A letter To members of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation Dear comrades!
The 8th (extraordinary) Plenary Session of the Central Committee (CC) of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF) on May 25, 2002 has taken a hard decision to expel Comrades Gennady Seleznev, Svetlana Goryacheva and Nikolay Gubenko from the party. We feel it important once again to explain the reasons for this decision.
We appreciate their contribution to the activities of the Party after its unbanning in 1992, their participation in the parliamentary election campaigns. Due to this, in 1996 and in 2000 the CPRF recommended Comrades Gennady Seleznev, Svetlana Goryacheva and Nikolay Gubenko for senior positions in the Russian parliament. Let's remind, that in the Duma created in 1996, the Communists and their allies had sufficient number of votes to block antinational initiatives of Yeltsin and his team. Then the work of the CPRF representatives in senior positions had a serious impact.
At the beginning of his rule in 2002, Mr. Putin declared necessity to strengthen the state, to support Russian industries, to implement a strong social policy. On this basis we entered into an agreement with a pro-presidential "Unity" fraction and have recommended to senior positions a number of experienced comrades, capable to work in the interests of the people.
But gradually it became clear that Putin, his Administration and the Government are pursuing the old Yeltsin's policy. The president began increasingly to reflect the interests of his Western "friends" who try to subjugate Russia and the entire planet. Putin and his supporters in the parliament moved to extreme right position.
They managed to form in the Duma a block of 250-270 deputies ready blindly to follow the orders of the oligarchs. The CPRF fraction, the Agro-Industrial group and deputies, supporting them, now have 130 -140 votes in the State Duma
On presidential initiative the Duma has adopted a number of laws drastically worsening the life of the working people. The Labour Code that deprives people of protection against the arbitrariness of the employers. The laws that eliminate privileges for the military, Chernobyl nuclear accident veterans, disabled persons and Second World War veterans. The Land Code that allows tycoons to buy up urban grounds and to move the people from houses. The laws that make doctors and teacher pay the same tax (13%) as the oligarchs who fattened on stolen public property. The president and his team have done nothing to combat corruption corroding the society. In the second Chechen war, which he promised quickly to finish, more than 12 thousand man and women have been killed and wounded.
Putin and his administration established full control over the governors, the Council of the Federation (upper House of the Parliament) and mass media. They have transformed the State Duma into an obedient tool, a rubber seal, stamping the most destructive initiatives of the government. The purpose of these actions is now abundantly clear - to ensure conditions for final sale of land and state property, for dragging Russia into NATO, for transformation of our country into a raw material appendage of the West.
We could not support this obviously antinational policy. At the Party Congress this January we have declared a strong opposition to policy that contradicts the wishes of our voters, the interests of the country as a whole.
Then the presidential administration using the right-wing majority of the Duma has purged the representatives of patriotic forces. Without any explanation the following comrades were discharged from the posts of the chairmen of the State Duma committees: Anatoly Lukyanov (State Law), Valery Saykin ( Labour and Social policy), Yuri Maslyukov (Industry, Construction and High Technologies), Sergey Glazyev (Economic Policy and Business), Leonid Ivanchenko (Federation and Regional Policy), Ivan Melnikov (Education and Science), Svetlana Goryacheva (Women, Family and Youth), Vladimir Plotnikov (Agrarian), Vladimir Nikitin (Nationalities), Vitaly Sevastyanov (Mandates Commission).
The people loyal to the regime and supporting the sale of land, of state owned power stations and of railways, deprivation of the people of last social rights were advanced into their place. The essence of the State Duma as obedient tool of the oligarchic forces became abundantly clear. In these conditions the 6th Plenary Session of the CC of the CPRF on April 3 this year adopted a principled decision that Communists and their allies should abandon the positions of the heads of thosel committees, which still belonged to us, and also the position of the Chairman of the State Duma. It should be noted that the heads of the committees have the same rights as ordinary deputies. Nothing prevents our comrades from fighting for people's interests the way it is done by dozens of the CPRF fraction members not burdened by the leadership posts.
It is necessary especially to explain the reasons of the decision on the Chairman of the State Duma. This post has considerable political weight. However over the last months the right-wing fractions actively worked to undermine the influence of the Speaker of the parliament. First he was deprived of the rights to vote at the Council of the Duma, where major decisions on the organization of parliamentary work are taken. Then Gennady Seleznev was compelled to dismiss his closest assistants - the Head of Staff of the State Duma and the Head of the Legal Department.
