Resolution of the JCP 23rd Congress (Draft)(6th and final installment)
Part Nine: Present State of Local Politics and Plans to Strengthen JCP Activities
(31) The draft of the revised JCP Program states, "Establishing progressive and democratic self-governments throughout the country will provide the main vehicle that carries the demands of residents of regions and districts as well as provide important power propelling the democratic and progressive currents ." This makes clear how important it is for the JCP to increase its influence on local politics and work to achieve a democratic change.
In local politics, the predominant tendency is that all political parties except for the JCP are ruling parties, and that many local governments neglect their most essential task, securing residents' living conditions and well-being. The central government's policy of so-called "Trinity-reform" that would reduce central government expenditure for local needs and force municipality mergers are accelerating this trend.
The aim of the "Trinity reform" is to slash state funding for local governments, mainly concerning welfare- and education-related services. In rural areas, this goes along with forced municipality mergers, putting rural municipalities in danger of being abandoned. The central government tends to use more resources for urban development for wasteful mega-development projects in the name of "urban re-development instead of residents' well-being." In rural and urban areas, contradictions are sharper than ever between the interests of residents and local politics promoted by all parties except the JCP.
Firmly opposed to this adverse current, the JCP will continue to be in the forefront of the struggle to restore the local governments to their primary duty to meet the needs of residents. There are about 100 local governments with the JCP as a governing party, including those led by Communist mayors. In many parts of the country, politically non-affiliated people, including those who have supported conservative parties, have realized that cooperation with the JCP is the only way to secure the future of their regions and local governments, thus forming a promising current for the future. The task is for the JCP to help increase this current in local politics in defense of local governments from outrageous attacks.
(32) As contradictions deepen concerning local governments, cracks are spreading in the existing domination by all parties except for the JCP, and its political framework is beginning to crumble. In many elections throughout the country, incumbents or their 'successors' backed by all parties led by the LDP and the Komei Party, except the JCP , were defeated.
However, such changes in local government are varying. In some cases, voters wanted a local government with the 'residents-first' principle instead of the present upside-down politics. There are also movements trying under the guise of a "non-partisan" principle to impose a reactionary agenda on local governments to force the residents to pay more. There are also cases in which these two aspects are mixed and their future need to be scrutinized. Careful analysis and appropriate responses are necessary for each municipality.
The point is that the JCP in all circumstances must always stand for the needs of the residents and show its banner of change in local politics. It is essential to increase the number and quality of JCP members of local assemblies. Experience shows that even when positive changes take place in local governments, real progressive change in local governments can proceed only when they are strongly backed by the JCP.
(33) The 4,200 JCP members in the nation's local assemblies constitute an important asset of the JCP and are playing an irreplaceable role at the grassroots level in defending people's living conditions.
For a democratic change in national and local politics, it is very important for JCP local assembly members to work hard to defend residents' interests, heighten their political expectations, and maintain and advance their positions.
The JCP attaches special importance to the effort to secure JCP victories in every off-year local election. In Japan, there are 960 local assemblies, one third of all local assemblies, where there are no JCP seats. This weakness must be overcome through activities that are well-planned and methodical.
Part Ten: How to put party building efforts on stable path toward progress
(34) Since the JCP 22nd Congress, we have made strenuous efforts to build a stronger JCP. We carried out a "United Efforts to Increase JCP Membership and Akahata Readership" from October 2001 to April 2002. Again in May this year, we started another "United Efforts" toward the JCP 23rd Congress scheduled for November. Party building requires us to make more persevering and purposeful efforts than in any other area of party activities. The JCP 23rd Congress commends all party members for the enthusiasm and energy devoted to day-to-day activities to make progress in the drive.
More than 40,000 people have joined the JCP since the JCP 22nd Congress. However, the scale and speed of the membership drive is not sufficient in the light of our "five-year plan for the JCP membership drive". Although some JCP branches and bodies are beginning to produce results in the Akahata readership drive, the effort on the whole is yet to make stable progress despite many members' steady efforts. On the issue of organizing young people, we are beginning to seize new opportunities, including peace actions and the jobs-for-the-youth campaign, but the success in these efforts in the area of party building hinges on the future development of our activities in this area.
