Closing Communiqué First Congress of Organization of Communist Alternative in Iraq

Closing Communiqué
First Congress of Organization of Communist Alternative in Iraq

The Organisation of Communist Alternative in Iraq OCAI held its first congress in Baghdad during the days of 17-19 September 2018. The Congress was attended by all the founding members, committees members, representatives of provincial committees, as well as dozens of guests from communist and labour activists and women activists together with youth activists who have all contributed to the congress s discussions.
The congress was opened by the Internationale anthem followed by a minute s silence in tribute to those who sacrificed their lives for communism and humanity. Then a panel was chosen by the members to chair the congress. Comrade Yanar Mohamed welcomed everyone on behalf of the chairing panel, and comrade Muayad Ahmed gave the opening statement on behalf of the Founding Committee.
The Legality of the congress, based on the presence of its signing members, and the congress rules were agreed on. This was followed by a discussion of its agenda, which contained the following headings:
• Our perspective of the communist movement, contemporary challenges and the position of OCAI
• Working class reality, the labour movement and the working class politics.
• Women s struggle and the communist movement.
• Communist method of conduct and organization: method, content and the proletarian party.
• Political situation in Iraq
• The strategy of communist action in Kurdistan, the working class reality and its organizations.
• The founding statement of OCAI.
• OCAI publications and media.
• Resolutions and decisions.
• Elections.
In the section on the communist movement and the position of OCAI, a discussion took place about the reality of the communist movement at the present moment, and the fundamental problems and challenges facing it. There was also an emphasis on the importance of recognising the communist movement as a political, social and intellectual current of the contemporary proletariat in Iraq. And that this movement is in a constant state of flux having its own past, present and future. In that context, stress was also put on the importance of OCAI s position and the need to accomplish its political, theoretical and organizational tasks in bringing about fundamental changes in this movement.
During the second section, reference was made to the reality of the working class in terms of its forms of existence within various sectors of economic life, its struggles and its organisations in Iraq. It was emphasized that organising the struggles of this class and its various layers as well as the development of these struggles were linked fundamentally to the embodiment of socialist class politics.
As for the Communist struggle and the Women movement, the reality of repression and organized violence against women in Iraq by political Islam currents and various nationalists and tribalists, was stressed. Furthermore, the link between the American occupation of Iraq and the assuming of power by these currents was also highlighted. Reference was made to the elements of women s resistance in the face of such repression, persecution and social pressures as well as the tribal, male chauvinist and reactionary culture. The history of tension between the socialist movement and the beginnings of feminism was presented with the proposal of a new form of women communist action as it fits the magnitude of the tragedies that the bourgeoisie brought over women in the 21st century. The close link between the emancipation movement of Women and the proletarian socialist struggle was stressed upon.
The Communist method of action and organisation was discussed. In addition, some of the main aspects of the advancement of the socialist partisan struggle were identified and emphasized. Additionally, the strengthening of the proletarian communist movement in society towards establishing a powerful and competent social communist party was highlighted.
The Congress addressed the political situation in Iraq in terms of its main political trends and the balance of power between proletarian and bourgeois. The extensive mass protests in Basra and in the rest of Iraq were also discussed. The Congress condemned the repressive actions of authorities and militias against demonstrators in Basra and other provinces, which is an indication of the authorities crisis and its blatant hostility towards the most basic demands of the masses and the youth. The congress also identified its core tasks in connection with the protests.
The congress examined the various strategies within the socialist and communist movement with respect to Kurdistan and its political destiny, and stressed the need to develop a unified, internationalist socialist and working-class struggle in both Iraq and Kurdistan. The Congress addressed the essential characteristics of the realities, organizations and struggles of the working class in Kurdistan.
The Congress discussed the founding statement of OCAI as well as the organisation s media and issued a number of resolutions.
Among the congress s resolutions and decisions were:
- Recognition and adoption of the founding statement of OCAI, pending the formulation of the organization s Programme.
- A decision that the elected leadership committee should be the sole leading body of the organization between the two congresses, that the elected leadership committee composed of 13 members and that at its first meeting, the leadership committee should decide on its name and set up a supervisory committee for the organizations media and publications, identify monthly contributions of the members within Iraq and abroad.
- All the studies presented at the congress to be submitted to the elected leadership committee for the purpose of completing research, conclusion of specific tasks and political platforms in the light of discussions and -dir-ections of the conference.
-Refer to the elected leadership committee, the study presented to the congress by Muayad Ahmed on "Class content of the state and its transitional forms, Observations on a secular and Non-Nationalist government s proposals", in order to make the necessary amendments and issue it as a document of the congress.
In the election session, 18 members were nominated for the leadership commmittee, where the following comrades were elected as members of this committee: Ibtisam Mani i, Ahlam Al-Ubeidi, Jassim Hassan, Haider Al-Jassim, Rashid Ismail, Abdulla Salih, Mohammed Al-Asmar, Mohamed Shanan, Muayad Ahmed, Nader Abdulhamid, Nizar Akrawi, Nawzạ-;-d Baban and Yanar Mohamed.
Attended by most of its members and a number of cadres of OCAI the elected leadership committee held its first extended meeting on 20th September 2018, where it discussed its agenda in accordance with the congress resolutions and -dir-ections. It issued several decisions including a decision on the formation of OCAI organisations in Kurdistan and abroad and on finance, the media...etc.
Finally, the meeting decided that the name of the elected leadership committee would be the Central Committee and decided to elect a general co-ordinator for the Central Committee CC who will have the authority to 2 assistants in order to facilitate performing his/her work. Muayad Ahmed was elected unanimously as the general co-ordinator of the CC of OCAI.

Organisation of Communist Alternative In Iraq
21 September 2018

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