The Worker: Nepal Maoists and Indian Maoists on New Communist International

The following interview excerpts are taken from issue number 10 of The Worker, organ of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) [CPN(Maoist)]. The first excerpt is from an interview with Comrade Prachanda, CPN (Maoist) leader, and the second is an from an interview with Comrade Ganapathi, leader of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) [CPI(Maoist)]. Emphases are mine.

Question: RIM has been in existence since past two decades. But one does not feel that it is developing and expanding at the expected pace. What is the Party's understanding on the challenges and possibilities of constituting a new Communist International?

Prachanda: Following the demise of Comrade Mao, capitalist restoration took place even in China: With this, imperialism and right revisionism intensified worldwide attacks on the revolutionary principles of MLM. At that difficult and complex juncture, it was the historical responsibility of genuine proletarian communists to take up special initiative to defend the basic revolutionary principles of MLM. The Revolution­ary Internationalist Movement (RIM) was organized in the background of fulfilling that historical respon­sibility. To the extent of defending MLM from the attack of imperialism and revisionism, definitely, the establishment and initiative of RIM played an im­portant role. But, in the context of applying and de­veloping MLM, RIM has not been able to take leaps. RIM can develop only by struggling against prob­lems, like the tendency of preferring to analyze and eulogize the experiences of old proletarian revolu­tions but hesitating to develop boldly the strategies and tactics based on mass line, by carrying out con­crete analysis of concrete condition.

Constituting a new Communist International has definitely become essential for the proletariat to fight against globalized imperialism and globalized revi­sionism, especially in the context of today's world situation. The challenges in the context of organiz­ing an International are the mainly the challenges of maintaining ideological uniformity on the question of defence, application and development of MLM. This challenge can be confronted in the course of ideological struggle and class struggle. As far as the question of possibility is concerned, "globalization" has prepared good grounds for the founding of an International.

...

Question: How is your party looking at the role that the RIM has been playing ideologically and politically in the con­temporary international communist movement?

Ganapathi: Our Party has a positive and critical approach towards RIM. On the one hand, we recognize the positive ideological-political role played by RIM on certain questions such as its analysis of the counter­revolution in China after the demise of Mao. This certainly helped those revolutionary parties that had some confusion regarding the developments in China.

On the other hand, our Party also has differences on some ideological-political questions such as the question of assessment of Stalin, concept of a new International, question of democratic centralism, and the problems in the functioning of CoRIM and so on. The manner in which RIM has been dealing with the question of Stalin is only creating more differ­ences within the Maoist camp. We are debating with CoRIM on all such questions.

Our Party has adopted the correct method of unity-struggle-unity in resolving our differences with RIM. We must adopt this method in solving the problems confronting the ICM.

Comment: Though the question was about RIM, which is not a new International, this seems to cut to heart of whether or not international organization of communist parties and organizations is appropriate. The Filipino Party definitely answers "no." The Nepalese say "yes," and are a part of RIM. The CPI(Maoist), which is not a part of RIM, is not clear here, but implies they at a minimum have problems with the RIM conception of what a new International should be. This debate will likely expand and become more concrete as revolutionary struggles intensify across South Asia. Certainly, the CPN(Maoist) conceptions concerning the implications of globalization are provocative and should be thoroughly analyzed.