The JCP 22nd Congress decision and the later Central Committee Plenum decisions have presented the details of the basic strategy for advancing our party activities. Their main points are as follows:
- Concerning "why should we work on party building now?", (i) it is important to build a party strong enough in order to succeed through political battles no matter how fierce the political situation is, (ii) it is the time in our history to boldly lay stress on party building for a party strong enough to struggle and succeed in the 21st century.
- Regarding the question "Why party building now?", we need to be aware that it is important to build a party strong enough to be victorious in any elections under any political circumstances and that we are in an important phase of JCP history in terms of party building because we are trying to build a party that can lead the struggle in the 21st century.
- Defining the membership drive as "the pillar of party building" efforts, we plan to achieve the goal of a record 500,000-strong party by 2005. We will work to realize this goal through methodical activities according to five-year plans. The task now is for the JCP to use all its power to reduce the backlog in the membership drive.
- "Party activities centered on Akahata" is our principle. This means that the organ paper is "the link between the JCP Central Committee and the rest of the party, and the best medium that expands the ties between the JCP and the people. It is the central activity that promotes, unites, and develops diverse party activities, including the movement based on people's demands, the struggle in the Diet and local assemblies, election campaigns, party building, and financial activities. We must reaffirm this principle and make efforts for our activities in this area to be constantly developed in a stable manner.
- On qualitative improvement of JCP activities, (i) we place emphasis on political activities and grassroots activities representing the JCP in every region and locality; (ii) we adhere to the principle of "party branches as the key players"; (iii) we will develop election campaign skills; (iv) the party financially supports party activities according to plans; (v) we will tackle the question of systematically developing party leaders and activists; and (vi) we will improve our political and theoretical level. We focus on these six directions.
- We must strengthen our activities to meet young people's diverse demands and boldly call on them to join the JCP, regarding such an effort as a matter of the JCP's survival in the future in our pursuit of democratic reform in Japan. We devote all JCP power to the effort to make progress on this task.
The basic strategy is clear. The point is how to overcome our weaknesses and difficulties and put this strategy into practice, and how to put the party building efforts on a stable course of development. Therefore, we must bring all our wisdom and power together to seek effective measures through party activities.
(35) Not all JCP branches can be said to be successful in party building activities. Some branches, however, have embarked on a steady track of progress. From the experiences of these successful organizations, we can draw useful lessons, the most important one being that they are well aware of their political goals for branches to becomes key players. In parallel with their effort to invigorate the JCP with political dynamism, these branches have worked to increase party strength as a combined effort. With this experience in mind, the Central Committee proposes the following four important aspects for improving the JCP effort.
First, the JCP must devote itself to realizing people's demands. The JCP's most important raison d'腎re is its devotion to the interests and safety of the people. JCP organizations and branches should daily take up the pressing demands of the people and struggle to solve their problems. This must always be remembered as the JCP's founding spirit and the basis of JCP activity.
An important point to make is that we should take up diverse grassroots demands as well as national issues. Only by making steady day-to-day efforts to realize people's down-to-earth demands surfacing in homes as well as in labor councils, can the JCP give a full play to its strength in a struggle on a larger scale. It is necessary for the JCP to shed light on any struggle to achieve whatever demands of citizens, and encourage and give assistance for the struggle to move forward.
People will find the JCP trustworthy and feel sympathetic toward it not only by reading or listening to JCP arguments but also by witnessing JCP day-to-day activities and through their personal encounters with the JCP. In return, JCP members will regain their strength and will be reassured of the reason for their existence whenever they actually find out that the people look to the JCP as a party that cannot be destroyed. Devotion to the struggle to achieve people's needs is the source of political energy for the JCP.
Second, the theoretical and political confidence in ideals must be shared by all in the JCP. It is necessary for the JCP 23rd Congress to take up the task of fully and deeply understanding the revised JCP Program as a major undertaking related to this congress.
The JCP has achieved a major advance by experiences many ups and downs since it adopted the JCP Program 42 years ago. This is possible because the policy line of the JCP Program has helped the party to unite to carry out the tasks directed by the Program.
