THE. INTERNATIONALIST
April 11, 1963 —
ALGERTANS ACCLATH SU3IS TOVAND SOCTALISH
FARIS -~ The nationalization of big properties of both Juropean and. Al;erian lendholders and the announcement of decrees definitively estcbliskinr Wor!:ers Menorement Committees, Workers Councils and Worlers Assenblies b-ve- been received with enornous enthusiasm throughout Algeria. In a nationwide tour following announcement. of the new mecsures, ben »ello was greeted with celebrations reminiscent of those when indey-endence was won last July. imtire populations of towns and villetzes turned out to hail the head of government who, not so many months ef:o, when he came to power in an unclear factional struggle, wos net with chilly reserve.
Iverywhere he went, Ben Della appealed to the people to organize themselves by setting up workers councils end. workers managenent conmmittees,; These are now. being formed throughout the country at: an accelerated pace. ‘
from various sources, pringipolly the Algiers dailies Le Peuple (formerly Al Chaab) and Alper Republicain, we. reproduce below aatrcets from Ben Della’s speeches, indicating the topics-he covered. during his tour: .
So
"(Je will never accept our country serving as an ®rena for the testing of bombs. The French government has beer warned.. It is up to it to decide." . =
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"They scy that talking, back Dorgeaud's land is contrary to the Evian Agreement, So be its; if we are violating the itvian Agreement by | this decision, so much the worse for the Dvian Agreenent..”
-(Tbe first press reports scid that Den Della declared he didn't | “give a rap”. for the Evian Agreoment. ("Si des decisions ne sont pas | conformes aux accords a'Svian, Ben Jella.s'en moque.") Correspondents. | stuck by the version which they said they had ‘heard but the Algerian
aDx Ministry of Information issued an official correction.
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"“VIe are going to pursue the speculators and all ‘those who try to — envenom the people through false or alarmist news. We have begun to attacl: them. ‘Ve are going to continue. There are still some measures te be tal-en agoinst them and some decisions are going to follow.
"Ie ore going to attock not only the Borgeaud's and the Germain‘s, but also the bloated rich who amassed big fortunes during the war."
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"his struggle consists in discouraging once and for all the bourgeoisie of this country. If we hove plucked Torgeaud and the others, this is not because of rocism: we have suffered too much from this ourselves to resort to that. .- «
"Telieve me, this minority, which constitutes around five per cent: of the Algerian people is nonetheless powerful for that. Unfortunately, they hold the power of money. But the ninety-five per cent who constitute the other part of the people are absolutely with us in taking up the cudge)s ageinst this fauna. To carry this out, you the humble, join the national organizations in mass and in porticular the UGTA Line uniong/ to make this the liovember 1 of Algerian socialisn.”
Liovenber 1, 1954, was the day the struggle began for national freedom from French imperie lisn,
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"It has been: repeatedly scid that women slaved their role in ‘the struggle for freedom. The whole world hos repeatedly said that women participated fully and in a way that did honor to Algeria in the | struggle for freedom. . .. But in the struggle to construct the coun- | try? Women are searching for their place." . |
Noting the presence of many women in the audience, Ben ‘Bella continued: “Women must take theirdestiny into their own hands. Women must not wait for directives to follow from the men but must integrate themselves. spontaneously in the public life,"
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“Today | we are openin;; a still greoter struggle than that which ended July 2, 19C2 -- the strugggle for socialism. The time has come to struggle in order to reap,-. We don't want to replace one set of pigs by another set wearing turbans. This is the revolution of the poor people, of the widows, the shoe-shine boys. We have undertaken these decrees swiftly in: order to defeat the maneuvers of imperialism and of certain Algerian elements who: wented to turn the vacated DEE: perties and eaver etenes a cnt the Cole A LASERS ye
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By At the first Assembly of Management Comrittecs to be held in the . Algiers area: 7 ,
"This is the happiest day of my life because a new page has been turned; our people, and in particular. those who have been exploited, are called on today to take an active part in the different tasks awaiting us. I ask everyone who has something heavy in his heart to speak frankly and freely."
Within a month or two “you will fully understand the functioning of the management committees; you yourselves will elect your management ; co mdittees in complete freedom and in complete democracy. These‘ will . be the cormittees that will actually run the farms.”
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"The socialist sector is already important, it will be still more so in a few days. It is up to the unions to concern themselves about ‘this and we need genuine fighting trade-unionism. The unions must take the management committees in hand, those in charge of the so-called “vacated properties’ or the hotels. They must interest themselves in the ‘peasants, the most important part of our population."
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"he State has not taken the place of the Dorgeaud's and the Ben Gana‘s. Wevertheless there will be a division of the profits and so far as concerns the State, this will be discussed in all its aspects and in complete freedom with the lianagement Comuittees, because you’ . are not unaware that the responsibilities of the State are great in the fields of water supply, electricity, roads, in brief, the economic infrastructure. . .
- “Another part will be reserved for farm equipment and another _will go to swell the funds of soliderity which in turn will bring relief to the. unemployed who are very numerous."
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"I thanl: God that France put us in prison because thus we had time to think and to work out the policies which we are applying today. We studied the experiences in Cuba, the USSR and Yugoslavia. I am from the soil like you and I have the same difficulties as you."
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“In the press abroad they reproach us among other abuses with the - theft of automobiles, occupation of properties and taking over in | place of the French who left. What should I say? Those who reproach : us with such things don't know what a revolution is.
"Didel Costro told me that even now, three or four years after his entrance in IJavana, he is still battling against such things: The -*Yugoslavs likewise testify that it took many yeors to eliminate such ; situations." ZA .
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“She Algerien Revolution remains constantly at the sida of Cuba. - .o because we believe there can be no socialist construction without socialist action outside our country. We will not accept a crust of bread in exchange for the liberty of tthers.”
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Speaking about the need to build the FLN (National Liberation Front) into a strong party, Ben Bella cited the example of the Soviet Union. where a country of 200,000,000 people is guided by a party of some 2,000,000. In Algeria the FLI' should have from 100,000 to 150.0 members. "“he day when we have found these 100,000 Algerians, militan in the true sense of the word, we will have won, we will have guarante the future of Algeria for a hundred years."
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"The imperative need for unity of the party led quite naturally to the dissolution of the Algerian Comimnhist party. It would be absolutely false to see in this an arbitrary measure or some kind of anti- Communism. Algeria is not and never will be anti-Communist. It was not a cuestion of a decision emanating from the government or from the lolitical Dureau but the consequence of the principles defined in the Tripoli program. The PCA could not be made a privileged party when the country had pronounced in favor of a single party. It was not logical to let the PCA remain as an-organization when porties like the INA (Algerian Nctional cient: and Prs as haeaatiaaaa Socialist Party) were Vanneds- .
aWwhot was banned was a LUDA of i pasties and not the iCA."
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“he Algerion Communists, névertheless, do enjoy a certain privileged status, Ben Rolla said, since ‘they. can: express themselves freely through a daily paper (Alger Republicain), "which, however, must not fall into negativisn-”
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"T told Alger Républicain that they owe it to Fidel Castro that they are in existence they must not be negative.”
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Ne appealed to the Communists to join the ranks of the FLN as individual members. “Durirg the atruggle" they participated as individual militants, why don*t.they do Itkewiase-in the struggle to con- Lgtpasct . che ‘coumtry? ae a 1 aN ten relies ons 7 donexit out coo caats
ft i Pener
te 2 elect iS is has.