Source: Build the PKI along the Marxist-Leninist line to the the People's Democratic Revolution in Indonesia. Published by the Delegation of the CC PKI, 1971. PDF Scan.
In September 1971, five years after the publication of the Self-Criticism of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the PKI (Communist Party of Indonesia), which is entitled: Build the PKI Along the Marxist-Leninist Line to Lead the People’s Democratic Revolution in Indonesia, the Delegation of the Central Committee of the PKI publishes a collection of Five Important Documents of the Political Bureau CC PKI.
This collection of documents contains the materials reflecting the development in establishing the line of Marxist-Leninist-Mao Tsetung Thought in the PKI, after the PKI and the Indonesian revolutionary movement, following the affair of the “September 30th Movement”, suffered very heavy blows as a result of the most vicious white terror unleashed by the Suharto-Nasution fascist military regime which carried out the order of its master, U.S. imperialism.
The two documents published before the Self-Criticism of the Political Bureau of the CC PKI, namely, the Message of the Political Bureau of the CC PKI on May 23, 1965 and the Statement of the Political Bureau of the CC PKI on August 17, 1966, show that the PKI began realize its serious mistakes in leading the Indonesian revolution. The Message of the Political Bureau of the CC PKI on May 23, 1966, which is entitled: Hold Aloft the Reputation and Honour of the Communist! stresses the necessity of carrying out criticism and self-criticism by mobilizing criticisms from below, from Party members and all revolutionary groups in Indonesia, so as to analyse and sum up the experience and the mistakes of the Party. The Statement of the Political Bureau of the CC PKI on August 17, 1966, which is entitled: Take the Road of Revolution to Realize the Task Which Should Have Been Accomplished by the August Revolutionary of 1945, contains criticisms and self-criticism about the mistakes committed by the PKI in the past which concerned the fundamental problems of the Indonesia revolution and sets the urgent tasks that should be fulfilled by the PKI.
The birth of the Self-Criticism of the Political Bureau of the CC PKI marked the turning point in the history of the PKI. It was born as a result of the struggle between the two lines in the Party and through deep-going criticism and self-criticism conducted in a Marxist-Leninist way. The Self-Criticism of the Political Bureau of the CC PKI has brought the PKI back to the road of revolution. It has a great and far-reaching significance for the PKI and the Indonesia revolution. By correcting the mistakes of the opportunist and revisionist old line and summing up the experience of the PKI during the period of 1951-1965, the Self-Criticism of the Political Bureau of the CC PKI holds aloft the Great Red Banner of Mao Tsetung Thought and shows the way that must be followed by the PKI, namely, the road of protracted armed struggle, the road of encircling the cities by the countryside, of building the backward Indonesia and villages into advanced revolutionary base areas and powerful bastions of the revolution. The self-criticism of the Political Bureau of the CC PKI has formulated the New Three Banners of the PKI to win victory for the inn People’s Democratic Revolution, namely:
“The first banner, the building of a Marxist-Leninist Party which is free from subjectivism, opportunism and modern revisionism.
“The second banner, the armed People's struggle of the peasants in an anti-feudal agrarian revolution under the leadership of the working class.
“The third banner, the revolutionary united front based on the worker-peasant alliance under the leadership of the working class”.
The New Three banners of the PKI which conforms with Marxism-Leninism-Mao Tsetung Thought has played and will continue to play an important role in leading the Indonesian revolution.
The two documents published after the Self-Criticism of the Political Bureau of the CC PKI, namely the Message of the Political Bureau of the CC PKI on May 23, 1967 and the Programme of the Communist Party of Indonesia for People's Democracy in Indonesia are documents which further stress and confirm the lines as laid down by the Self-Criticism of the Political Bureau of the CC PKI on May 23, 1967 which is entitled: Hold Aloft the Banner of Marxism-Leninism-Mao Tsetung Thought: March Forward Along the Road of Revolution!, has emphatically declared the stand of the PKI with regard to Mao Tsetung Thought, Marxism-Leninism of the present era, as the ideology and the theoretical basis guiding the whole Party and which will guarantee the victory of the Indonesian revolution. The Message has also stressed the stand adopted by the PKI in the struggle against modern revisionism headed by the revisionist renegade clique of the Soviet Union, and joyously hailed the victory of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution in China which has consolidated socialist China as the most powerful and reliable bastion of the world revolution.