The 21st century will be a turbulent one. Japan under LDP politics will face deeper political, economic, social, and other crises, and will come to a historical turning point which may involve turbulence. Internationally, strong calls for the establishment of an international order of peace have taken shape in many forms out of the lawless wars waged by one country seeking complete hegemony. The crisis facing the world shows that the conditions are ripe for human society to go beyond capitalism into a future society in the 21st century in many parts of the world.
Theoretical and political confidence in the ideals each one holds becomes more important than ever in this century of turbulence. Only by gaining insight into the directions in which Japan and the rest of the world will lawfully develop can we acquire deep and unwavering confidence in dealing with all problems, turbulence and crises that may arise in the 21st century, by exerting energy stemming from this confidence.
Let us build a JCP with strong theoretical and political basis by defining the task of driving home the revised JCP Program as a major undertaking to set up a theoretical and political base for the JCP struggle in the 21st century.
Third, the effort to overcome the difficulty we face in the Akahata readership drive is now at a crucial stage. Whether JCP activities based on increasing Akahata readership move forward or suffer a setback is the clearest reflection of the strength of the tie between the JCP and the public. Whether the JCP can put this activity on a course of stable progress or not influences the rise or fall of the JCP.
Akahata newspaper is, above all else, marked by its mission to report critical perspectives and arouse public interest in social justice. While most of the mass media have major weaknesses such as lacking principled ideals to uphold, bowing to power and distorting facts, Akahata is the newspaper that the people cannot do away with for them to understand the major current in Japan and the world, get to the truth underlying that current, and increase public awareness of socially relevant issues in Japanese society.
Akahata is the banner of "warm and humane solidarity". At a time when the law of the jungle in a super competitive society is prevalent under Liberal Democratic Party politics, there is an increasing tendency to despise others and a deepening crisis of social morals, and Akahata is playing the role as a network for social solidarity.
Akahata is a banner for struggles for social justice. In developing popular struggles for a world order of peace, in establishing rules to safeguard the people's living standards, and also in defending democracy and human rights, Akahata is a reliable partner.
Akahata supports all day-to-day JCP activities in the Diet and local assemblies, election campaigns, and financial activities. The JCP is the only party that refuses to accept any donations from corporations and organizations as well as government subsidies to political parties. Its independent financial basis is supported by contributions by individual persons. This enables the JCP to work for the people without anything to fear as taboo. Increasing the Akahata readership is at a juncture in terms of its role in supporting the party's financial basis.
Let's work together to achieve the further development of Akahata which is irreplaceable for the people as well as the JCP.
Fourth, we must drastically improve activities of JCP local bodies. Despite organizational and financial difficulties, JCP prefectural and district committees are making strenuous day-to-day efforts, playing an indispensable role in building and supporting the party.
We should improve activities at local JCP bodies in a way that would encourage party members to voluntarily take part in work there as full-time activists knowing that full-time JCP activists are working under difficult conditions.
Under the JCP Constitution revised at the 22nd Congress, we will make further efforts to develop our activities in intermediate bodies to meet the new relationship the JCP has with society. The JCP Constitution allows district committees to autonomously handle local matters to meet actual local needs. It is important for local JCP bodies to carry out activities, including those related to local government affairs, on behalf of the Japanese Communist Party in their regions and districts. Local JCP bodies must give their guidance to branches in interactive and circular ways, listening to branch members; it must try to draw branch members' willingness to contribute to JCP advances. The task of local JCP bodies is to help branches and learn from their experiences.
It is also important to nurture an environment that encourages the whole JCP to support local bodies in terms of manpower, finances, and spirit. In particular, the party must concentrate its efforts to strengthen local bodies through staffing able committee members. We should do everything possible to bring up young promising successors while relying on experienced members who are pensioners as full-time or part-time leadership members.
An approach to successful party building, including membership and Akahata readership drive, needs peculiar efforts by the entire party. Such efforts will bear fruit only when we work to increase fresh political vitality.
Let's challenge ourselves to a new progress in party building efforts through focusing decisively on efforts to "build a JCP full of political vitality." (end)