By Dimitris Koutsoumbas, General Secretary of KKE.
Published in Ethnos newspaper, 10/4/2016.
Translation from Greek: In Defense of Communism.
The discussions of the IMF's executives, which were published on "Wikileaks" site, highlighted the sharp contradictions between the IMF, parts of US Capital on the one hand and the EU, particularly parts of the German Capital on the other, which (contradictions) are manifested on the occasion of the Greek program and the difficulties regarding the completion of the current evalution.
Because it is naive for someone to think that the publication of these discussions, at this time, but also what followed, such as the Merkel-Langarde meeting, have to do only with the process of the Greek government's negotiation and the attitude of technocrats like Thomsen and Velkulescu.
The causes are much deeper and are related to the debt management as a whole and not only of Greece, as well as the course of the eurozone itself.
For example, the US and, by extention, the IMF, propound the completion of the evaluation as a prerequisite for a "haircut" of the Greek debt, which will be mainly shouldered by Germany.
Germany reacts to this prospect and raises the completion of the evalution as a measure of pressure for the acceleration of the reforms, even by keeping open the possibility of the country's exit from the eurozone.
Therefore, the exposure of this confrontation through media publications is neither random nor unprecedented. We remind the US-German conflict in the wake of the revelations by NSA agent Snowden, regarding the tapping of European officials by US agencies with the involvement of "Wikileaks".
Besides, lately, more generalized than ever, there are many conflicting scenarios about the future of the EU, always combined with the future of the eurozone, with Britain, France and Germany as the key actors of this conflict.
All these (happen) in the background of concerns regarding global economy, because in 2015 the global capitalist growth decelerated, while 2016 began with dangerous messages. The threat of new synchronized downturn in global capitalist economy throws even more "fuel to the fire" in the antagonisms between large business groups and the respective states and international alliances, which act like gangs of robbers. Their alliances, first and foremost, turn against the people, while they (alliances) are maintained for as long - and as many as fields - there is consistency of their interests.
Regarding the government, it is obvious that it leverages the discussions of IMF's staff, in order to restore the known and tested blackmail that "there are worse than this" - for the acceleration of the evaluation and the new package of measures, in order to embellish the memorandum signed with the EU. What is interesting is that, while the SYRIZA-ANEL government had all the previous period invested in the role of the IMF and US, now it appears to be closer to the positions of EU and Germany. Of course, this "good-evil" role-play cannot hide the fact that both the IMF and the EU have as a common goal the implementation of anti-people measures and the strengthening of their monopoly groups' profitability, at the expense of the Greek people.
The SYRIZA-ANEL government, which was elected having as a slogan the cancellation of the memorandums, comes today, 15 months later, to the point not only to implement the previous policies of New Democracy and PASOK but to sign one more, as well as making it's "banner" the literal application of the memorandum as an "act of defiance" towards IMF's demands!
Through this way, it tries to overcome the existing difficulties in completing the evaluation- difficulties which also relate to the different opinions within the Quartet- but also to overcome people's mobilization and opposition against the new measures, the taxation, social security plans etc. The bourgeois policy-maker staffs, both in Greece and abroad, prefer the "completion" of the "evaluation" by the SYRIZA-ANEL government, but they are also preparing for other possible political eventualities. While (on the same time) the other opposition parties and especially New Democracy rise the issue of governmental change, either through elections or by the present parliament.
All these must be in the knowledge of Greek people who must not passively look at the developments, must not getting trapped between "Scylla and Charybdis", must not carried away by the rulers' communication games but also of the other parties- but, more significantly, in order to be in a position, the people themselves, the workers, the movement to put their stamp on the developments, driven by their own interests and not by the misleading "national aim" of recovery, which is anyway uncertain, but most importantly because (this aim) will rely on the ruins of peoples' rights.
Above all, the people must be in a position to organise and direct their fight in asserting their rights, in building a new large People's Alliance, which will target the same rotten system and the monopoly groups.
