In Response to the Head of the Politburo of the Worker-communist Party of Iraq

 

Dear comrade Amjad Gafour

 

In your letter of September 1, 2004 and the Communiqué of the Politburo of the Worker Communist Party of Iraq, you have blamed (accused) the leadership of the Worker-communist Party of Iran of ‘dangerous, unprincipled and irresponsible methods’ in addressing the members and cadres of the Worker Communist Party of Iraq to ‘revolt’ (rebel) against the leadership of the party and undermine the party discipline and therefore violate the ‘organisational principal of the Mansour Hekmat’. These are unfounded accusations.

 

A section of your party leadership, (the leader of the party,) and part of your politburo resigned from the Worker-communist Party of Iran and formed another party along with those who left the Worker-communist Party of Iran. You’re (The Worker-communist party of Iraq’s) leadership, in a public statement, called for the people of Iran to join the newly formed party. In the political realm, this has no other meaning other than calling for dissolution of the Worker-communist Party of Iran. In fact, it is you who by acting destructively have abandoned the worker-communist and Mansour Hekmat tradition. Such a destructive method towards a party, which you belonged to, had a very close, warm and fraternal (comradely) relationship is incomprehensible and condemned from the worker-communist point of view. You owe an explanation to the members, cadres and leadership of the Worker-communist Party of Iran and the worker-communist movement in Iran, Iraq and internationally. Therefore I do not think that you are in a position to lecture us on the party principals, and worker-communist and Mansour Hekmat discipline. Attempt to gain a moral high ground, with this in mine, (mind) is inappropriate.

 

It must be mentioned that leadership of the Worker-communist Party of Iran has not called for any revolt against the leadership in the Worker Communist Party of Iraq. They have, however tried, beyond the hue and cry created by the division within our party, to bring to the attention of the cadres of the Worker Communist Party of Iraq the unprincipled decision made by the leadership of that party.  This decision has seriously negative consequences for the worker-communist movement in Iraq. We announce here that we do not have a hidden policy towards the Worker Communist Party of Iraq. We publish our policy openly and officially in our papers and sites and will act accordingly.

 

I should say that the fact that you are so worried about letters from several of our leadership and anxious of the unity of your party is not because these comrades and leaders have called for revolt against your leadership, but it is indicative of your unprincipled method in imposing a wrong political decision on your party. Without informing your party membership of the political debates and the reasons for a right wing split from the Worker-communist Party of Iran, you decided to leave this party and join the splinters. And in a one-sided manner and without involving the cadres and even the central committee members of your party in the decision making process in deciding such a crucial and significant decision, you imposed such a political decision on the Worker Communist Party of Iraq.

 

The essence of this unprincipled decision, as expected, has attracted (provoked) objection of many of your party cadres. You are answerable to your own rank (and file?). You should openly let your ranks know about the political facts. Blaming Worker-communist Party of Iran would not solve your problem. These methods correspond to the approach adopted by right wing split during the political dispute.  To allow the dust to settle and to provide an environment to focus on the essence of the debate and political dispute is (not) neither helpful to those who have recently left the party and you who have joined them to make (the newly established party) establish a party nor to your policy towards the Worker-communist Party of Iran; hence your hostile response to the letter sent by our comrades.

 

The Worker Communist Party of Iraq’s ranks must have an opportunity, in a calm manner to find out and examine the essence of the political dispute, which took place in our party and which led to split of some of our cadres on a right wing political perspective. This is the unreserved right of all those who belong to the worker-communist movement. As one of the battalion of this powerful and widespread movement, it is our earnest obligation to inform the society of the debates and differences in an unambiguous manner. We must bring clarity to this situation. Lucidity and openness is one of the fundamental principals of the worker-communism and Mansour Hekmat. Unfortunately the ranks of the Worker Communist Party of Iraq do not know about these debates and at most have heard a one-sided version and a second hand account of the debates and events.

 

One significant and undeniable fact is that some have left the Worker-communist Party of Iran and have done so based on a right wing platform. A platform that delays socialism and declares that ‘people will flee socialism’, and believes in a two stage revolution and has accepted the wing? tactics of the right such as civil disobedience, referendum, constituent assembly, provisional and coalition government. Apart from this platform, which has been the subject of the two years debate and dispute within the Worker-communist Party of Iran, the so called declaration of the 21 who left the party is a cold war and anti communist hysterical propaganda against the leadership of the leaders of the Worker-communist Party of Iran. This position and platform is sufficient to show that you have made an important and perilous mistake. The question that you and the international worker-communist movement faces is that (whether or not) are the ranks of the Worker Communist party of Iraq (are) aware of this platform and the declaration that your leadership has signed up to by joining the newly formed party? Do they know that the leadership of the Iraqi party has called for the people of Iran to join this so called declaration of the 21? We have a duty to tell these facts to the ranks of the Worker Communist Party of Iraq and will do so with all our power. One of our disputes with the right wing current was about the participation of cadres in the political future of the party. We, in line with the tradition of Mansour Hekmat, believe that the debates must be shared within the party and allow them to actively participate in the fate of their party. Following a long drawn dispute we managed to do so and majority of the cadres actively took part in this dispute and raised the victorious banner of the left in the party. The cadres of the Worker Communist Party of Iraq too must have the unambiguous facts of the situation and actively participate in the destiny of their party. Up until now the ranks of the worker Communist Party of Iraq had (have) been denied of this right.

 

Once again we demand that the leadership of the Worker-communist Party of Iraq must openly and officially re-consider their dissolving declaration and the August 25 declaration. As long as the leadership of the Worker Communist Party of Iraq backs this declaration, we openly address the members and cadres of the Worker-communist Party of Iraq and encourage them to use all the party and organisational channels to put pressure on their leadership to reconsider its position towards the Worker-communist Party of Iran.

 

We declare that since the continuation of relationship and our cooperation with the Worker-communist Party of Iraq as two parties of one movement is of importance to us and since the future of worker-communism in Iraq and continuance of the tradition of Mansour Hekmat in Iraq has a determining importance for us, and since we consider it essential that the members, cadres, workers and the people of Iraq learn about the essence of the political differences which led to a right wing split from the Worker-communist Party of Iran and that truth must be told, we will endeavour to inform the cadres and members of the Worker-communist Party of Iraq about the political differences. We are duty bound to intervene in the worker-communist movement in Iraq and defend Mansour Hekmat banner and in this path will do our outmost.

 

Azar Majedi

Head of the Politburo of the Worker-communist Party of Iran

8 September 2004