World Congress of

~ NEWAPARTHEDD OFFENSIVE Twenty-four lesees of the Englivh contrallem., [tls ‘eentralism’ be.

cause onet @ majority ip echlewed democratically, it ls the duty of the organisation to carry out declshone which have been made, This concept was fully evident in grees. A member of minariiy groups had formed around challenges to the majorly posiiion on all of the major questions of the Oo [Sh February 1985 the South Alrican police arrested almost the enolire top leadership of the UDF -ihe United Democratic Front, the mass crtra-parllamontary organi satlon opposed to the country's white govermmeni. ' protest acthyity of the back population against the so-called conviiniional reforme of the apartheh| government of P.W. Botha and is close to the positions of the banned ANC whose leader Melson Mandel: has DOW spent over 20 years bs South African Jolls. The «pcformse consisted oof newly created Parliament for the country's 2.flm sCalgureds ond £50),(4K) indiana. The country's hage black majorlty retains totaly disenfranchised. In a hoge operation involving the uproiing of thousands In a vettled communities, ihe white government io carrying thraugh lis plans to deprive the back population of thede rigghis ma clzene by transplanting them to barren «homelands» which have been granted a farcical +independences by the South African slate, The iniest to recebe. its Independence was Kivandebela, fo the north of Pretoria, in Deormber.

The elections in the sumeter of 1984 te the = atohoreds ond ‘indian: chambers wore a hol. linting. setback dor the South Ad govemment, The ree spenst of the Cokworesl ane inate Populations way dear. Mary did Bot Cven repletion to who aed of those whe did only 30% of the The Fourth ioternational (FT) held lis Twelfth World Congress Jan. 27-Feb 6, 1985. fit was the climes of years of debate in the world movement. The Congress appeal was iasued In May 1982. An Inter: national Internal Discussion Bulledin (10D8)] was poblished in Engseveral other languages: German, Foriuguese, Swedleh and othe, Interpretaiion of the theoretical basis of our movement — the theory of permancni revoluddon, Through this procees of debate a gomber of isgecs were revolved and moat of the corrcots disnolyed themeches af the end of the Congress. The Fl all over the world wil now unlit to implement the decisions of Congress and test thom in practice.

The tradition of democrath oentoday. It ds very evident in the suppert. Bol the elections also, helped io place the mobilisation of the people on a higher bevel, Experience of revolotion since October 1017 has shown thal one of the greatest dangers ig borcen- | cratic degencration. This legson wae tragheally confirmed by Bercard Coand’s October M963 mur:

derous coup d'état ogninsl can orevelution reflected thin Coloureds and 20% of Indians actually veled, The world waiched on its television screens the reality of these «democeaiics thetlons. Protesters wore braially beaten off the streets outslde palling mations. Tear gas was shod with lead aod robber bullets. In the last she months eloting bow broken oot in most of the major Black townships of Sooth Africa. The boycott compaign ond the accompanving mass agitation showed the growing strength of Black mus: rpaniaatioga, mow at a higher point than iney have bere sloce the wave of repression in 1964), The Independent non-ractal vuoi were ale involved In the compaign. The POSATU, one of the most powerful non-racial federntions, waged an intense campaign. Thomzands of homes in the Eastern Cape were visited by shop stewards and organisers of FOSATE who orparniaed around the FOSATU shgan «Workers uniie, doo’! vote. To vole Ie to Fite for racam, to vole will only benefit the opportanisd beaders, ta whe 16 to accept a undemocratic constitution, « The onecet shace the elections has been continucus and has cemeralised over a whole ronge of lesen all rekated to the apartheld natarc of the South African stele, Young People 400 In education organi. ed class buveotte around specific demands: rceogottion of ehodent PepStseninlive sooncile: the wend. ton of compara punishment: and the ending of ape limits thot inderfere with the already limited ta rotlawal meee as ites eel! cee cre Fourth international, Internationals:

regio, today in Nicaragua.

becuse of repression.

listed elsewhert in this paper, young Blacks, Autumn saw the fret legal etrike by Black miners. ‘The union, the WOM (National Union of Mineworkers] only won cectenliion in 182 and organised a airike in support of its annual par claim, Violent confrontations beeke oot leaving 10 dead and almost S00 injured among the Mine. Paid only a seventh of what while miner recelve the Black miners face a death rote six times higher than miners in Brligin. Ceapite a con promive aettloment there were sebeljons in nearby townahips and a coriew wad lposcd At the end of Scpiember. rioting broke out after a 2% rend rise in goveroment-owned housing in the townships around Johannes: burg. The rioting led to massive shotguns, robber bullets and tear gas. Fifty seven people were difed over» period of foor weeks, The mnat reoent rivets in February this yeur io the Crossreads aguatier city near Cape Town broke out after workers decided to ° remain al home to proiect the oommunity from a canoored forced resediiement operation by the state anthorliies. Redkients at the camp which houses 65,000 pee, hid behind iron ahbelds as they etoned poles who rexponded hy fring tear gas and rubber ballets, According to South Afr can goverment Aigeres 13 people were killed.

