Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB)

A brief history of CPB in Bangla

Foundation: 1920 Communist Party of India. Due to hostility of the Indian government, the CPI had been an underground party ever since its inception. After the division, the Communist Party of East Pakistan was formed on 6 March 1948. Only during the Sher-e-Bangla regime it emerged publicly. In 1942 the ban against the communist party was removed. In 1954 the Pakistani government again banned the Communist Party.

Contribution

1. In the famine of 1943, the communist party supported the poor people with food and relief

2. Protested against the riot of 1946, in Noakhali and Comilla. created by the Muslim League. They organized and anti riot force and helped stop the terrible riot between the Hindus and the Muslims.

3. They stood by the poor farmers and laborers and gave leadership to famous Tebhaga, Nanka and Tanka movements

4. Organized and directed students' and cultural movements. The students' union played a great role to create political awareness among the people and students leading towards independence of Bangladesh.

5. During the independence war the activists of students union organized guerrilla warfare and committed themselves to the liberation of the nation without any expectation.

6. Influenced the government of USSR to support the independence of Bangladesh. Due to the strong lobbying of the CPB, USSR, in September,1971, involved more directly into Bangladesh affairs and helped counter balance US-Pakistan entente. As part of their amity USSR sent its naval fleet to counter US Seventh Fleet in the Bay of Bengal and launched two satellites.

6.Organized the workers' and poor farmers and helped them bargain with the establishment for their rights.

Mistake (s)

1. Failure to formulate appropriate strategies for political achievements.

2. Failure to reach the illiterate rural Muslims who would have been their main political forces

Strength

Politically/ ideologically motivated and dedicated party members/ activists

Weakness:

1. Dependence on USSR.

2. Due to its middle class origin, oscillation among the leaders and failure to reach the illiterate poor masses because of the Mullahs and state and military backed Islamic fundamentalists.

3. Confusion between national and international policies.

Speech by CPB president at Communist International, Athens, 2004

Comrade President, Members of the Presidium, and dear Comrades:

The Communist party of Greece, true to its internationalist traditions, has once again provided us a great opportunity to get together from different parts of the world, to find out ways to fight aggressive imperialist forces.

1. Humanity is at the crossroad of grave danger of extinction on the one hand, and fulfilling its immense possibilities for a peaceful, happy and prosperous future due to extraordinary advances in science, technology and knowledge.

2. Never before in history has imperialism been so aggressive and fascist in character, perpetrating a protracted global war for exploitation and plunder.

3. Never before in history has mankind possessed such immense potentials to provide for the well being of the people to save them from hunger, poverty, disease, illiteracy, backwardness, erosion of nature, and other scourge.4. Even after the dissolution of the Socialist
Soviet Union, the US imperialism has failed to resolve its inherent contradiction and has fallen into a whirlwind of crisis, facing isolation from the whole world.

5. The United States at present has the highest unemployment and homelessness recorded in its recent history. It is the highest defaulter in the UN and other international bodies. The crisis in the share market, soaring national debt, trade deficit, the collapse and
bankruptcies of big companies and the fall of GDP etc. indicate the deep crisis of imperialism and capital.

6. During the 2nd world war United States kept itself aloof from the devastation of war and reaped its commercial benefits. While in many countries in Europe and Asia the economy was war ravaged, USA took full advantage of this situation to become a mighty economic power. The USA also used its position to take special advantage in economic and other sectors. Fidel Castro rightly said: ?US has the
peculiar privilege of issuing the currency in which the central bank and the trade bank deposits world wide keep most of their hard currency reserves. The trans national companies of the nation whose citizens have the lowest saving rates are purchasing the worlds riches with the money saved by people in other countries and the money printed without gold backing agreed upon in Bretton-Woods
in 1944 and unilaterally ended in 1971.

7. Despite all these manipulation the economic hegemony of US is being threatened. The fall of US share of world GDP has come down from 50% to 25%. US economy and its currency - the dollar - are facing challenges from various economic centres round the world.

8. The United States is becoming more and more incapable of retaining its hegemony by economic means. It is taking recourse to economic terrorism, political, diplomatic, cultural, media manipulation and military aggression to retain its economic grip and establish a unipolar world order under its hegemony.

9. The so-called war against terror - the right to pre-emptive attack and the present global assault of US administration ? in reality, is tantamount to an open declaration of war against rest of the world. Geared towards imposing the US military dictatorship globally and
to ensure its economic hegemony.

10. The United States government is now the most powerful and ruthless terrorist on this earth, with a huge arsenal of weapons of mass destruction, capable of destroying this earth many times over. Out of 189 countries US military is present in 140 countries. Besides US soldiers in Iraq there are 20 million US soldier in 400 military bases round the world.

