An Iranian communist speaks out against Ahmadinejad AND Moussavi

When a revolutionary points out that reformist movement in a foreign country isn’t worth the participation of that country’s working class, the invariable reaction of the leftist is to dismiss the revolutionary’s arguments with snide comments like “that’s easy for you to say.” The leftist assumes she is taking the side of the poor and supporting the totality of their demands (which never conflict with her bourgeois illusions). The communists who make criticisms are, in her mind, nothing but privileged westerners who are ordering around “the oppressed.” However, for communists, the proletariat is an international class, whose oppression is fundamentally the same the world over, and therefore a western communist has the same right and the same duty to address, say, the Iranian working class as an Iranian communist has to address the western working class.

It was with this in mind that I wanted to make a post arguing that the real charade in Iran hasn’t been perpetrated by the riggers of the election, but by those who insist elections are anything other than a charade! Fortunately, this same argument has just been made by an Iranian communist who sent the following text to the International Bureau for the Revolutionary Party, the International Communist Current, and possibly more organizations. Both organizations have publicized it, and both sites have a readership that must dwarf mine (which consists of spambots), but the text is so important that I feel obligated to repost it. This importance stems not only from its textual content, but also because it shows that the working class is indeed an international class whose interests are the same (and are realized to be the same) in all countries. Here is the text, as cleaned up and presented by the IRBP on their website:

Neither Ahmadinejad nor Moussavi – Long Live Class Struggle!

After the election circus, Ahmadinejad was presented as winner and this resulted in the political confrontation and crisis between bourgeois gangs. The leader of one faction, Moussavi would not accept the result and mobilized protestors throughout the entire country which resulted in some demonstrators getting wounded or killed. The fact is that in our epoch, in the epoch of decadent capitalism, parliament and elections are not than a mystification and the main task of parliament is, legislate wage slavery.

Moussavi, with his green flag, presented himself as a reformist. What does it means to be reformist? It was during Moussavi’s time as a Prime Minster that hundreds of striking worker jailed or were beaten to death. Thousands of political prisoners were executed when Moussavi was Prime Minster. Mass grave of political prisoners (Khavaran) was created when Moussavi was Prime Minster. This list is very long. Moussavi is no less guilty than Ahmadinejad when it comes to workers right or other human right issues.

The green movement does not belong to workers and it belongs to one faction of the bourgeois. We must avoid acting as cannon fodder for any of the competing bourgeois gangs. Instead of a green flag, we must raise our flag, the flag of proletariat – the red flag.

Capitalism is the origin of all the misery and poverty in the world. Capitalism means, a real hell, not only for working class but also for all humanity. We must never forget that capitalist democracy and capitalist dictatorship are two sides of the same coin. Where the Goddess of Freedom stands, thousands of workers are unemployed and homeless. In the paradise of capitalism, where the social democratic governments have been in place for more than hundred years, unemployment has been a nightmare for the working class.

The future of our movement depends on our struggle alone. We must expand our struggle, independent of all bourgeois gangs, against capitalism. Our slogan must be against wage slavery, exploitation, unemployment, inflation and we must spread our struggle from streets to workplaces in all sectors and if it is possible to other countries as well. Internationalist positions are very weak in Iran and its militants very isolated. We must try to break down this isolation and establish connection and collaboration with other internationalists throughout the world.

The working class is the only social class that can put an end to capitalist barbarism and misery. This alternative that communists had proposed in the past is more valid today than ever:

“Communist revolution or the destruction of humanity!”

One can find the untouched but somewhat rougher original text of the comrade’s statement in this comment left on the ICC’s webpage.

Even though this text has already appeared on the pages of the ICC and the IBRP, do what you can to spread it. There’s clearly a lot of interest in the events unfolding in Iran, even if a lot of that is coming from the usual sanctimonious leftists (who, this time around, can’t be bothered to read more than 140 words).