FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF GENUINE PEOPLE’S GOVERNMENT

                            
                            KIM IL SUNG
FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF GENUINE PEOPLE’S GOVERNMENT

Speech Delivered at the Second Enlarged Executive
Committee Meeting of the Central Organizing
Committee of the Communist Party
of North Korea
November 15, 1945




Comrades,
In order to achieve the complete independence and sovereignty of the country and carry out the Korean revolution successfully, it is essential to solve the question of power. People’s committees are now functioning in different areas, but a central organ of power is not yet organized. People from all walks of life who love their country and nation earnestly hope for the early establishment of a central government and the building of an independent and sovereign democratic state. We should make active endeavours to set up a central government by properly organizing the broad masses who are aflame with enthusiasm for nation-building.
However, we must not organize any type of government thoughtlessly on the grounds that we are to solve the question of power quickly. Finding a correct solution to the question of power is a sacred duty for us communists.
What kind of power there should be in our country freed from Japanese imperialist colonial rule is a very important matter affecting the fate of the country and the people. If an anti-popular power is set up in Korea, as claimed by the pro-Japanese and traitors, we will be unable to bring prosperity to the country and the people and, moreover, our country will be reduced again to a colony of imperialism.
The entire Korean people who have set out to build a new country after liberation call for the establishment of genuine people’s power capable of achieving the country’s prosperity and progress and ensuring them a happy life. This is a legitimate demand for the Korean people who for long years were deprived of their country and were harshly oppressed and exploited by the Japanese imperialist aggressors. We should set up a democratic government in accordance with the will of all the people and by making thorough preparations.
Nevertheless, some people, ignoring the desire of the popular masses, try to establish an anti-popular government.
Certain people are saying that the so-called “people’s republic” rigged up by a few persons in Seoul should be recognized. We can never recognize such a “government”. We oppose the “people’s republic” because it cannot be a political power that fights for the interests of the Korean people.
The “people’s republic” is composed of those who cannot count on the support of our people. It comprises Syngman Rhee, an anti-communist and a pro-American, and other pro-Japanese elements and national traitors as well as sham revolutionaries—factionalists, but excludes real patriots—steadfast communists. It is self-evident that a “government” of this type cannot be a political power championing the interests of the popular masses. In short, the “people’s republic” cannot be considered otherwise than an anti-popular bourgeois regime for exclusive privileged classes.
How can we communists support this “government”? We cannot regard the “people’s republic” as a political power of our people and are not obliged to do so. Advocating support for the “people’s republic” is, after all, a right capitulationist stand intended to relinquish the Party’s leadership over political power, the basic weapon of the revolution, and hand political power over to the reactionaries, and it is an anti-popular act of obstructing the establishment of a genuine people’s government.
We must not be taken in by imperialist tricks in setting up a government. Now the imperialists are seeking to set up a reactionary government in our country and make our people colonial slaves once again by using their lackeys. Under these conditions, if we approve of an anti-communist, anti-popular government, this will amount to going against the national desires of the Korean people and aiding the imperialist policy of colonial enslavement.
In establishing a government we must categorically reject anti-popular Rightist tendencies and sharpen vigilance against the intrigues of the imperialists and their stooges.
Along with this, we must combat the assertion of the “Left” opportunists. They argue that a proletarian dictatorship should be set up in our country and the socialist revolution carried out at once. This is an ultra-”Leftist” move taking no account of the objective requirements of social development in our country and the preparedness of the popular masses; it is an extremely dangerous move divorcing the masses from our Party and wrecking national unity.
The Communist Party must totally repudiate erroneous Rightist and “Leftist” views and approaches manifested in the question of establishing a government and strive to find a correct solution to the question of power in accordance with the Party’s political line. Our Party has already set forth a policy of establishing a Democratic People’s Republic suited to our concrete realities and the demands of the masses of people. We should exert all efforts to set up a Democratic People’s Republic, a genuine people’s power.
