Nepal: Launching the Campaign for the Revolution

From Maoist List;

By Rishi Raj Baral

Here I am not going to clarify   the definition of intellectuals, nor  I am going to  explain the role of intellectuals played in the revolution. History has already demonstrated the role played by revolutionary intellectuals during the    people's revolution. And now in the global perspective, Marxist intellectuals of 21st century are playing the vanguard   role in the ideological front. In Nepal, we have a long and bright history of intellectuals, who played brilliant role since Rana Regime  to up to now. 
During the ten-year People's War Nepalese intellectuals played a outstanding role. They faught with pen and gun. Intellectuals who joined the  ten-year People's War are morally boost up and have revolutionary spirit and they  want to play active role in the upcoming  days too. But it is the matter to note that some of our comrades have a problem  to understand the revolutionary role of intellectuals. Verbally they accept the role of intellectuals, but in  practice they always discard the role of intellectuals in the class struggle. In fact, they are reluctant to accept the role of intellectuals.
Our leaders symbolize themselves as the Maoist, a true follower of MLM. But regarding the question of intellectuals, they have no any interest to follow the teachings of Mao. During the period of New democratic revolution in 1939, Mao wrote a document-Recruit large numbers of intellectuals. It is a document of great significance. As he states:
•    Without the participation of the intellectuals victory in the revolution is impossible. Our Party and our army have made considerable efforts to recruit intellectuals during the last three years, and many revolutionary intellectuals have been absorbed into the Party, the army, the organs of government, the cultural movement and the mass movement, thus broadening the united front, this is a major achievement. But many of the army cadres are not yet alive to the importance of the intellectuals, they still regard them with some apprehension and are even inclined to discriminate against them or shut them out. Many of our training institutes are still hesitant about enrolling young students in large numbers. Many of our local Party branches are still reluctant to let intellectuals join. All this is due to failure to understand the importance of the intellectuals for the revolutionary cause.

