Written: May 29, 1977.
Transcription, Editing and Markup: Patrick Muldowney, Anita Hood and Paul Saba
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Comrades!
Re-read “Bombard the Headquarters. My Big Character Poster” by Comrade Mao Tsetung. Especially note the section:
They have stood facts on their head and juggled black and white, encircled and suppressed revolutionaries, stifled opinions differing from their own, imposed a white terror, and felt very pleased with themselves.
It is happening here. A Cultural revolution was needed in China. Something similar is needed here. We call for a rectification movement to fight the revisionist line within the C.P.A. (M-L), re-establish a Marxist-Leninist line and leadership and rebuild the Party as an organised fighting vanguard of the working class, capable of leading the Australian revolution to victory.
For some time we have been concerned about certain problems in the revolutionary struggle in Australia, but until recently did not see it as a question of the Party line. We now see it as involving revisionism in the Party, which has influenced us as well as everyone else.
We are now determined to break from this revisionism and unite the Party against it.
The catalyst in forming our views has been the denunciation of China’s ’gang of four’, the arbitrary way that this was imposed on the Party, the enthusiastic support given to what appear to be bad developments in China and the publication of the revisionist pamphlet ’Class Struggle Within the Communist Parties’.
There has also been the unprincipled handling of differences with the Party of Labour of Albania and other fraternal parties.
Although this was the catalyst, the main thing is that we have come to realize that the line of the Party leadership as expressed in ’Vanguard’ does not reflect the Party program.
The line in ’Vanguard’ pays only lip service to the Australian revolution, and tolerates a bourgeois nationalist trend. ’Struggle’ for independence is taken as a thing in itself and not as part of the Australian revolution. Superpower contention has been taken as the key link, not class struggle. Instead of practical, direct leadership of the mass movement there is abstract propaganda and general ’calls’ for struggle. While the revolutionary movement forges ahead, actively challenging and confronting the power of the authorities, the Party leadership, trails behind.
The Party leadership has flatly refused to discuss criticisms properly and has instead attacked those who disagree, both through rumours and public insinuations in ’Vanguard’!
This flagrant violation of Party principles did not intimidate opposition but has caused us, both Party members and supporters to begin meeting together to exchange views and experiences. We know that others are also doing this.
Subsequent to the open attacks in ’Vanguard’, we have already been forced to form a group, the RED EUREKA MOVEMENT, to promote the struggle. We invite those who agree with this statement to join our group, or to organise themselves in their own way, or to rebel as individuals.
We believe the whole situation should be discussed as widely as possible among Party members and supporters. We are not forming a new party, but trying to avoid a split in the present one.
Party leaders have explicitly called on those in opposition to “go your own way”, “form your own party” and “shout it from the rooftops.” We will not do that. Those who say this should realise that the Party is not their property, any more than it is ours. It belongs to the Australian working class. If these people want to go their own way, or form their own party, that is up to them. They have already been doing too much shouting from the rooftops.
The two-line Party struggle will have to go on outside the ’proper channels? because those ’proper channels?just do not exist. If such channels are re-established, then this will no longer be necessary.
We see the struggle as having some similarities to the way in which a variety of mass revolutionary rebel organizations arose in the Chinese Cultural Revolution to fight revisionism in the party. There will be great confusion and turmoil here as there was in China. At first the rebels will be in a minority. But, “Going against the tide is a Marxist-Leninist principle.” There is nothing to be afraid of.
All sorts of groups will appear, with different views, both good and bad. In the long run however, it will make the Communist Party of Australia (ML) a stronger and more united party. Of course this struggle is carried out under conditions of bourgeois dictatorship while in China the proletariat held power. That must always be kept in mind, even while opening up the struggle in the widest possible way.
Australia needs a revolution. It needs a revolutionary party to lead that revolution. It needs a united front of all revolutionary classes and groups and a people’s army, both under the leadership of that working class party. The two line struggle is to assist that. Any actions that hinder it should be opposed. At all times we should strive to unite all forces that can be united and oppose all unprincipled actions and personal disputes, even under the greatest provocation.
We will unite with anybody who will fight against imperialism, and for building a new Australia,irrespective of differences on any concrete questions.
We support the widest possible establishment of study and action groups open to revolutionaries of different views, to promote mass understanding of Marxism-Leninism-Mao Tsetung Thought, and wage this struggle. This will also assist giving concrete leadership in the mass movement. We ourselves are only one such group.
A discussion bulletin is being published to carry reference material and documents relating to the struggle and fulfill the tasks that ought to be carried out by an internal party journal.
We stand for active ideological struggle because it is the weapon for ensuring unity within the party and the revolutionary organizations in the interests of our fight. Every communist and revolutionary should take up this weapon. (Mao Tsetung, “Combat Liberalism” September 7, 1937)
We must rid our minds of blind faith. It is time to bombard the Headquarters.