The government of a Democratic People’s Republic should consist of representatives of the Communist Party and all other progressive and patriotic political parties and representatives of people of all walks of life except pro-Japanese elements and national traitors. This government should include competent persons who can work earnestly for the country and the people and defend faithfully the interests of the people and who enjoy confidence among the masses. A government of this type alone can serve as a powerful revolutionary weapon for building an independent and sovereign state, rich and strong, and become a patriotic and popular government that struggles for the interests of the broad masses of people.
In establishing a Democratic People’s Republic we should begin by uniting the masses. The same with all other matters, the setting up of a people’s government in particular cannot be successful without winning over the masses. The “people’s republic” put forward by certain people at present was trumped up by a handful of people overnight without any mass foundation. This “regime” is to be manufactured without so much as forming a national united front properly and laying a mass foundation. How can it be a government of our people?
After winning over the broad masses of people, we should, under our Party’s guidance, hold a conference of a national united front comprising democratic political parties and workers’, peasants’, youth’s, women’s and other mass organizations and discuss the question of organizing a central organ of power. Thus ours should be a government firmly based on a national united front representative of all democratic political parties and social organizations. Only a government set up on the basis of a national united front representing all sections of the patriotic democratic forces can enjoy the absolute approval and acceptance of the entire Korean people and international support, and correctly discharge its historic mission. If a government is set up with no mass foundation, it is like a house built on sand and cannot have the backing of the masses of people.
Our Party’s policy, therefore, is to form a solid democratic national united front before setting up a government and to build a mass foundation for people’s power.
We must first concentrate on winning over the masses.
The whole Party should be activated for a vigorous campaign to rally the broad masses of people and strive to win over every single person who wishes to help in nation-building. In this way, even conscientious non-comprador capitalists, not to mention the workers, peasants and intellectuals, should be united firmly in a national united front. Only when we form a strong democratic national united front and definitely win over the broad masses, can we smash all reactionary manoeuvres, establish a genuine government of the Korean people and build successfully an independent and sovereign democratic state, wealthy and mighty. We should form a national united front mainly with patriotic and democratic organizations fighting for the interests of the country and the people. Our united front can be joined only by the most revolutionary party truly representing the national interests of the Korean people and by those national and democratic political parties and social organizations which are totally opposed to imperialism and the remnant forces of Japanese imperialism and ready to take an active part in implementing the tasks of the democratic revolution for national liberation.
We are able to form a democratic national united front with political parties like the Democratic Party. True, the friendly parties show a certain amount of vacillation in the revolutionary movement, and sometimes voice objections. But we should work with these parties on the principle of criticizing and uniting for a united front.
To win over the people at large and have a solid democratic national united front, we must form as early as possible various mass organizations that include people of all strata.
At present there are various mass organizations in different localities, but none of them have a central leading body as yet. While strengthening the trade unions at factories and enterprises, we should inaugurate a central leading body for them at the earliest possible date. And a central peasant organization with a unified system should be formed and a unified organization for the women as soon as possible.
In particular, we should actively promote the work of reorganizing the Young Communist League into the Democratic Youth League, a broader-based youth organization.
Reorganizing the YCL into the DYL is a highly important measure to bring closer together young people in general and further develop the youth movement. Under the present complex political situation in our country, if the YCL, a limited youth organization, is left intact, the youth movement cannot go beyond narrow bounds and, further, the Korean youth movement may possibly be disrupted. If the youth movement is guided through the YCL, the working youth may be divided into various groups. Therefore, we must set up a democratic youth organization to rally broad sections of the young people,
Almost all the Korean youth are sons and daughters of working people, including the workers and peasants, and they suffered harsh exploitation and oppression without any freedom or rights under the former colonial rule of Japanese imperialism. Therefore, all young men and women with the exception of a tiny handful of reactionaries can be affiliated with a unified democratic youth organization and can be mobilized for the democratic revolution and nation-building.
