In last month’s Party Organizer we had an article on the serious problem on reports, that is, the lack of reports to the National Office. This article will give the political understanding we need in order to understand why we put forth such a statement. We will print exerpts from the Organizational Manual:
One of the sharpest struggles within the Party must be to assure that each member be allowed to participate fully while at the same time maintaining unity of will. The struggle for a Party does not come in one stroke but in a series of battles to acquire the party program and style of work. It is in this context that reports, verification of work and communication assume the utmost importance.
The purpose of reports, communication, check-up, etc, is to allow the Party to consciously direct itself and the class struggle. Only a fool would attempt to make decisions without the knowledge of what he was working with. The art of the class struggle is being able to combine the knowledge of the international proletariat with the complete knowledge of the concrete situation. For example, nuclei and fraction members reports the feelings of the workers, the response to the party program, the conditions of the class and the level of resistance, etc. to their fraction and unit leaders. These leaders in turn must synthesize this information so the section committee can see the overall picture. The section committee discusses these questions with the city committee in relationship to city-wide work and the type of work that should be done in the future.
The subsequent reports of the city to the district committees and eventually to the center all assume a different and more important role in the Party than they do In the propaganda circles. Within small circles the communication amongst the comrades: 1) does not cover much because there isn’t much being done except studying and 2) because they see ach other all the time. The Party must lead all aspects of the class struggle and therefore must be aware of what is going on overall. One of the principle strengths of the Party is unity of will. While on one hand this is assured by the program it must also be assured by the constant flow in and out of information from the various units. Only with this process of reports and check-up can each unit gain the collective guidance of the organization and constantly adjust its tactics to the overall class struggle.
Many comrades will ask whether this question of reports is an organizational question or a political question. The understanding of the role of reports is one of the principal questions in democratic centralism. The reason that comrades do not write reports is that they do not understand its importance to building the Party. The political importance must first be explained. Unity of will, linked with the division of labor makes the Party very strong. Reports of work and the struggle that arises from and around thtse reports, suggestions and criticisms is one of the ways to achieve this unity. How can any general staff function without information. We can never achieve democratic centralism in the Party without the transmission belt that Lenin spoke of. Therefore this question is not merely to get the reports in, but to get the comrades to understand the political nature and importance of the transferring of information.
Reports are a necessary part of any political party but they are particularly important to the communist party. Communism is a social science, both the natural science and social sciences are derived from facts, concrete, historical, and material facts. The interchange of this information is crucial for without it nothing can move except by subjectivity. All comrades are encouraged to take up the struggle for reports and verification of decisions as one of the struggles in mastering the Party style of work.”
This article states very clearly the role and importance of reports in building our Party. We cannot function if we do not have these reports. We need them. We are moving into a new stage in the development of our party, we must tighten up our organizational sloppiness. We realize as comrades move more and more into the heart of the class struggle they will be too busy to sit down and write a report. But that is precisely why we do need them, comrades. We have to know what you are doing to build Our Party!
We need to know how the People’s Tribune and Tribuno Popular is being accepted by the working class, what literature is being used and sold, all in all how our party is functioning. Communists proceed from the knowledge of the real world – we cannot move forward if we do not have such an understanding of what has to be done.
We realize in the past the National Office, as well, has neglected to answer questions and reports from the various areas and districts. We plan to rectify this and will respond with articles in the P.O., TRIBUNO, TRIBUNE, or written notes to the areas.
We suggest that every comrade read the article on reports: “On the Subject of Reports by the Committees and Groups of the RSDLP to the General Party Congress, (Vol. 6, Col. Wks. Pg. 290), by Lenin.
Comradely,
Org. Bureau