As a matter of fact the Chairman of the State Duma was only allowed to conduct sessions, to sign decisions leading to destruction of the country, to receive delegations. It should be mentioned that Cde. Seleznev himself was making steps towards dubious compromises. Keen to retain his position Gennady Seleznev frequently avoided conducting sessions and voting on key issues. He has ceased to reflect the interests of the CPRF, of the voters who supported our block. Actually the representative of the CPRF - the Chairman of the State Duma became a cover for antinational policy of the Duma's right-wing majority. In the conditions, when power belongs to an oligarchy, the participation of a CPRF member in the leadership of the country was unacceptable. Gennady Seleznev had to choose between the Party and his personal interests. He has made this choice himself.
To our regret, some other comrades failed to withstand pressure of the presidential team and have agreed to return to the leadership of some committees. But the Left opposition remained firm. Let's note that Cdes.Y.Maslyukov, A.Lukyanov, S.Glazyev, V.Saykin, I.Melnikov, V.Plotnikov, L.Ivanchenko who had in no way less rights to retain the leading positions in the State Duma, have shown determination and refused to enter into deals with the Kremlin administration.
The plan of Voloshin and Surkov from presidential administration is abundantly clear. To split the party. To weaken the CPRF, which enjoys growing support of the people. By the Kremlin officials' own estimates the CPRF is supported by at least one third of the voters. This is why the regime has undertaken this attack on the communists. It is a direct continuation of a recent attempt to raise at the State Duma the issues of banning the Communist Party.
Hoping to preserve the leading posts Cdes. Gennady Seleznev, Svetlana Goryacheva and Nikolay Gubenko involuntarily worked in favour of the right-wing forces. They themselves have predetermined the decision of the 8th Plenary Session of the CC of the CPRF on their expulsion from the party. The violation of Party discipline in any parliament of the world leads to the expulsion from the fraction. Now they are being used by the regime to split the Left and to encourage the anti-Communist hysteria. It is very revealing that the "offended" comrades were immediately encouraged by Mr.Putin and ... Mr.Gorbachev.
The real issue is not the conflict of personal ambitions. The issue is of basic character: whether to continue to cooperate with those in power who drive Russia to its destruction? Or to stand up in a firm opposition to this policy?
Remaining in the State Duma, our fraction will keep fighting for the interests of our voters, will keep using parliament for criticism of Putin - Kasyanov regime and oligarchic proWestern forces behind them. However we believe that the Party in modern conditions is obliged to turn to rigid opposition, to organize mass protest actions, to actively combat against the destruction of the country.
The CPRF Central Committee and Presidium of the CC have shown a maximum of patience and tact discussing this extremely painful situation. The final decision was preceded by detailed discussion in the CC and in local organizations. Comrades Seleznev, Goryacheva and Gubenko were given full opportunity to state their point of view. The Party leadership had many personal meetings with them, inducing them to refrain from a step, damaging to the Party and our voters.
This issue was discussed at the CC Plenary sessions in a genuinely democratic atmosphere and, we should emphasize, in conditions of comradeship. The opportunity was given to speak both to those who insisted on the necessity to fulfill the Central Committee decisions, and to those who doubted these decisions. There was no personal abuse of our comrades. At the same time, the decisions of the 8th CC Plenary Session reflect the position of a convincing majority of the CC members. The position of the republican, regional and local CPRF organizations, that in their absolute majority firmly supported the CC decision, was taken into account.
The divergent points of views do not mean a split. The Party develops through honest and open discussion. The course of discussion shows that the inner-Party democracy in the CPRF is a fact. The right of the minority to express their views, to have these views taken into account before the decision-making, was observed. However strict observance of the CPRF Charter clause about unconditional submission of minority to the majority after adoption of the decisions must be ensured.
The CPRF cannot allow the development of the illness, which became one of the main reasons of destruction of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union - a split of the high-ranking Party officials from the rest of the party. There cannot be different Party Charters for different Party members. The senior positions cannot be fixed for life for any Party member, despite their former contributions.
We are ready to work together with a wide range of forces committed to the revival of Russia. However membership in a Party is a personal moral choice of a person. A Party is a voluntary association of the people accepting its Program and the Charter. It means, that they have taken up the obligation to submit to Party requirements.
A Party lives and develops only if it has clear program and firm discipline. Our Party fights for a just cause. Its unity on the basis of strict observance of the Charter and Program is the guarantee of success in present hard conditions.
Presidium of the CPRF Central Committee calls on all the Communists to strengthen the organisational and ideological unity of the Party, to broaden the Party ranks, to create new structures, to explain to the people the essence of developments in the State Duma and in the country as a whole.