Extracts from the interview of the GS of the CC of the KKE, Aleka Papariga, in the morning programme of the TV station ANT1 (5/1/12)
-What does the KKE propose, it is a party that does not look to bourgeois power. It does not say vote for me to form a government and things will be different. What are you proposing in order for us to get out of this impasse?
When we say to the people that the capitalist system – and we say regarding the capitalist system of the Europe which has completed its entire cycle- objectively today it cannot provide solutions, that it has given all it has to give, this means that they do not expect the KKE to participate in the bourgeois political system, in a government to manage a system which cannot provide anything.
-So you are talking about the overthrow of the system.
Of course.
-You are not interested in participating in a governmental formation?
The question is not if it interests us. It will be damaging for the people. And we will find ourselves facing a major contradiction that is to say that on the one hand we say slogans in favour of the people and invoke our over 90-year history and on the other hand sit down and discuss regarding the abolition of the Christmas and Easter bonuses. It is not an issue of what we want.
-If the people vote for and provide you with an important result, I am making a hypothesis, what will you say to them, that I will not govern because I will do you harm, because I cannot govern within the framework of the capitalists system?
The Greek people when they give such a majority to the KKE, will then be determined to throw themselves into battle. We explain our political line in its entirety. We do not go out and say that there can be a government that can impose two or three good solutions. That is what other parties say which tell lies. And in my opinion either we should say that their politicians and cadres are incompetent, something I don’t believe, or they are consciously telling lies.
If we could prevent the consequences of the crisis and solve the problems of the people, by participating in a government, we would take part. We are daring and we take risks. But this is impossible. Let those parties which talk about progressive left governments or centre-right, centre-left ones explain to us: they form a government. The next day they would have to deal with even more memoranda, loans, the Hellenic Federation of Enterprises, the employer’s federations. You know what is happening now? Even when in a sector or factory, the struggle exerts pressure on the employer and he wants to make a small retreat, the industrialists’ federation jumps on him and tells him not to because this will create an opening in other factories. So the worker does not only face his own employer, but the owners of capital and the means of production as a whole.
-Elections. If we look at the opinion polls we will not have one-party governments. What will you do in this process? You will again be the KKE that shouts and says we are the only ones who express the left?
We do not say what you said in that way. We seek to express objectively, through our positions, the interests of the contemporary working class and a large section, not all, of the self-employed and a large section of the farmers, not all the farmers. We define social forces. We appeal to the worker, both to those who vote New Democracy or PASOK. We see the social forces, because, when you talk in terms of the left, right, centre, today you are not saying anything.
The people have nothing to lose; on the contrary they can gain something if a weak government arises from the elections. The stronger the government is, the tougher and more determined it will be against the people.
Let’s be realistic about the next elections. It is possible that the people emerge stronger and are able to erect obstacles against the work of the next government. The people should not be afraid. If it is not possible to form an one-party government they will come to terms with each other. They have already prepared themselves. Do not listen to Mr Samaras, do not listen to what Mr. Papandreou or the next leader of PASOK are saying. There are already some who are eager to contribute. We hope that there will be a moment when the formation of the government will be impossible and the people will intervene. What is important is that we do not have a strong government. We cannot have a pro-people government.
-This is a little cunning, in a political sense. You say that there cannot be any progressive government, excluding the possibility of a government not only of your party but of Mr. Tsipras (Syriza), Mr. Kouvelis (Democratic Left).
We say it clearly. No, we don’t hint at it.
-So you say it clearly.
There cannot be any progressive government that will coexist with the monopolies, not only in the economy but everywhere, that will carry out negotiations within the EU –because that’ s what they are all saying; that they will allegedly carry out a militant negotiation, such thing cannot be happened. These two things are incompatible. But we can have a strong movement immediately after, the day after the elections.
-The people have expectations of you. They say that the KKE may have one of the few opportunities it has ever had in the post dictatorship period to make its presence felt with the votes of the people and they want to listen to some proposals of the KKE for a way out. This is what people are asking for who may not have not ideological relationship with the KKE.
We do have a proposal for a way out. I won’t merely tell you that we have circulated it in a print version. We organize rallies, meetings throughout Greece. Indeed it cannot be presented in a minute. If the question is a way out now where everything remains the same and there will emerge a government that will change everything with decisions of the parliament, well such a thing is not possible. That is to say, there cannot be any way-out in the framework of the current system.
-You are talking about the overthrow of the system.
Yes, but this cannot happen in a night and with a single assault. We say the following: in each battle the people must make progress as a militant, even through partial gains. We cannot rule out the possibility of a radical overthrow in the years to come. The people themselves will decide on this and at the same time they must prepare themselves and at the same time exert decisive pressure, preventing the worst and achieving gains. We cannot fix a date for the change of the political system, we cannot set a timeframe of one, two, three years because this depends on the majority of the people, it will not be a matter for the KKE alone. If the people do not make the decision, this change will not take place.