11. Like many other countries who liberated themselves after the Second World War, the struggle for independence of Bangladesh in 1971 also faced severe resistance from US imperialism. The USA supported genocide in Bangladesh perpetrated by Pakistani rulers- partners in SEATO, CENTO and other US- Pak military pacts. The United States moved several resolutions in the UN against our liberation struggle, which was foiled by Soviet Vetoes. United States also sent its Seventh Fleet to the Bay of Bengal in a bid to defeat the victorious march of Bangladesh Liberation Forces.

12 The US pressure, intrigue and conspiracies continued even after the liberation of Bangladesh. Economic sanctions, overt and covert conspiracies, and support to the most reactionary and religious communal forces inside the country continued. The US also used the food weapon abruptly in 1974, redirecting shiploads of food grains from the shores of Bangladesh to another destination causing famine. This created the backdrop leading to the assassination of the leader of our independence struggle President Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. This assassination is also attributed to the notorious CIA and the then US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, personally.

13. Not only in Bangladesh, but the reputation of the US in murders, subversion and criminal violence is infamous worldwide. This reputation has been gained greater currency in recent years. We have witnessed targeted killing of the leaders of the Palestine movement, for example.

14. Today in Bangladesh, the sufferings of various sections of our people are directly connected with Imperialist policies imposed upon us. Largely, because of the structural reforms and privatization programmes imposed on Bangladesh by the US dominated World Bank, IMF and other global financial institutions. These organizations have caused de-industrialization of the country and huge unemployment. More than 7 thousand big factories have been closed down including the Adamjee Jute Mills, the biggest of its kind in Asia, at the direct instance of World Bank. According to one estimate, during the last 5 years more than 5,64,000 small industries and establishment have been closed down. Industries and banks have been sold out to private sector at throwaway prices. In most cases such privatised factories and establishments have been ultimately closed down.

15. Despite high subsidies given to its own agriculture industry, the US authorities pressurised Bangladesh not to give subsidy to agriculture and leave the peasants at the mercy of the capitalist and imperialist market. Agriculture and peasants have been made dependant on multinationals and indiscriminate use of chemical fertiliser, pesticides, genetically modified and terminator seeds etc. without caring about its devastating effect on nature. At present almost 75% of the peasants are landless.

16. Unemployment has soared to about 35 million. Due to closing of many Jute and sugar mills, thousands of peasants agricultural labourers engaged in growing jute and sugar cane, the two main cash crops in our country have been laid off.

17. Imperialism is converting our entire planet into a global market, subservient to its own interest. International trade, manufacture, finance, communication, travel and tourism, banking etc are becoming integrated, leading to new form of worldwide slavery in the hands of
the TNC's and MNCs. The third world has been turned into a one big duty free zone.15 TNC?s working in 120 countries now control 70% of world trade.

18. Despite all the hullabaloo of an open market economy in reality, the Bangladesh market is only open to the investors from rich countries, but their markets are not so open for the rest. According to WTO, next year, our export oriented garment sector will be in deep trouble. Already several garment factories have closed down causing redundancy to 200,000 workers. By ext year it is expected
another 1.8 million, mostly women workers, will lose their jobs

19. The so-called free market is not that much free for developing countries like Bangladesh. Free market allows free flow of capital, profits machineries and commodities but do not allow free flow of labour or manpower. Bangladesh if allowed to export manpower freely, it can very soon make giant strides to overcome its backwardness and poverty. Presently export of manpower earns the biggest foreign currency in Bangladesh. On the other hand, 46 least developed countries including Bangladesh have to pay 30 % more tariff than the world average.

20. Western powers have now set their eyes on our meager gas and oil resources, electricity, port, telephone, mobile etc. Pressure has been mounting on the governments in recent times.

21. United states has compelled Bangladesh to sign several agreements such as HANA (Humanitarian Assistance Needs Assessment),TIFA(Trade and Investment Framework Agreement), PISCES (personal identification, secured comparison and
evaluation system.), agreement, giving indemnity to all Americans from being tried in Bangladesh or international court, Scientific and technological co-operation (giving American access to sensitive information), Peace Corps. WB and IMF are also trying to get such immunity for them.

22. All these agreements have greatly limited the sovereignty of Bangladesh . Top US officials have openly demanded base facilities in Bangladesh and creation of logistic support for US army.

23. The imperialist powers are interfering openly in our internal affairs, and compelling the bourgeois parties contending for power to compete with each other in offering more concession to rich countries.

24. The natural resources and the Geopolitical situation of Bangladesh being at the centre of China, India, Nepal, Myanmar and Bay of Bengal has made Bangladesh more vulnerable to US intervention. The recent electoral defeat of communal and fundamentalist forces in India and installation of a government backed by the Left was not palatable to the Americans. The US is trying to compensate
this setback by escalating its presence and control on Bangladesh, to ensure its domination of the region.

