Comrade Prachanda speaks at London public meeting
First of all I want to
make it clear that we in Nepal are trying our best to apply the fundamental
theory of Marxism-Leninism-Maoism in our very concrete conditions.
We are completely aware, we are fully aware, that
we have a very big responsibility and we have a real historical opportunity and
challenge right now that we are facing. And we understand the concern of our
fraternal comrades and other parties and institutions, that they are very much
concerned about the future of the Nepalese revolution. Either it will go ahead
in a very creative, in a very scientific, way or it will deviate from the
fundamental theory and fundamental ideology.
I am very clear in my mind that we will not deviate
because we are trying our best to apply this theory according to the conditions
of the 21st century. We understand the whole dynamics of the 21st century, and
we in Nepal, because we are leading a very special, very specific, type of
revolution (although there are so many ups and downs, and twists and turns in
the process – it is inevitable) are ultimately trying to lead this revolution
according to the changed condition.
Just five years after the initiation of people’s
war in Nepal, we tried to understand the whole lesson of the 20th century, all
the revolutions and counter-revolutions, and we derived all the positive and
negative lessons of the revolution. And we came to a new understanding. We came
to a new conclusion that we had to develop some new strategy and new tactics.
We cannot copy the insurrectionist strategy of Lenin, and even, mechanically, we
cannot copy the whole theory of protracted people’s war, according to our
conditions.
Therefore, we tried to develop something new, and
we tried to develop something new although in a fundamental sense, in a basic
sense, we are clear that we are fighting against feudalism and imperialism, and
we are leading the New Democratic revolution. We have not any kind of doubt on
these basic questions. But to lead this revolution, we had to develop some new
strategy and new tactics according to the situation, therefore we developed
this complicated politics.
We developed some new kinds of military strategy at
that time. With the fusion of this protracted people’s war and insurrectionist
tactics, we tried to create something new – a series of tactics. At that time
we said that we should have to demand the election of the constituent assembly
just five years after the initiation of the people’s war. We developed this
series of tactics, such as for the constituent assembly, republican state and
overall restructure of the state. And even, just after the synthesis of our
ideology and the series of ideas, we formulated the Prachanda Path according to
the concrete path of the Nepalese revolution.
We never advocated that this is the path for all
the proletariat all over the world.
What we derived at that time, and concluded, was
that we should have to develop some series of ideas, and this led us to the
peace negotiation and the struggle on different fronts. And we derived that
revolution cannot be repeated, it can only be developed.
One methodological problem of the international
communist movement is that we try to mechanically follow the strategy and
tactics of the Russian revolution or the Chinese revolution. But a revolution
cannot be repeated, it can only be developed.
The Paris commune could not be repeated in the
October socialist revolution of Russia, it could only be developed. If Lenin
had not been able to develop this ideology to the level of Leninism, the
Russian revolution could not have succeeded. In the same way, if Mao Tse-tung
had not been able to develop this ideology to the level of Mao Tse-tung Thought
first and Maoism in the second period, mainly during the period of the Cultural
Revolution, the Chinese revolution could not have succeeded.
Therefore, we communists in Nepal understand our responsibility, our proletarian duty. We have not deviated from our
fundamental theory, but we are trying our best to develop this ideology, to
develop some new strategy and tactics according to the situation, and we are fully
confident that we will lead this revolution to success. [Applause]
And we want to contribute something new towards the
whole international communist movement and all the revolutions. We are fully
aware of this fundamental duty of the proletarian internationalists.
Therefore I want to assure you. Let us come to the
debate, let us come in a very creative interaction, because the Nepalese
revolution has created something new. Maybe there are some shortcomings, maybe
there are some negative lessons, but, in an overall sense, we think that we are
trying to develop our ideology according to the situation of the 21st century
because we are fully confident that the 21st century will be the century of the
world revolution. We are trying our best to contribute to this revolution from
this small country.
Thank you very much.
Thank you.
[Loud
applause]