While forming mass organizations, Party guidance over them should be intensified. In particular, close attention should be paid to guiding women’s organizations. Our Party should give a proper lead to these organizations so that for the present they attach importance to such matters as encouraging women to overcome illiteracy, to throw off feudal customs and improve their life and take an active part in nation-building, and strive to get results in all these measures. In this endeavour women should be awakened and tempered.
By forming mass organizations and intensifying our guidance of them, we should unite closely around our Party the workers, peasants, youth and students, women and all other sections of the broad masses and so lay a solid foundation for a national united front.
Formation of a powerful democratic national united front calls for enhancing the role of the Communist Party.
While maintaining its independent character in the united front, the Communist Party should play the leading role and assure definite guidance of mass organizations. To this end, Party organizations should be consolidated and the strength of the Party constantly increased.
At the same time, all Party members should be encouraged to get a correct grasp of our Party’s united front policy and lead the masses of all segments actively. First of all, we must see to it that Party members, clearly aware of our Party’s policy towards friendly parties, work well with them.
Forming a national united front in our country today is a pressing task, the fulfilment of which brooks no delay. We should give great impetus to the struggle to form a solid democratic national united front as soon as possible. We will thus firmly unite the broad patriotic democratic forces and then, establish a Democratic People’s Republic, a genuine people’s power, so eagerly awaited by our people.
In order to be successful in setting up a unified democratic government, we should first step up preparations in north Korea where favourable conditions have been created for the building of a new country. We should form a democratic national united front that embraces the broad patriotic, democratic forces of different sections in north Korea and, on this basis, set up a provisional central organ of power which will represent the interests of the people. This provisional government should definitively win over the vast popular masses to the side of the revolution and lay a secure groundwork for establishing a unified central government. To this end it should put into effect a series of popular and democratic measures—correct solution of the land problem, rehabilitation and development of industries, stabilization and improvement of the people’s standard of living, establishment of social order and introduction of a democratic electoral system.
In preparation for the setting up of a provisional central organ of power in north Korea, we organized people’s committees in different localities and, at the same time, took concrete steps already to organize administrative bureaus. These administrative bureaus should direct the respective economic spheres, effect inter-provincial relations in north Korea and set right the confusion.
We will have to strengthen local people’s organs of power and administrative bureaus and, on this basis, organize in north Korea a temporary central organ of power like a Provisional People’s Committee of North Korea and lay a solid foundation for the establishment of a unified central government.
Lastly, let me make a few brief remarks on the land problem raised at today’s meeting.
The solution of the land problem is a primary task arising in the anti-imperialist, anti-feudal democratic revolution. A correct solution of this matter is indispensable for abolishing the feudalistic relations of production that fetter our social development, freeing the peasant masses from age-old backwardness and poverty and building a new, democratic Korea. Our Party, therefore, should put special emphasis on solving the land problem.
In the future we will confiscate the land of the landlords and distribute it among the farm hands and poor peasants. As regards the land shared out among the peasants, the right to cultivation only should be granted, and not the right to sale. This alone will prevent the revival of the exploitation system in the countryside and realize the centuries-old desire of our peasants to become the master of the land.
If the land problem is to be solved correctly, the peasants should be well prepared politically. We should awaken them by campaigning to introduce the three-to-seven system of tenancy in the rural areas, so that they themselves make insistent demands for land. Our Party should intensify propaganda through its organ and members to ensure that the peasants take an active part in the struggle for acquisition of land.
We should absorb into the Party many farm hands and poor peasants tested and steeled in the struggle to solve the land problem, and should expand and strengthen the peasants’ organizations.
Comrades.
Our Party bears heavy responsibility for leading the Korean revolution and on its activity hinges the destinies of the country and the people. The key to success in the immense task of nation-building ahead of us at present, too- is how our Party fights. Bearing deep in mind the Party’s historic task, we should wage an energetic struggle to surmount all difficulties and obstacles lying in the way of nation-building, and strive to accomplish our honourable revolutionary tasks in building a new country.