Similarly, during the period of Socialist reconstruction in 1957, Mao highlighted the role of intellectuals as the army of intellectuals. As he has mentioned:
•    The proletariat must build up its own army of intellectuals, just as the bourgeoisie does. The regime of a given class cannot do without its own intellectuals. How could bourgeois dictatorship be possible in the United States without its intellectuals? Ours is a dictatorship of the proletariat, and the proletariat must build its own army of intellectuals, including all those intellectuals from the old society who truly take a firm working-class stand after being remoulded.
In fact, some of the comrades of  Maoist party have badly incarcerated  by intellecto-phobia. They think that they are senior leaders, they are the members of standing committee and polite bureau.  They know each and everything, therefore, no need to listen the words of junior comrades and intellectuals. They have no any interest in debate and discussions. They are not interested to study and to make opinion about communist movement, especially International Communist Movement. They are habituated in stereo type of thinking and there working style has been   bounded in a particular routine. Indeed, they are badly entrapped by bureaucratic attitudes as Mao has mentioned in his famous article Twenty Manifestations Of Bureaucracy.
Now we have  a new party, Communist Party of Nepal - Maoist.  People are optimistic to us. They are looking for us.  It is the time to make new  and dynamic departure- real rupture with the old one.  New party have a strong team of revolutionary intellectuals.  We have university professors, cultural activists, journalists and whole timer intellectuals of ten-year People's War. It is the time to centralize the Marxists intellectuals around the party organisation.  We must have a new army of Marxist intellectuals. But it is the matter to worry that our comrades are always frightened with the  Marxists intellectuals.  Revolutionary intellectuals are firm in their conviction and are ready  to sacrifice their lives for the cause of revolution . We always respect our senior leaders but not the termites. We want to make clear that no one should behave with intellectuals as the personal employees and desk clerks. 
This type of tendency has badly damaged our revolution. In fact, factionalism, utilitarianism, pragmatism, empiricism, regionalism and impressionism are the main problems in the Maoist party then and now. We are compelled to express that organisationally we have separated ourselves from the Prachanda-Baburam- the real traitor of 21st century, but culturally and in the style of  work,   we are floating in the same boat.
Maximum utilization of the intellectuals should be our objective. We have to produce a large number of red and experts. It needs some plan and program. But we have no any plan and program to centralize and activate the intellectuals for the sake of revolution. To be very frank, in the name of intellectuals  our leaders want a bunch of phony intellectuals. Revolutionary intellectuals always respect the party  leaders and seniors, but they never accept the NGO/INGO lovers and their followers. They always avoid the N/INGO intellectuals and their masters. Marxist intellectuals have some sense, sensibility and dignity too.
Country needs the active role of intellectuals for the safe guard of national sovereignty and  to fight for the people's democracy. Intellectuals can play the significant role in party and the joint front. There is one and only way of Nepalese revolution- that is New Democratic Revolution. And we all know without armed struggle we will not be able to achieve our goal. Right now, we must operate the both rural and urban front proficiently. But the main point is to follow the spirit of The Great Chinese Cultural Revolution, going back to the rural areas for the new preparation.
There is three month left to National Convention and still we are at the crossroads. And it is true, National Convention will not produce any   miraculous result. Before meeting at National Convention, it needs a great debate and discussion on party line and as well as in policy and program. But right now, we are facing new type of problem that is : instead of class struggle some of our comrades are pleading the politics of  gender, ethnicity and regionalism.  Gradually another problem is budding in our party, that  is:  egoistical and childish squabble  of 'first generation and second generation'. We all know, age is not the decisive factor in the revolution. The major factor is the party line, which decides everything. As we know-'The correctness or incorrectness of the ideological and political line decides everything'. There must be politics in command. We always speak to build a new type of party, a party of Bolshevik type. How can we achieve our goal when we are always engaged in building new 'kotaries'– the nests. No factionalism and regionalism, but the strong unity among the party leadership and cadres camp.
We are living in the 2nd decade of 21st century. Debates and discussions are going on in the International Communist Movement. There are some complications, but no one can deny  that the reorganization of the   Maoist parties is the central task of the revolutionaries. And we all know, the ideological aspect will be the central point in this regard. Oppressed people of India are fighting for the new democracy revolution beneath the banner of CPN-Maoist. Our  brave comrades of India are launching People's War against the reactionary regime of Indian.
Base areas or Russian model, Comrades of imperialists countries are active in debate and discussions. Some of our comrades and parties within the 'RIM' and outside are pleading the politics of 'New Synthesis'–the new stage going beyond Mao and Maoism. 'New Synthesis' has given an interesting  topic  for those, who are interested in academic debate and discussions. 'New Synthesis' has confused us, it lacks of clarity.  CPN-Maoist  has not come out with  official decision on above mentioned issues, and it is obvious,  revolutionary intellectuals can   play the  decisive role in such cases. 
What will be the next step of CPN-Maoist is obscure until now. The sky is covered with dark cloud  and we are waiting for the heavy rain. We all know  it is not easy to move forward, things have badly damaged.  Just we have the history–the glorious history of ten-Year People's War. Except revolutionary spirit and devotion, we have lost everything–the people's army, base areas, people's local government and local judiciaries. And it is the universal truth that  before advancing  in  new practice we must be clear in principle. We all know a blunt knife draws no blood.  Still some of our comrades, even the senior leaders are crying for 'politics of single identity', federalism and constituent assembly. They haven't forgotten the luxurious life style of the period of constituent assembly- the parliamentary exercise. We must have firm faith in Marxism-Leninism –Maoism, not only in words but in practice too.
At present, intellectuals can play the active role in making public opinion. They can play the significant role in the ideological front. But first of all, our leaders must be clear about the role of intellectuals. They have to use art and science to motivate the intellectuals within the party and outside, and  it needs a great sacrifice. We hope our comrades will come out from the dark tunnel of superiority complex- the residual part of feudalistic attitudes.
Marxist intellectuals don't want just to be the bookworms. They can play vital role in the class struggle. But it depends on how we activate and motivate them.
Dear Comrades! it is not the bargaining for the posts, but launching the campaign for the revolution.  Marxist intellectuals are not the burden, but the driving force of the revolution.

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