee meeting held in Baghdad. The document took stock of the situation in Iraq and the Party’s role in the struggle for national sovereignty and the elimination of the legacy of the Saddam dictatorship and foreign occupation. It detailed the political and economic life of the country, the Party’s involvement in activist organizations and offered recommendations for solutions to pressing national concerns.

The communique described conditions in Iraq as "getting more difficult and complex." It pointed to an "out of control" security situation with "worsening acts of terrorism and sabotage" accompanied by deteriorating conditions of life, high unemployment, the "paralysis of reconstruction," and the negative impact of economic restructuring. The ICP characterized living conditions as being hurt by an "awful deterioration in the public services, especially electricity and water and the provision of oil products, as well as municipal services."

The document criticized the Iraqi government for failing to "adopt a clear economic policy, acting in a haphazard manner and submitting to the pressures exerted by international financial and monetary institutions." It further charged that the government spent "enormous funds" supposedly to provide public services but failing to achieve concrete results.

The document cited poverty rates as high as 20 percent, unemployment approaching 50 percent, and inflation well over 30 percent. To make matters worse, the food rationing system has failed to be adequately implemented and may be in line for budget cuts. The Party accused the government of bending to the "the advice and pressures of the IMF, the World Bank and members of the Paris Club" in making its proposals for these cuts, as well as it price hikes for oil products last winter, during an ongoing economic crisis.

Harsh government budgetary proposals overall, the ICP argues, may be in line with IMF mandates but they will harm working Iraqis and heighten economic hardships.

The document added that in the midst of these poor living conditions, the people of Iraq are struggling to dismantle the legacy of Saddam’s dictatorship and foreign military occupation. Involved in this picture is the continuing political battle over the character of the Iraqi state and sectarian-ethnic violence and polarization.

Protests against the government’s IMF mandated economic polices, financial corruption, and more broadly for democratic character to the current flawed Constitution have grown. The Party reiterated that it sees its task as mobilizing and joining with the mass of Iraqis to amend the current Constitution into one that "consolidates civil democratic life and [the] peaceful transfer of power, strengthens national unity, [and] resists whatever that may fragment the society into allegiances that are detrimental to citizenship." It called for a Constitution "that draws on the achievements of human experience and the values of justice and human rights."

The Iraqi Communists described their current role as "exerting efforts to influence effectively the direction of the political process, its content and pace, so as to bring it closer to the patriotic democratic vision that we strive to achieve."

The ICP document detailed several measures for improving the conditions of life in Iraq. On the question of security, the document asserted the need to strengthen security forces "on the basis of competence, integrity and patriotism." At their heart, security institutions "must incorporate national unity in their structure and practice, giving a sense of belonging to all Iraqis" regardless of political, ethnic or religious identity.

The document denounced violence and the growing influence of local sectarian militias, whose aim is to further polarize different sectors of Iraqi society, and hinted at accusing the current government of wasting resources earmarked for security. It described the source of sectarian violence "partly due to some political forces employing the policy of sectarian-ethnic polarization as an alternative to political programs in competing with other forces to seize political power and influential positions in government."

Terrorist forces – distinct from sectarian groupings – are another major source of violence in Iraq. They aim to disrupt the process of forging national unity and the formation of democracy in Iraq by exerting "enormous efforts to stir up and deepen the sentiments of sectarian hostility and hatred, exploiting them in their brutal battle to frustrate the democratic process in Iraq," the ICP argued.

The best weapon against sectarian and terrorist violence, the Communists said, is the formation of the broadest possible national unity government. Formed "on the basis of dialogue, enhancing the values of citizenship and national unity," such a government "will create hope and optimism, build a climate of confidence and push the political process forward."

To achieve this end, the ICP issued an appeal "for an all-inclusive national dialogue between all the political forces, except for the terrorists, Saddamists and Islamic extremists – the enemies of the people and democracy." All political groups that reject violence and express a willingness to negotiate and dialogue in good faith should be involved.

The document highlighted the call for full sovereignty and independence and described foreign military occupation a constituting a" violation of national sovereignty that the party strives to fully regain." The party emphasized the need for establishing functional security institutions as part of the effort to regain sovereignty.

For its part, the ICP stated that it viewed the following tasks as among the most essential:

Activating mass and political struggle, mobilizing efforts in the direction of forming the national unity government and participating in the decision-making process.
Continuing the ideological, political and media effort aimed at exposing the harm caused by sectarian bigotry, violence and terrorism, and emphasizing Iraqi citizenship and national identity.
Struggle to achieve a radical improvement in the security field. This requires a new approach to tackle the security issue, considering it to be a societal issue of economic, social and political roots, rather than a purely security issue. In addition, the efforts of various sections of the society must be mobilized to put an end to the role of the various militias, and stressing the importance of rebuilding the security and military forces as national Iraqi institutions.
Struggle to bring about a qualitative improvement in the field of basic services provided for the citizens, first and foremost electricity, water, health and education services.
Supporting the struggles of the unemployed for the right to work, and calling for setting up a social security fund and insurance against unemployment, coupled with obliging the next government to develop a concrete plan to combat unemployment as a problem that has economic, social and political dimensions.
Support workers’ struggle against expulsions, factory closures and reduction of working hours; demanding better wages and an increase of the minimum wage.
Striving to halt the privatization processes in the current conditions, and supporting struggles for the rehabilitation of factories and industries and providing necessary prerequisites, along with ensuring competent administrations to run them.
Struggle against all forms of corruption, enacting legislation and regulations that prevent those who commit economic crimes from escaping punishment, and ensuring that the plundered moneys and assets of the people are recovered. A democratic system cannot be built while there is rampant corruption and mafias penetrating inside the state agencies, on all levels.
Supporting efforts to maintain the food ration system and working to improve the quality of its items, and combating any attempts to abolish it in the current conditions.

--Editor’s Note: Political Affairs affirms its full support for the struggle of the people of the US to end Bush’s war on Iraq and to bring US troops home immediately. We reject the lies and misleadership of the Bush administration and its Republican Party allies in Congress that brought the US into an illegal, unnecessary war on Iraq. We call for unconditional reparations to the Iraqi people for this illegal war. We stand in solidarity with the Iraqi people, its working class, and the Iraqi Communist Party in their struggle for peace, sovereignty, national unity, and democracy. We look forward to the day when our peoples will greet each other under conditions of peace and a truly independent and democratic Iraq.

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