Especially people who admit KKE's militancy, stability and consistency in the struggle for peoples' interests, are already puzzled. They can, they must do the step today and support actively the KKE's political proposal for the exit from the crisis, for a new type of social organisation, which will abolish the barbaric exploitation relations, will organise and direct the production, the economy, the social services, the relations with other countries towards the benefit of peoples' welfare, the real peoples' needs and the safeguard of permanent and stable work for all.
While this proposal is gaining ground, we will be in a position to delay and put obstacles to the anti-people measures, to demand the improvement of our life, to achieve things. There is enough experience. But the people have not yet realised and reclaimed their true power. This is the power that they, must and can, try now. The government must not be deluded that if it brings the proposed law in the parliament during the Easter holidays- along with the crucifixion and the epitaph- the people won't be in the streets.
In Defense of Communism ©.
Besides, lately, more generalized than ever, there are many conflicting scenarios about the future of the EU, always combined with the future of the eurozone, with Britain, France and Germany as the key actors of this conflict.
All these (happen) in the background of concerns regarding global economy, because in 2015 the global capitalist growth decelerated, while 2016 began with dangerous messages. The threat of new synchronized downturn in global capitalist economy throws even more "fuel to the fire" in the antagonisms between large business groups and the respective states and international alliances, which act like gangs of robbers. Their alliances, first and foremost, turn against the people, while they (alliances) are maintained for as long - and as many as fields - there is consistency of their interests.
Regarding the government, it is obvious that it leverages the discussions of IMF's staff, in order to restore the known and tested blackmail that "there are worse than this" - for the acceleration of the evaluation and the new package of measures, in order to embellish the memorandum signed with the EU. What is interesting is that, while the SYRIZA-ANEL government had all the previous period invested in the role of the IMF and US, now it appears to be closer to the positions of EU and Germany. Of course, this "good-evil" role-play cannot hide the fact that both the IMF and the EU have as a common goal the implementation of anti-people measures and the strengthening of their monopoly groups' profitability, at the expense of the Greek people.
The SYRIZA-ANEL government, which was elected having as a slogan the cancellation of the memorandums, comes today, 15 months later, to the point not only to implement the previous policies of New Democracy and PASOK but to sign one more, as well as making it's "banner" the literal application of the memorandum as an "act of defiance" towards IMF's demands!
Through this way, it tries to overcome the existing difficulties in completing the evaluation- difficulties which also relate to the different opinions within the Quartet- but also to overcome people's mobilization and opposition against the new measures, the taxation, social security plans etc. The bourgeois policy-maker staffs, both in Greece and abroad, prefer the "completion" of the "evaluation" by the SYRIZA-ANEL government, but they are also preparing for other possible political eventualities. While (on the same time) the other opposition parties and especially New Democracy rise the issue of governmental change, either through elections or by the present parliament.
All these must be in the knowledge of Greek people who must not passively look at the developments, must not getting trapped between "Scylla and Charybdis", must not carried away by the rulers' communication games but also of the other parties- but, more significantly, in order to be in a position, the people themselves, the workers, the movement to put their stamp on the developments, driven by their own interests and not by the misleading "national aim" of recovery, which is anyway uncertain, but most importantly because (this aim) will rely on the ruins of peoples' rights.
Above all, the people must be in a position to organise and direct their fight in asserting their rights, in building a new large People's Alliance, which will target the same rotten system and the monopoly groups.
Especially people who admit KKE's militancy, stability and consistency in the struggle for peoples' interests, are already puzzled. They can, they must do the step today and support actively the KKE's political proposal for the exit from the crisis, for a new type of social organisation, which will abolish the barbaric exploitation relations, will organise and direct the production, the economy, the social services, the relations with other countries towards the benefit of peoples' welfare, the real peoples' needs and the safeguard of permanent and stable work for all.
While this proposal is gaining ground, we will be in a position to delay and put obstacles to the anti-people measures, to demand the improvement of our life, to achieve things. There is enough experience. But the people have not yet realised and reclaimed their true power. This is the power that they, must and can, try now. The government must not be deluded that if it brings the proposed law in the parliament during the Easter holidays- along with the crucifixion and the epitaph- the people won't be in the streets.
In Defense of Communism ©.