25. Terrorist President Bush has raised a human cry against Muslim Fundamentalism. This is ridiculous! George Bush himself is under the influence of Christian Fundamentalism and has declared ?crusade? Against the whole world. He also openly supports Jewish fundamentalism in Israel, and backs up Hindu fundamentalism in India. In Afghanistan and Iraq, US imperialism first supported and provoked communal, religious fundamentalist militants, and extreme right wing fascists and later went for military intervention on the
pretext of suppressing the very fundamentalism, which they themselves created.

26. There is no doubt the danger of fundamentalism in Bangladesh is increasing, they are in the government and strengthening their numbers in the administration. What is the source for their funding and support? In this regard, a directed exploration towards the Middle East and the imperialist government may be required.

27.There are also reasons to believe that this is perhaps what is going to happen in Bangladesh, too. Several Bomb blasts and killings, hauling of huge modern arms, exposure of training centers run by fundamentalist, financed by reactionary pro US, Middle Eastern and Arab regimes has created a dangerous situation in our country. CPB, which is in the vanguard of the struggle against fundamentalism, was
the first political party to be the victim of bomb blast in 2001. Six of our comrades died and hundreds were injured. Recently there was another bomb blast in the meeting of the main opposition party Awami League killing 22 and injuring hundreds.

28. Donald Rumsfeld on the way to his recent visit to Bangladesh asked the US Marines stationed in Singapore to be prepared to intervene in case of a threatened rise of Muslim fundamentalism in a moderate Muslim country of South Asia pointing to Bangladesh. US officials at the same time continue to certify Jamaat-e Islam, a religious fundamentalist party who actively supported Pakistani rulers and participated in the genocide. Its leaders were convicted of war crimes in the Peoples Court. Two such war criminals are now in the right wing Government of Bangladesh. The Jamaat and other such parties still maintain paramilitary forces arms training center and carry
on killings and programs like the Talibans.

29. Communist Party while fighting against fundamentalism is also trying to build up broad mass struggle on all fronts against imperialist conspiracy and pressure.

30.The CPB along with other left and patriotic forces organised massive demonstrations against US attack on Iraq, including a country wide general strike, ?hartal? as we call it on 12th April 2003, against US aggression and the failure of the Bangladesh government to condemn the war against Iraq.

31. Our party, while trying to forge unity of communists and left forces, the most consistent against imperialism is opposed to any sectarian approach. We are patiently trying to mobilize other political and mass organizations and broadest sections of the population.

32. We fully support the global actions against various manifestations of imperialist aggression organized in Geneva, London, Seattle, Prague, Barcelona, Genoa and other places. Communist Parties should take further initiatives and coordinate such actions with enhanced participation.

33.In Bangladesh anti imperialist struggle are developing in all the fronts such as trade union, peasants, industrial, commercial and banking sector, environment and cultural field. Worker struggle is becoming more powerful and militant because of the direct consequences of W.B. pressure. In 1990,s twenty workers died due to police shooting at a demonstration. Last year on 16 Sept workers organized strike against WB and government decision to close down Jute Textile mills. CPB and other political parties supported the countrywide strike. The Government was compelled to re-open 4 Jute Mills. On 6 October last workers went on a 24 hour strike to redress their grievances most of whom were caused by imperialist prescriptions.

34.CPB and the left organized several long marches covering thousand of kilometres against sale of our meagre natural gas to notorious UNICOL for export, and leasing our main seaport at Chittagong. The government has been compelled to retreat due to the movement, but US pressure continues.

35. We are trying to build up a Left Democratic alternative to replace the present bi-party system where in the bourgeois parties compete with each other to get western support in their bid for power. At the same time we consider it most urgent to mobilize widest possible forces to resist imperialism, fundamentalist fascist forces and anti people rule.

36. To fight against a reactionary media propaganda it is also very important to impress upon the broad masses that it is possible to resist and defeat imperialism successfully exemplified in China, Cuba, Vietnam, DPR Korea, Laos and several other countries where recent mass upheavals brought to power governments which resist imperialist dictates.

37. We are trying to build up a struggle against imperialism on every front, inside the country, at the regional and also at the global level. Our party hopes that the proposed regional meetings of the Parties in the SAARC region will soon be organised to coordinate our actions
against urgent problems facing us such as pressure of imperialism WB IMF WTO, religious fundamentalism, terrorism, and to face challenges to our development and progress. As a Marxist-Leninist, and true internationalists, we should play a far more greater,
active and decisive role in building up more wide and effective global struggle. Global assault of imperialism and capital must be fought by global actions of labour and broad masses.

Thank You

Other Writing on CPB

1. A brief history of CPB in Bangla

2. Comrade Moni Singha (English) and Moni Singha (Bangla)

3. Comrade Ila Mitra

4 . Comrade Forhad

5. Comrade Moni Krishna Sen

6. Comrade Tajul

Click here for the official site of CPB