(eorly oll of this mass onrest and the way it has generalised ecros the wile non-while commundiy repereacns a meee Get Ihowk Ene the nlecemen! refoaals The Congress adopted resofuilons America, Poland, ioternational Politics, and the Bullding of the The intersilona) Theses set the framework for the other debaios.

The reporter, Ernest Mandel, polnicd oot thet the capitalist eyetem had gene through « prolenged and agonising economic crisis since 168. Thece have been ups and downs in the general pattern, boi each successive recession bites deeper, cach recovery Is more meagre then tts foreroner. aiken.

THE FOURTH INTERNATIONAL Peoples Democracy is the Irish section of the Fourth International, the World Party of Socialist Revolution founded in 1998. The Fl's best known milltast at that time was Leon Trotsky, president of the Petrograd Soviet and military organiser of the Bolshevik-led social.

ist revolution of October 1917.

Today the Fl standson the traditions of the first three Gammuntat | * Por Socialist Revolution in the advanced capitalise countries * For Political Revolution in the bureawcratised workers’ states — We stand with Solidarmos: in POland against the Jarurelski " For Sociale: Revolucion — the Permanent Revolution — in dominated countries lke Inland — the process we are seeing The Fl's highest authority is its World Congress. it is composed of sections in aver 38 countries on each continent. In several parts of the work’ sections cannot operate or declare themselves openly One example is Poland, Hewever, a Potish language journal bnprekor — is produced in Western Eurape and citvulates under ihe noses of Jarozelski's cops.

The best way to follow the activity of the Fl isto regularly read our fortnightly English language journal International Viewpoinl. We also publish fortnightly ioternational journals: in French and. Spanish, (V¥ocun “be bought from your local seller of Sockiat Republic, or by writing to Peoples Demmoctacy at the addresses Palpe atincks incloding the ase of — Huge social siragglee — the WOHen's movement, the mil:

fudear movement, the intern:

tional movement in eolkdarity with started fectore the 1968 eronomic decline get in, Today these sociml movements an comtivuing and deepening, with the defeace of the Nicaraguan revolation Playing the central role once held by Vieieconomic crisis, bot thelr demands cannot muaally be mei due io the severity of the reces| Party. f siraieey of the Bathe govern: ment, li has saccested im gene. rating the united mass reeposne which fi was designed to counter. The growing anli-npartheid movement in the Unlied Stntes evidenced by Ted Eemmedy's tear of Black Sooidh Africa and the continaing arrests oniside the Fouth African embassy in Washington have plyen urgency in ihe meowing catpaigns for economic sancthons which the regime moat mow take seriously. Hence the recent qogmectc offer io Neleon Mandela of a comiliional release which was decisively repected.

Clearly the mesive ocontrndicthas In the Sooth African siete have opened up wide fissures, Amy mioves to foriber reform will only derpen the process. Faxed] with this, Batha's only other oplien is massive represshn.

This material really ohlges the tuling class to cheer “Gems behiwe Butter’. To curry oni these brutal policies rightwing dinosare like Thatcher, Reagan and Kohl are necessary, collages amiomaically, [t will emby be overthrown by o comecleus and disciplined revolutionary movement bayed an the working clase.

There arc widespread revolia ageing! amsterity in the advanced:

lead in their own indosiry, bat aliseces whth wither oppressed , people, Many of them draw the trestmeoi they heave been given by the police, ond the aivicud parallel with RUC and Hiritieh Army teciics in the alx counts. Women's lberstion is TW & Maes current among the Miners wihved. The miners have given real sopport to Black people eed gays in the Erifich Lebour These are the kinds of revolution. ary Hnke the Fl is seeking to build by the Twelfth Workd Congress. [For fuller infomation on the World Congress, Peal the Fitg Viewpalni',| The ameat in Movember of the leodersbip of the trade union FOSAT ond the mass sacking of its etree members in the statecane SASOL factory and the most recent arresis af the UDF leadership demonstraic the wide rafiging mature of this repress: slon, which represents modhiag leva than a docloration of war on the whole non-while populaiion.

Action most be taken bv trade anion aed political parthes worldwide, The tasks of the woeld solldarliy movement ore eherons hart the enormity of the repression unleased on ihe civilian Papolotion males salidurity acton & most argent necessity.