WPI’s 5th Congress was a Huge Success

 

The 5th Congress of the Worker-communist Party of Iran (WPI) was held during 18 to 19 September 2004. This was an extraordinary congress, formed to bring to fruition political differences and debates within the party. This congress was the largest WPI congress; more than 400 people participated and a further 200 members unable to attend backed the congress with their messages and greetings. 

 

The congress began with a welcome address in Persian and English, the International, and a minute of silence for Mansoor Hekmat and those who have fallen on the path to freedom and socialism. A segment of Mansoor Hekmat’s speech at the 3rd Congress was then viewed. Hamid Taghvaee then gave his opening speech in which he addressed the role and significance of this congress and the conditions under which it was being held. He reiterated that it was the extraordinary congress of an extraordinary party, which has been called for in order to stand up vis-ŕ-vis opinions that questioned radicalism, socialism and revolution and to defend and reiterate these basic and unique aspects of the worker-communist party. Following a report presented by Shahla Daneshfar, head of the WPI Secretariat, on the majority of members who had called for the extraordinary congress, the extraordinary congress was declared open with the unanimous votes of the participating members.

 

Although the congress was presented with numerous resolutions, due to time limitations, the following resolutions were discussed and decided upon: the right-wing split from the WPI; the Worker Communist Party of Iraq’s policy towards this split; the fundamentals of the party’s strategy; and protocols on the transparency and openness of political debates, which were actively debated and agreed upon. The congress delegated the remainder of the resolutions the central committee.

 

The Resolution on the Fundamentals of the Party’s Strategy and its Main Tasks to Gain Political Power was the most important discussion of the congress. The main points of the resolution were on organising and leading a workers’ revolution and immediately establishing socialism; stressing radical communism; the possibility and urgency of socialism as the only way out of the all encompassing crisis of the Islamic regime of Iran and the capitalist system in Iran; the role of the party in crafting the revolution in Iran; the directions and immediate political tasks of the party in power and also the political and tactical tasks of the party following the downfall of the Islamic regime where the party may not find itself in power.

 

The congress was attended by several cadres of the Worker Communist Part of Iraq (WCPI).  Issam Shukri, a member of WCPI’s central committee spoke on behalf of several cadres of the WCPI. In his speech, while unequivocally defending the WPI as the banner holder of Mansoor Hekmat’s worker-communism, he announced that the Left Fraction of the WCPI had been formed. The congress resolved to resolutely support this Fraction. It also adopted a resolution permitting the candidacy of cadres of the WCPI to the WPI Central Committee.

 

The 5th Congress expressed its gratitude to Hamid Taghvaee for defending the Party and the principles and aims of its programme, confronting the right-wing tendency and calling for a 5th Congress to bring this political struggle to a successful conclusion. The congress also unanimously thanked Ali Javadi for his efforts in expanding the influence of the party and popularising communism in Iran with his innovative TV programmes. In another resolution, the congress condemned the splitters’ campaign of libel, character assassination and their attempts to undermine the personal dignity of the leading members of the WPI in particular Ali Javadi, Azar Majedi, Asqar Karimi, Hamid Taghvaee and Mina Ahadi.

 

Numerous messages and letters from groups, networks and party activists in various cities of Iran including Tehran, Karaj, Esfahan, Tabriz, Abadan, Mahshahr, Kermanshah, Urumiyeh, Sanandaj, Saqez, Marivan, and Baneh reached the congress and were read out.  These messages all stressed the role and tasks of the party in planning and bringing about a worker-communist revolution and establishing socialism immediately and reiterating that the congress represented Iranian society and its hopes. The congress was broadcast live via an Internet site and also via paltalk for people in Iran and abroad. All throughout the congress, messages of solidarity and support continued to pour in via the Internet.

 

The 5th Congress was by characterised determination, unity and passion. It reflected the will and determination of worker-communism for organising a revolution, overthrowing the Islamic regime and putting an end to the capitalist system in Iran. The 5th Congress declared that the WPI is preparing to bring millions of workers and people against oppression and exploitation to the fore and for a socialist revolution. This congress was an offensive against the right-wing in its broader social sense; a congress of unity and a radical and uncompromising leadership.

 

The 5th Congress elected 49 members to the central committee, namely Mina Ahadi, Siamak Amjadi, Homa Arjomand, Mohammad Asangaran, Siamak Bahari, Sima Bahari, Fateh Bahrami, Nader Baktash, Nazanin Boroumand, Sattar Chimantur, Shahla Daneshfar, Siavash Daneshvar, Mohsen Ebrahimi, Ali Farhang, Iraj Farjad, Mansour Farzad, Farshad Hosseini, Ali Javadi, Keyvan Javid, Asqar Karimi, Parvin Kaboli, Xalil Keyvan, Bahman Khani, Maryam Kousha, Shiva Mahbobi, Azar Majedi, Khabat Majid, Siavash Modaresi, Esmail Moloudi, Shahnaz Moratab, Maryam Namazie, Kazem Nikkhah, Samir Nouri, Fariborz Pooya, Nasrin Ramzanali, Mostafa Saber, Sohaila Sharifi, Nader Sharifi, Mohammad Shokohi, Issam Shukri, Mahboubeh Siahmardi, Bahram Soroush, Hamid Taghvaee, Amir Tavakoli, and Babak Yazdi. Four of the members of the central committee are cadres of the Worker Communist Party of Iraq.

 

Hamid Taghvaee brought the congress to a close with a speech calling on the party to carry out its historical task in a united fashion with a high level of party and political discipline. He said that never before has humanity needed communism and that socialism and victory are possible and that this was the task of the Worker-communist Party of Iran.

 

Following the congress, the 21st plenum of the central committee unanimously voted for Hamid Taghvaee as the leader of the party. It elected the following 15 to the politburo: Mina Ahadi, Mohammad Asangaran, Fateh Bahrami, Shahla Daneshfar, Siavash Daneshvar, Mohsen Ebrahimi, Ali Javadi, Asqar Karimi, Xalil Keyvan, Azar Majedi, Siavash Modaresi, Maryam Namazie, Kazem Nikkhah, Mostafa Saber and Issam Shukri. During the congress, 20 observers became members of the WPI and the Young Communists Organisation of the party.

               
WPI Central Committee

20 September 2004

 

Translator: Fariborz Pooya