Excerpts from a Parto Television interview with Koorosh Modarresi, on the second anniversary of the foundation of the Worker-communist party of Iran- Hekmatist. This interview was broadcast on Friday August11, 2006
Parto TV: Let us start by establishing what the Hekmatist Party set out to achieve when it was founded two years ago?
Koorosh Modarresi: When we founded this Party we were trying to fulfil an old ambition within the Iranian society. We wanted to address a need that has for many years eluded the Iranian society and indeed the international community. That is to build a Communist Party; a mass political party capable of sorting out the question of political power in favour of masses, in favour of welfare, tranquillity and equality of people and put an end, once and for all, all the miseries that has been imposed on people. This is our aim. Historically there have been numerous leftist currents and organisations; forces that were trying to create a better world; were calling for equality and freedom. But what distinguishes our movement is our commitment and efforts to bring about these changes on solid-ground .A force that is accessible by people and anyone who shares in its aspirations can join it and close ranks with members of the Party to become an invisible force.
Parto TV: Could you tell us, in your position as the leader of the Hekmatist Party, which aspects of the Party’s progress are most satisfied with and which aspects frustrate you?
Koorosh Modarresi: I am very proud to be associated with this Party. Our Party is by no means a one man band. This is very obvious. A strong rank of communists, a credible rank of the communist activists and leaders has gathered in this Party that have made our achievements possible. We now have an extensive network of communist activists operating from Tehran to Bandar Abbas, Mashad, Isfahan, Shiraz, Tabriz and Sanandaj and other major cities in Kurdistan and outside Iran.
In response to your question, I would like to point out that we have always approached this question by insisting that regardless of the degree of complacency and the level of satisfaction or dissatisfaction with our progress and set backs, we need to pause for a moment and ask ourselves that if we were not around what impact would that have on the lives of people? Would the lives of people be harsher? Does our existence make any difference in the lives of people? In my view our existence, not at the level that we would like, has had a positive impact on people’s lives. Our absence will be felt in Kurdistan, in almost all communist intellectual circles in Iranian universities and will affect political outlook of the movement for the overthrow of the regime. No doubt our absence will strengthen all sorts of nationalism in Iran. Without us the ethnocentric forces will find life easier. These are all tangible factors and the source of pride and I personally am privileged to have played a part.
Having said this I should point out that we are always unhappy about our progress. We have always been and will be discontented with our achievements. Not just for the sake of it and because it is somewhat prudent to be discontented with your progress, but for the fact that we have not yet accomplished what we set out to do. We have not yet settled the question of the overthrow of the regime in the context of the Iranian politics. We are not still the axis of unity of people to overthrow Islamic regime. We are not known to some sections of the population. There are people within and outside of this party that are not convinced that we are actually able, potentially, accomplishing our tasks of organizing a socialist revolution in Iran and herald the emancipation of human during our life time. That we can guarantee the physical and mental well being and happiness of children in Iran; that we can bring about a rich and fulfilling life for our elderly citizens, we can organize a society without money and exploitation and we can, one day, sing the Internationale in the Freedom Square in Tehran. There are people that are not yet convinced that the working class can really be the catalysts for the emergence of a new humanity in the twenty first century? These are serious questions.
What I can ascertain is that all these things are possible in our era. What makes these things possible is not just that the material conditions and resources for creating such a world are at our disposal right now but also it is the existence of such a Party. This Party with all its shortcomings is our only hope to materialize such a world.
Our frustration stems from a lack of urgency in our ranks; from slow pace of progress; from the fact that we are not yet a credible social force and from the fact that our membership has not reached the million mark.
These are the targets and milestones that we assess ourselves with. If we apply the standards of the leftist Parties, our progress for a Party that was founded only two years ago exceeds all our expectations. But, we are not happy with this. We are not happy because we did not set ourselves the task of building yet another leftist Party. We set ourselves the task of organising a socialist revolution in Iran and bring about a new egalitarian, freedom seeking, modern and humanitarian socialism and we are not there yet. The society is calling for the overthrow of the Islamic Republic and the regime is still in power. We are not yet in a position to mobilise an effective force against the US warmongering and the Islamic Republic’s attempts to spread fear and oppression in the country. We have not yet been able to unite and organise the working class in a manner that it would bring production to halt when its demands are not met. Our Party is not there yet. The Iranian society is far from such a situation and we must be dissatisfied with ourselves and that is why we are frustrated.
Parto TV: What are the main attributes of the Hekmatist Party that you would like to highlight to someone who has just been introduced to you and the Hekmatist Party?
Koorosh Modarresi: I repeat what I have always said. Is there anyone on this planet that doesn’t think equality of human beings is a good thing? Is there anyone who does not think exploitation is bad? Who does not believe that children should be happy? I do not believe that there many people that think the society should not provide for the physical and mental well being of its citizens; that the individuals should not have the right to enjoy the riches of life? That women and men should not be equal? I think there are very few people that do not believe in these rights for human beings. I only reiterate what Mansour Hekmat said, long ago, that “ under the skin of every human beings there is an egalitarian and a socialist waiting to emerge”. There is a very small minority that seeks its own development at the expense of others and willing to trample on others. I raise this question and ask if there is anyone out there who does not share these ideas? And I will ask them if they want to join the ranks of those who can make these happen? This party has been built to make a better world a reality in our life time not in a distant future. This Party will join together the hands of those who want a better world; will unify their voices and will join their struggles together. This Party will build a movement to create this world enduring the least possible troubles and pains. Our proposed world is possible right now because at no time in our history has there been such an abundance of wealth on one side and abject poverty on other side. The resources of human society are plentiful. What prevents these resources from being at the service of all is the filthy and outdated capitalist system. This system could be overturned. The means to change it has been produced by this system itself. Today it is possible to organise production to meet the consumption needs; production could be organised to meet the needs of the people and not for profit. These are deep-seated egalitarian and libertarian aspirations of people that can now be realised. The realisations of these aspirations are now possible through the movement of a particular class. The working class in its attempt to liberate itself needs to deliver these aspirations. This Party has been built for creating such a world and the means for achieving it. The way to realise these aspirations is for those who share these ideals, regardless of where they are, to join this Party. They should join this Party.