Iranian Revolutionary Socialists’ League

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On 'boycotting the election'

M. Razi

One of the prominent characteristics of the organisations, groups and parties of the exiled Iranian 'left' is that they substitute themselves for the working class of Iran. The 'left' considers it its duty to set out the 'political line' or 'policy' for workers. If we look at the 'statements' that are issued by the leadership of these groups, we can see that most of them, as soon as they receive any news or information from Iran (mainly from the official state newspapers), systematically 'condemn' the regime and 'support' the people. They immediately come up with a slogan with their own 'political line' that calls on 'workers to resist the regime!' or to 'overthrow the regime!' During an election (if they have no illusions about the ruling elite or a section of it) they generally mention that the 'election should be boycotted!' These days also with the presidential election getting nearer, the market for slogans like 'boycott' and 'active boycott' goes up. This way of posing slogans, has two main faults. It is neither clear who is meant as the audience for these slogans, nor how the workers are to be prepared for realising these slogans.

Who is the audience of the 'left' groups?

The 'left' groups and political parties believe in their role of 'leading' the working class. The Iranian working class is thought of as a mass of 'unconscious', 'ignorant', 'knackered' [according to Siamak Tahmasb, a WCPI member], 'poor and beaten' individuals that need a 'saviour' or 'guardian'. Basing themselves on such reasoning they think it necessary to decide the workers' duty. Because in their opinion they themselves are the 'conscious element' of the working class, they must be a step ahead of the class and they will 'cheer up' and 'console' the 'knackered' workers!

It is obvious that such an approach is all due to a false understanding of the situation of workers and the workers' vanguard in Iran. It is also due to a wrong assessment of their own political situation. The groups not only do not have a correct understanding of their own position but also do not have the necessary knowledge of the workers' vanguard. The vanguard workers are much more 'conscious' than all the exiled organisations and certainly do not need to receive a 'political line', especially from those who have no working class base whatsoever and did not make the slightest intervention in the labour movement during the past two decades. The vanguard workers have already discovered the nature of the regime and have certainly understood the necessity of 'boycotting the election'. How can it be possible that vanguard workers who are today confronting the regime in most factories; have not learnt about the necessity of a slogan like 'boycott the election'? How is it possible that the youths who have violent clashes with the hezbollahis on a daily basis, have not discovered the fact that Khatami (and the reformers) are colluding with these forces and do not know about boycotting the election? It is obvious that the questions that are facing the vanguard today are not these. The groups that keep repeating these points only show that when it comes to knowing their audience they have a case of 'mistaken identity'. Such propaganda is only good for easing the agitated conscience of the members and 'unconscious' supporters of the exiled parties and nothing else!

How can the whole of the working class be convinced about boycotting the election?

Slogans and interventions by the workers' vanguard within the working class can only be made through finding the key issues that have been posed within the whole of the working class today. Intervention within the workers cannot be artificial or unconnected to their own problems. We must begin with the current level of consciousness of the working class and through a series of tangible slogans convince the working class of the necessity of negating the policies of the regime in practice.

We cannot declare an agenda for the working class. The political parties can only make an effective intervention among the workers together with them: alongside and not over the heads of workers. The working class can only come to recognise the necessity of boycotting elections or ultimately to overthrow the regime through its own specific daily struggle and on the basis of its own 'class consciousness'.

Armed with transitional slogans (slogans that start with workers' current level of consciousness and step-by-step take them towards the necessity of negating the regime's policies) can the workers' vanguard make more effective interventions. Some of today's central slogans are as follows:

* The Khatami government's four-year record must be made public!

* Government accounts must be opened to public scrutiny!

* Independent workers' organisations must be set up!

* The right to strike must be officially recognised!

* Workers' wages must rise in line with inflation!

* Implement workers' control over production and distribution!

* No more sackings!

* Pay all unpaid wages!

By struggling around such slogans the workers have discovered, and will continue discover, the nature of the regime - and particularly its reformist wing. Because no section of the regime has agreed, or will ever agree, to such slogans. Implementing some of the above slogans will place the foundations of the whole capitalist system in danger of destruction. For example, 'The Khatami government's four-year record must be made public!' is a slogan that will, at the political level, highlight the issue of political serial murders and the indiscriminate arrests and repression. At the economic level, it will expose the unplanned and crisis-ridden state of the system. 'Government accounts must be opened to public scrutiny!' is a slogan that will blow open the regime's wheeling and dealing with imperialism and the wastage and corruption of the mollahs' children. The slogans calling for independent workers' organisations to be set up and the official recognition of the right to strike, speed up the struggle for overthrowing the regime. The slogan calling for workers' control will prepare the workers for workers' management and forming a workers' government.

Only through struggling around these demands will the workers themselves realise that it is necessary to boycott the sham presidential election of the regime. But these demands are not only relating to workers, they can also prepare all oppressed layers of society (women, youth and nationalities) for resisting and fighting the regime.

30 March 2001