First Published: The Call, Vol. 6, No. 11, March 21, 1977.
Transcription, Editing and Markup: Paul Saba
Copyright: This work is in the Public Domain under the Creative Commons Common Deed. You can freely copy, distribute and display this work; as well as make derivative and commercial works. Please credit the Encyclopedia of Anti-Revisionism On-Line as your source, include the url to this work, and note any of the transcribers, editors & proofreaders above.
In the near future, the Organizing Committee for a Marxist-Leninist Party (OC) will convene its Second Unity Conference. The conference will be the last major step in laying the groundwork for the formation of the new communist party and the holding of the first party congress.
Over the last several months the unity of the OC groups has been deepened through ideological discussion and joint, mass activities. Most recently, all of the OC groups participated in successful International Women’s Day events around the country.
To carry out the Women’s Day campaign, the OC groups jointly mobilized workers, participated in work teams, writing and distributing special propaganda and agitation in factories and communities. AH these experiences provided an excellent opportunity for members of OC groups to carry out extensive discussions on the woman question, international situation and many other questions. This has contributed greatly to raising their ideological level and political unity.
As a result of these efforts, many advanced workers have been won to join the party-building efforts. In addition, new Marxist-Leninist organizations have joined the ranks of the Organizing Committee and will be attending the Second Unity Conference.
One of the most important tasks of the conference will be to prepare the draft program to be distributed publicly immediately after the conference. Since the internal publication of the program, the OC organizations have gone through an initial period of discussion, and unity has been achieved on its general line. Many excellent criticisms of the first draft, aimed at strengthening it, have come from the rank and file of the OC groups.
There will be continued study and criticism of both the draft program and the constitution after they are openly distributed. The program at that time will be taken to the masses of workers for discussion and debate, especially in study circles and Call discussion groups.
The discussions around the draft party program have militantly reaffirmed and deepened the correct Marxist-Leninist line stated in the unity principles of the OC. They have also furthered the struggle against modern revisionism and distortions of Marxism-Leninism by various opportunists.
While opportunists like the RCP and the Guardian centrists conciliate with Soviet social-imperialism and modern revisionism, the draft program correctly points out the actual role of the USSR today as a fascist dictatorship of the Hitler type and the most dangerous source of a new world war. The program upholds the Marxist-Leninist theory of the “three worlds” as a basic guide to understanding the friends and enemies of the working class in the international struggle.
Other sections of the program dealing with the trade unions, the national and woman questions, and united front, all clearly distinguish the line of the new party from modern revisionism and its apologists.
Following the open publication of the program, these discussions will be carried out in the pages of The Call. The OC is calling upon activists in the communist movement, workers and sympathizers to send in letters of support, questions, commentary and explanations of the different sections of the draft program and constitution. The OC is planning a series of articles about the program to clarify some of the burning questions be debated within the communist movement today.
In addition to the program and constitution, the Unity Conference will also take up the question of party leadership. This question will be crucial, especially the upcoming period of setting the party on its feet; organizing party units and districts, and unifying all the OC groups into one party under democratic-centralism.
The draft constitution sets clear guidelines for the selection of leadership, pointing out that party leaders must show absolute devotion to the cause of the working class, be steeled and disciplined in class struggle, have the closest contact with the masses and the ability to find their own bearings, always practicing Marxism-Leninism and not revisionism.
The conference will discuss the criteria to be used in selecting party leadership. In addition to veteran communist leaders special consideration will be given to leaders from among the workers, minorities and women who have emerged significant class battles over the last period and the struggle against revisionism.
The adoption of the program and constitution, along with the selection leadership, are the main tasks of the first party congress. In addition to these things, the Unity Conference will plan the full congress agenda and discuss the political report to be given at the congress.
Preparing for the congress requires that the conference also adopt a set of rules and a unified policy for the selection of delegates to insure that each organization is represented at the congress by the most active leaders of the communist movement.
All of the OC members are preparing for the formation of the new party. The Second Unity Conference will mark the last major step in preparation for the founding congress of the new party.
ON TO THE PARTY CONGRESS! MARXIST-LENINISTS UNITE!