First Published: The Communist, Vol. IV, No. 2, November 17, 1977.
Transcription, Editing and Markup: Paul Saba
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The Kampuchean Communist Party and Government Delegation visited the People’s Republic of China on September 28. This visit had particular importance because it marked the 17th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of Democratic Kampuchea (formerly Cambodia) and came on the eve of the 28th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.
Upon arrival in Peking, Pol Pot, the Secretary of the Central Committee of the Kampuchean Communist Party and the entire delegation were greeted by Chairman Hua Kuo-feng along with over 100,000 people. The greeting was joyful and warm, marked by dances and songs. This rousing welcome was vivid testimony of the great fraternal solidarity between Democratic Kampuchea and the People’s Republic of China, two socialist countries and revolutionary base areas for the struggle of the world’s people against superpower hegemonism.
The militant friendship between China and Kampuchea has a long history. Both countries stood up and successfully waged wars of national liberation. In both countries, the socialist revolution was carried out and the dictatorship of the proletariat established. Both Kampuchea and China share common experience and common tasks with other third world countries. Based on their revolutionary leadership they stood at the forefront of the united front against US imperialism and all its running dogs. Their successful revolutions sparked a tidal wave of struggle throughout the third world. These words of Pol Pot on the significance of the Chinese revolution hold true for the Kampuchean revolution as well:
This brought about an earth-shaking change in Asia and the world as a whole, and particularly, it constituted a great encouragement and spur to the revolutionary movement for national liberation and people’s liberation for the oppressed people the world over. Today they stand as revolutionary beacons guiding the united struggle of the world’s people against the hegemonism of the two super-powers.
The central factor that led to the victories in the Kampuchean revolution was the Communist Party of Kampuchea. Formed only 17 years ago, it grew and became “the force at the core” leading the people in their just struggle. At all times “the force at the core” was guided by the science of Marxism-Leninism-Mao Tsetung Thought. It was in combining the science with the concrete conditions of the Kampuchean revolution that the path to victory was guaranteed.
An example of this application was the Kampuchean Party’s use of the lessons laid down by Chairman Mao on the new democratic revolution. Pol Pot characterized these lessons as “mainly teaching on building the Party into a solid leading core, on the establishment of a powerful united front, on the building of a heroic revolutionary army as well as those on the analysis of classes in society, on contradiction, on practice, on the establishment of rural revolutionary base areas, on revolutionary violence, on the strategy and tactics of people’s war, on revolutionary culture, art and literature, etc.” “Our people and the revolutionary people of the world,” stated Pol Pot, “deeply, believe that Mao Tsetung Thought is always efficacious, sharp and victorious.”
Guided by a path based on revolutionary theory, the Kampuchean people rose up against US imperialism at a time when US imperialism appeared strong and looked like a real tiger. On the basis of uniting all that could be united to defeat US imperialism and its lackeys, the Party built a long lasting alliance between the working class and peasantry. Unity was built firmly among the oppressed nationalities and tactical alliances with sectors of the national bourgeoisie. With this strategy, they fought a people’s war, relying on the mass revolutionary movement and the people’s army the Khmer Rouge.
With the rallying of all patriotic and revolutionary forces, Kampuchea was able to withstand the tons of bombs dropped on Phom Penh and other cities, was able to withstand the damage done to crops and land by vicious chemical warfare of US imperialism. The Kampuchean people withstood and overcame these obstacles even the betrayal by the USSR revisionists who supported the traitorous Lon Nol regime – and won victory. By their efforts, they showed the people of the third world countries how to deal merciless blows at US imperialism, proving that a small country can defeat a big country and that US imperialism was in essence a paper tiger. The victory of the Kampuchean revolution showed the world that Marxism-Leninism-Mao Tsetung Thought is an invincible weapon in the hands of the oppressed people of the world.
In a speech at a dinner, Chairman Hua Kuo-feng pointed out that not only were the Kampuchean people able to destroy the old society, but that they were also successful in building a new one.
Under the dictatorship of the proletariat, Democratic Kampuchea is able to play a leading role in the third world through the example of socialist construction. The development of its economy is without aid from either superpower and is based totally on self-reliance. The speed of its development is remarkable given the devastation US imperialism’s war of aggression wrought on the land and the people.
Since liberation, industry and handicrafts are beginning to emerge throughout the entire country. Because of this they have been able to put the people to work.
In 1976, 80% of the plan for grain production was fulfilled. On this basis the people are able to get adequate rice for a healthy diet and Kampuchea has been able to export tens of thousands of tons of rice in 1977. A large scale project of irrigation canals and dams has been carried out so that people no longer fear either excessively dry or rainy seasons.
This year, the first year of the 4 year plan for the eradication of malaria, 70 to 80% of the objectives have been realized. Most diseases left over from the old society have been done away with. Each farm cooperative has its own medical clinic and pharmacy. Democratic Kampuchea looks to the well-being of its people and hopes to increase its population from the present 8 million to 15 to 20 million in the course of the next ten years.
Outstanding results have been gained in the field of culture and education. When the country was liberated in 1975, 75% of the peasants in the countryside and 60% of the working people in the cities were illiterate. Now illiteracy has been wiped out by 80 to 90%. Under imperialist rule, only 500 Kampucheans actually worked in the field of science and technology. That number has been increased to the tens of thousands.
Primary importance has been given to education in the field of politics–“revolutionary patriotism and revolutionary internationalism”. Pol Pot stated:
Our people firmly stand on the side of the poor people and on the side of the revolutionary movement in the world. We have clearly distinguished between friends and enemies of our country and people as well as between friends and enemies of the revolution for national and people’s liberation in the world”. The foreign policy of Democratic Kampuchea is based on proletarian internationalism with the theory of three world as its orientation. It is currently victim of a border dispute with Thailand, but while it will resolutely resist any aggression, it has refused to raise this dispute to a primary contradiction.
Democratic Kampuchea holds that its primary task is to build unity with the oppressed people of the world in a race against time with the superpowers’ preparations for war. Pol Pot stressed:
We are in dire need of time and have to mobilize the energies of our peoples’ living standards as quickly as possible.
On this basis, he continues,
it is imperative for us to have a relationship of mutual respect, for independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity with countries far and near.
Democratic Kampuchea seeks to build up its material and political base so that it can continue to play a leading role in world affairs, serving as a revolutionary base area providing example and material support to the oppressed peoples and nations.
Together with the People’s Republic of China, with whom they “have maintained a fundamentally identical, correct Marxist-Leninist stand”, Democratic Kampuchea promotes the development of the international situation in a direction favorable to the people of the world so that the struggle against hegemonism will be carried through to the end.