The Programme of the Communist Party of Indonesia for People's Democracy in Indonesia (November 1967) is a revolutionary Marxist-Leninist programme. This new Programme of the PKI has outlined the strategy of the Indonesian revolution and firmly grasped the thesis of Chairman Mao, that “political power grows out of the barrel of a gun” and that “the seizure of power by armed force, the settlement of the issue by war, is the central task and the highest form of revolution”. The new Programme of the PKI has clearly and explicitly put forward the three main weapons of the revolution to defeat the enemies of revolution, and explained their interrelations.
These documents published by the Political Bureau of the CC PKI show that the PKI, in the period of 1951-1965, had not yet mastered nor used the Marxist-Leninist stand, viewpoint and method in integrating the universal truth of Marxism-Leninism with the concrete practice of the Indonesian revolution, so that it made serious mistakes of opportunist and revisionist line and consequently the revolution had temporarily failed. Having realized its mistakes, the PKI carries out criticism and self-criticism in Marxist-Leninist way, is resolved to take the road of revolution and leads the Indonesia people in the struggle to carry out the People's democratic revolution in Indonesia.
These documents of the Political Bureau of the CC PKI are a call to all Indonesia Communist, workers, peasants, revolutionary intellectuals and all anti-imperialist and anti-feudal patriotic and revolutionary forces, to unite closely and smash the Suharto fascist military regime which has betrayed the national interests of the Indonesia people. These documents have laid down a clear and correct line for the PKI to lead the armed struggle to over throw the Suharto fascist military regime, by establishing a broad revolutionary united front, the united front based on worker-peasant alliance under the leadership of the working class.
The Indonesian people, guided by the revolutionary lines of the Self-Criticism of the Political Bureau of the CC PKI and under the leadership of the PKI, have started to launch armed struggle in the rural areas of the Indonesian archipelago, mounted attacks against the enemies of the people, against the organs of the rule of the Suharto fascist military regime which represents the interests of imperialism, bureaucrat-capitalism, compradors and feudalism. This start of the armed struggle has made the masses of workers, peasants, revolutionary intellectuals and the entire revolutionary people of Indonesia understand more clearly the road that must be taken by the Indonesian people in their struggle for liberation.
In contradiction with the stand of the members of the PKI who are loyal to the Marxist-Leninist Self-Criticism of the Political Bureau of the CC PKI and with the stand of the Indonesian revolutionary people, the Indonesian revisionist renegades who are directed by the modern revisionist of the Soviet Union, oppose the Self-Criticism of the Political Bureau of the CC PKI and oppose the armed struggle and people’s now being waged under the leadership of the PKI in accordance with the teachings of Mao Tsetung Thought. They brand these as “adventurism”, and frighten the people with the horrors of war. These renegades will surely be crushed by the revolutionary armed struggle of the Indonesia people.
In carrying out the correct line by following the road of armed revolution, we will inevitably face all kinds of difficulties, but these are only obstacles along the road of progress which can assuredly be surmounted. As the New Programme of the PKI has stated: “The Only road leading to the liberation of the Indonesia people is that of armed revolution… This is not an easy road, but a long one which is full of twist and turns, hardships and difficulties, but this is the only road leading to liberation, there is no other road, nor can there be”. The difficulties we are encountering today are the difficulties in applying the correct line which perspective is the victory of the revolution. The Message sent by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China to the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Indonesia on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the founding of the PKI on May 23, 1970, has correctly stated: “Although various difficulties confront the Indonesia revolution at present, they are temporary and will certainly pass. The Communist Party of China is deeply convinced that having summed up the bitter experiences of the past, the Indonesia Communist Party will surely win final victory by integrating the universal truth of Marxism-Leninism with the concrete revolutionary practice of Indonesia, closely uniting the whole Party against the common enemy, unswervingly taking the road of ‘political power grows out of the barrel of a gun’ and adhering to the principle of self-reliance and arduous struggle, fully relying on the masses and mobilizing and organizing the masses, particularly the peasant masses, on an extensive scale and in a deep-going way”.
It is of the utmost importance for each Communist and for every one of the revolutionary Indonesian people to make further and thorough study, to propagate and to carry out consistently the revolutionary line of the Self-Criticism of the Political Bureau of the CC PKI. The Self-Criticism of the Political Bureau of the CC PKI belongs to the Indonesian working class and revolutionary people. Guided by Marxism-Leninism-Mao Tsetung Thought and under the direction of the Self-Criticism of the Political Bureau of the CC PKI, the Indonesian Communist and revolutionary people are waging a protracted struggle to overthrow the Suharto fascist military regime and establish a people’s democratic power in Indonesia, fighting shoulder to shoulder with the world Marxist-Leninist and revolutionary people against the common enemies – imperialism, social-imperialism and the reactionaries of various countries.
DELEGATION OF THE CC OF THE PKI
September 1971