09) KKE REMAINS IN FRONTLINE OF GREEK STRUGGLES

PV Vancouver Bureau

     The May 6 election results in Greece show a reversal of the political scene, according to the initial response of the Greek Communist Party (KKE), especially the interruption of the "rotation" in office of the PASOK (social democratic) and New Democracy (conservative) parties.

     "We are moving into a transitional phase where there will be an attempt to create a new political scene with new formations, new figures with a centre‑right orientation or based on a new social democracy that will have SYRIZA at its core, aimed at preventing the rising radicalism of the people..." says the KKE. "There will be an attempt to form a government either from these elections or from the elections to follow, a government made up of all parties, or a government of national unity, or a coalition government aimed precisely at preventing the creation of a majority current that will struggle for change."

     The ND announced that it was unable to form a government, passing this constitutional responsibility to the party with the second highest number of votes, the SYRIZA coalition of left groups.

     Addressing its members and supporters, the KKE called upon them to "be at the frontline of the struggles in the next days because we have pressing, serious issues which are in progress, such as the collective bargaining agreements, the protection of the unemployed, the bankruptcy of the social security funds, the new measures which amount to 11.5‑14.5 billion euros which will be paid for out of the pockets of the people. We cannot waste any time. The people must not waste time."

     Although the votes were scattered in both directions, right and left, said the KKE, the results demonstrate that radical changes will mature in the people's consciousness, in the direction of the communist proposals.

     "We consider significant, positive and at the same time a great legacy for the next period the fact that we confronted on our own the pro‑European, pro‑EU forces in their entirety, irrespective of the positions they took concerning the memorandum," noted the KKE. "We fought in order to promote our own alternative proposal which responds to and satisfies the people's interests.... We feel that our responsibilities and our role in relation to the people and their problems must be strengthened and we believe that we will continue to be the irreplaceable force that defends the people's interests."

     The KKE won a small increase in votes, rising to 8.5% and 26 deputies elected, from 7.5% and 21 deputies in the previous campaign. This growth was achieved despite many obstacles, since the KKE was the main target of political attacks for its leading role in mobilizing resistance against the "troika" deals.

     Clarifying its position on the formation of a new government, the KKE responded to proposals floated by SYRIZA concerning a "government of the left". Everyone can see, the KKE said, that the votes and the seats are not sufficient for such a government. But in the final analysis, the bigger problem is that while SYRIZA has made "general denunciations" of the "troika" memorandum, it has not made clear its programme for a coalition.

     As the KKE says, SYRIZA "should not merely denounce the memorandum but return to the people the gains that were abolished before the memorandum ‑ because most of the gains were lost before the memorandum ‑ as well as many others abolished after the memorandum. A government has to manage everything and not merely the unemployment benefit, as was mentioned. It has to manage issues of economy, the stance of the business groups towards the working people, the list of the privatisations adopted in the previous years. It has to handle issues of foreign policy such as the general commitments that arise from the EU, NATO, from the strategic alliance with the USA.... In order to agree with such a government the KKE needs to make a U‑turn, a summersault. It would have to make unacceptable compromises that have nothing to do with the people's interests.... The people do not need this kind of KKE."

(The above article is from the May 16-31, 2012, issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $30/year, or $15 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $45 US per year; other overseas readers - $45 US or $50 CDN per year. Send to People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, BC, V5L 3J1.)