I send my undying love to MIM for the strength, dedication and support
these comrades have given to all oppressed people in our fight against
oppression world-wide. I send my love, honor and respect to our comrades
in N.J for not only being the real true freedom fighters of our cause
but for supporting me mentally, politically and spiritually and teaching
me the essence of our beliefs.
A comrade once told me “a man who crosses the river at night truly
values the light of day.” I learned what this quote meant when I
experienced the many obstacles in my life by not only standing firm as a
LKPP but by combating liberalism and the imperialists as well.
I’m responding to an article I read in the Nov 2007 issue of ULK, a
comrade mentioned the lack of communication among our peers, he also
talked about the program he founded called “combat liberalism.” I
received this material many years ago and have stood firm on its message
and have passed along to others its essence in our fight against
liberalism.
I want to define liberalism to give you a little understanding in detail
of the importance why this program was formed in the beginning.
Liberalism: characterized by generosity or lavishness in giving,
abundant, ample, inclining towards opinions or politics. The key words
here are politics and favoritism.
On a political stand point as an anti-imperialist we as the oppressed
must not show favor to those who seek to oppress our own people, and in
return receive liberty while our people suffer. Not only do we face
these issues outside of our fold, but within our own realm. Liberalism
can and is acted out and displayed within our own people at times. And
such selfishness can cause separation among our own people. This brings
about sects and cliques that we strongly oppose. We all must sacrifice
our own wills and needs if need be, to rise against such negativity and
combat Liberalism by any means necessary.
Another wise goat once defined for me the true essence of a
philosopher’s mission in searching within ourselves and others. He said
“the truth is like a lighted candle that’s encompassed with darkness,
with its bright illumination is yet visible to those whom see the
light.”
I love this goat because in order for us “as seekers” to receive the
truth we must communicate to those who “not only” know the truth “but,
seek further enlightenment as well…as we let our own actions shine by
receiving the truth, others that already know the truth will not only
see but become stronger believers as well. And for those that don’t know
will learn from our actions as we all reflect upon them who may be
asleep.” As we say “wake him/her”. As Karl Marx once said “therefore
mankind always takes up only such problems as it can solve, looking at
the matter more closely, we will always find that the problem itself
arises only when the material conditions necessary for its solution
already exist or are at least in the process of formation.”
This statement is very true and explains why it is inborn within us of
our nature to act upon the social and political conditions that we’re
subject to live under as oppressed people, and such conditions of
racism, imperialism, liberalism and many other types of oppression
already exist.
MIM(Prisons)adds the article
Combat
Liberalism by Mao Zedong:
COMBAT LIBERALISM
September 7, 1937
We stand for active ideological struggle because it is the weapon for
ensuring unity within the Party and the revolutionary organizations in
the interest of our fight. Every Communist and revolutionary should take
up this weapon.
But liberalism rejects ideological struggle and stands for unprincipled
peace, thus giving rise to a decadent, Philistine attitude and bringing
about political degeneration in certain units and individuals in the
Party and the revolutionary organizations.
Liberalism manifests itself in various ways.
To let things slide for the sake of peace and friendship when a person
has clearly gone wrong, and refrain from principled argument because he
is an old acquaintance, a fellow townsman, a schoolmate, a close friend,
a loved one, an old colleague or old subordinate. Or to touch on the
matter lightly instead of going into it thoroughly, so as to keep on
good terms. The result is that both the organization and the individual
are harmed. This is one type of liberalism.
To indulge in irresponsible criticism in private instead of actively
putting forward one’s suggestions to the organization. To say nothing to
people to their faces but to gossip behind their backs, or to say
nothing at a meeting but to gossip afterwards. To show no regard at all
for the principles of collective life but to follow one’s own
inclination. This is a second type.
To let things drift if they do not affect one personally; to say as
little as possible while knowing perfectly well what is wrong, to be
worldly wise and play safe and seek only to avoid blame. This is a third
type.
Not to obey orders but to give pride of place to one’s own opinions. To
demand special consideration from the organization but to reject its
discipline. This is a fourth type.
To indulge in personal attacks, pick quarrels, vent personal spite or
seek revenge instead of entering into an argument and struggling against
incorrect views for the sake of unity or progress or getting the work
done properly. This is a fifth type.
To hear incorrect views without rebutting them and even to hear
counter-revolutionary remarks without reporting them, but instead to
take them calmly as if nothing had happened. This is a sixth type.
To be among the masses and fail to conduct propaganda and agitation or
speak at meetings or conduct investigations and inquiries among them,
and instead to be indifferent to them and show no concern for their
well-being, forgetting that one is a Communist and behaving as if one
were an ordinary non-Communist. This is a seventh type.
To see someone harming the interests of the masses and yet not feel
indignant, or dissuade or stop him or reason with him, but to allow him
to continue. This is an eighth type.
To work half-heartedly without a definite plan or direction; to work
perfunctorily and muddle along–“So long as one remains a monk, one goes
on tolling the bell.” This is a ninth type.
To regard oneself as having rendered great service to the revolution, to
pride oneself on being a veteran, to disdain minor assignments while
being quite unequal to major tasks, to be slipshod in work and slack in
study. This is a tenth type.
To be aware of one’s own mistakes and yet make no attempt to correct
them, taking a liberal attitude towards oneself. This is an eleventh
type.
We could name more. But these eleven are the principal types.
They are all manifestations of liberalism.
Liberalism is extremely harmful in a revolutionary collective. It is a
corrosive which eats away unity, undermines cohesion, causes apathy and
creates dissension. It robs the revolutionary ranks of compact
organization and strict discipline, prevents policies from being carried
through and alienates the Party organizations from the masses which the
Party leads. It is an extremely bad tendency.
Liberalism stems from petty-bourgeois selfishness, it places personal
interests first and the interests of the revolution second, and this
gives rise to ideological, political and organizational liberalism.
People who are liberals look upon the principles of Marxism as abstract
dogma. They approve of Marxism, but are not prepared to practice it or
to practice it in full; they are not prepared to replace their
liberalism by Marxism. These people have their Marxism, but they have
their liberalism as well–they talk Marxism but practice liberalism; they
apply Marxism to others but liberalism to themselves. They keep both
kinds of goods in stock and find a use for each. This is how the minds
of certain people work.
Liberalism is a manifestation of opportunism and conflicts fundamentally
with Marxism. It is negative and objectively has the effect of helping
the enemy; that is why the enemy welcomes its preservation in our midst.
Such being its nature, there should be no place for it in the ranks of
the revolution.
We must use Marxism, which is positive in spirit, to overcome
liberalism, which is negative. A Communist should have largeness of mind
and he should be staunch and active, looking upon the interests of the
revolution as his very life and subordinating his personal interests to
those of the revolution; always and everywhere he should adhere to
principle and wage a tireless struggle against all incorrect ideas and
actions, so as to consolidate the collective life of the Party and
strengthen the ties between the Party and the masses; he should be more
concerned about the Party and the masses than about any private person,
and more concerned about others than about himself. Only thus can he be
considered a Communist.
All loyal, honest, active and upright Communists must unite to oppose
the liberal tendencies shown by certain people among us, and set them on
the right path. This is one of the tasks on our ideological front.
