First Published: Defense of Marxism-Leninism, 1963.
Reprinted: Australia’s Revolution: On the Struggle for a Marxist-Leninist Communist Party August 1973.
Transcription, Editing and Markup: Paul Saba
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To the Victorian State President of the Communist Party of Australia:
Dear Comrade,
I feel that I can no longer remain a member of the Part and therefore must resign my position on the State Committee and also my membership. I can no longer remain a member when I consider the present state of affairs in the Party.
I, like many other members, had reservations on the Central Committee line of publicly taking sides in the ideological dispute and the public condemnation of fraternal Parties.
I felt that the Australian Communist Party should use its influence to help to call an international conference to settle disputes between other Parties. The public slander of fraternal Parties is something that I cannot be a party to, nor can I accept the attacks on members who have given a lifetime of service to our Party such as K. Miller, Flo Russell, Vida and Vic Little, Ted Hill and others.
Lobbying for the election of delegates to the coming State Conference is quite rampant. This lobbying is something quite foreign to our Party and as a result many comrades who are outstanding mass workers and trade unionists have been prevented from attending the conference because they have reservations about Party policy and the activities of Central Committee leadership and State Committee leadership.
Underhand methods and lying statements have been used – YES-men only are wanted. The present leadership is imposing on basic Party loyalty to have its policy accepted and the great bulk of the membership does not appreciate the position our Party is in.
I am taking this action not because I have in any way lost confidence in Communism but because, as the Party is going now, I am sure it will only do harm to the cause of Communism and my remaining in the Party would appear to support the present policy.
I know it is a very serious step to resign and I do not take it lightly.
After full consideration I take it, and hope that my action will at least have the effect of making you think again about what you are doing and to realize that other comrades are feeling the same disgust as I do over the position.
C. O’Shea