IN DEFENSE OF MARXISM
The 32nd congress of the Pakistani Marxists opened on Saturday, 9th March and was well beyond expectations in terms of the number of comrades and sympathisers attending. With 2769 comrades registering for the first day, this makes it the biggest congress ever. Comrade came from all over the country in a mood of enormous enthusiasm, as this country is plunged into the deepest crisis in its history.
Comrades travelled from far off areas to Lahore to attend the congress. It was not easy for them, as they have had to bear many hardships, including massively increased fares of trains and buses. Pakistan Railways are in a serious crisis and many trains have been removed from the timetable or privatized, increasing further difficulties for passengers. Due to regular petrol and gas shortages, simply arriving on time for the congress was a big difficulty. In spite of this the comrades were determined and started out on their journey one day before the scheduled time, in order to make sure no last minute hitches could delay them getting to the congress.
Many students, unemployed youth and labourers who could not afford the fares and fees for the congress had been raising Fighting Fund over the last few months so that they should not miss this historic gathering and play their important role in its deliberations.
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Claudio Bellotti, an Italian comrade, member of the Executive Committee of Rifondazione Comunista and a leading cadre of FalceMartello, the Italian section of the IMT, was also present in the congress, and spoke on the latest situation in Italy after the recent elections. He explained the serious crisis Italy finds itself in and the threat this poses to the European Union as a whole. He also offered some poetry, this time from Dante’s Inferno, which was particularly appreciated. Arsalan Ghani, the President of the Postgraduate Union at Cambridge University also intervened, explaining the situation facing students in the UK with the increasing fees and other attacks. He explained how first in Belgium and then in the UK he had taken part in solidarity activities with workers and stressed the need to take part in the struggle wherever comrades are based.
Many questions were posed to Fred Weston on such issues as the role of religion, the future of the Venezuelan and Egyptian revolutions, the situation in Iran and Afghanistan, and many others. In answering, Fred Weston explained that there was no guarantee of victory of the socialist revolution as history has amply shown over and over again. What is required is the building of mass Marxist currents and later parties that would be capable of providing the workers with the revolutionary leadership they deserve. In answering the point on religion, he pointed out religion has a grip on the minds of the many because of the terrible conditions they are living. But rather than discussing the next world we should be working together to change this one. He ended by stressing the need to build the forces of Marxism in Pakistan and on a world level.
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