“Minority” Resolution on the OCIC

Encyclopedia of Anti-Revisionism On-Line

“Minority” Resolution on the OCIC

Issued: n.d. [July 1980].
Transcription, Editing and Markup: Paul Saba
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Within the broader anti-revisionist, anti-“left” opportunist tendency there exist several distinct party building centers.

The Steering Committee of the OCIC must put the interests of our tendency as a whole over the interests of the OC and cease its “siege mentality”. Instead, it must develop relations with all forces based on respect and comraderie, implementing the principle of unity-struggle-unity.

The OC and its local and regional centers are but one arena for taking up the theoretical struggle of the movement and as such will not embody the totality of the movement's ideological leadership.

The Steering Committee must recognize these objective facts and break with its sectarian practices and circle warfare against those within the OC who are critical of its line and practice and those who choose to remain outside of the OC for principled political differences.

The struggle to build a single, unified ideological center for our movement will be a protracted one. Its existence cannot be asserted. The decisive factor in the creation of such a single center will be the development of genuine theoretical and political unity.

The Steering Committee must recognize that the decisive factor in forging the party spirit is not through the breakdown of organizational barriers or through a set of rules and policies. Without genuine ideological struggle and theoretical and political unity, such practices are bureaucratic. The SC must restore the correct relationship between politics and organizational form.

The OC must be open to participation of individuals, particularly since racism has prevented the participation of many minority Marxist-Leninists in existing local organizations.

BE IT RESOLVED: That the Steering Committee should seek out all forces in our movement within and outside the OC to initiate proposals for national joint work to develop collective theoretical and political study and struggle.

That, internally the Steering Committee should organize the dissemination and discussion of various lines, instead of simply disseminating its own, on what can be collectively determined to be central political issues. Open and democratic ideological struggle must be ensured.

That, the OC should place party building line on its agenda, given it is the key line difference dividing our tendency. To sidestep the major question facing our movement is irresponsible and objectively holding back the development of unity of our forces.

“Minority” Resolution on the NMM-LC and Process

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“Minority” Resolution on the NMM-LC and Process

It is extremely important for the OC to recognize and sum-up the racist and white chauvinist errors that were made in the OC relative to the NMM-LC. It is also extremely important for us to ensure that a correct process for identifying and correcting these errors is developed.

In this regard the campaign against white chauvinism conceived and launched by the SC presents the clear danger that a positive and necessary struggle against racism will be replaced by an unprincipled and ultra-“left” campaign of unfounded accusations and ritualized criticism/self-criticism. This danger is reinforced by the fact that the SC has taken as its model the disastrous and ultra-“left” campaign against white chauvinism which was unleashed in the Communist Party, USA in the 1949-1953 period.

The notion of a white chauvinist conspiracy among communists, put forward at this conference, is clear proof that the SC1 has abandoned Marxism-Leninism in the course of this campaign. This conspiracy theory has all the ear-marks of the “white skin privilege” line that has been decisively repudiated by our tendency.

The correct and necessary struggle against racism, to be effective, should proceed in the following manner.
1. It should unfold in the context of correct criticism/self-criticism: a) unity-struggle-unity; and b) “cure the disease to save the patient.”
2. The campaign must be waged against racism, not racists. It must be a political struggle, not a struggle against persons.
3. The charge of racism is a serious one, and must not be raised lightly. It can never be used as a form of retaliation against criticism or opposing views.
4. In targetting racism we must always keep in mind that the source of racism within the communist movement is the racist ideology and practices of capitalist society, which then find their reflection in the communist movement. This relationship must be taken into account if white chauvinist errors in the communist movement are to be clearly and objectively identified. All subjectivism should be avoided and a principled and comradely approach should be employed at all times.
5. Once racist errors are identified, the real process of their rectification should not proceed through ritualized and public self-flagellation. Instead comrades can truly rectify their errors only in practice, the practice of actively participating in the production of the necessary theory and politics with which to combat racism, and in the concrete anti-racist struggle itself.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:

That the SC abandon its ultra-“left” campaign against white chauvinism which, if continued, can only seriously damage any genuine effort to combat white chauvinism and racism, as well as discredit the OC within the Communist movement.

That the SC take up the correct method of struggling against racism and white chauvinism.

That the notion of a white chauvinist conspiracy among communists is alien to Marxism-Leninism and MUST BE RETRACTED BY THE STEERING COMMITEEE. A self-criticism for this flagrant abandonment of Marxism-Leninism is also in order.