Saturday 11 February 2023

Speech of Dr Dermot Hudson to the ICCSS International Online Seminar for the 81st anniversary of the birth of the great leader comrade KIM JONG IL


Today global independence is under attack from US imperialism and big power chauvinism. The creation of an International Songun University will make a meaningful contribution to the struggle for global independence by further disseminating the Songun idea and Songun politics of the great leader comrade KIM JONG IL whose birth anniversary is in a few days' time on the 16th of February. We should study the exploits made by comrade KIM JONG IL in the struggle for global independence.


The great leader comrade KIM JONG IL actively defended independence all his life and pushed forward the cause of global independence. His credo was that of "Independence, independence and independence ". His whole life was spent furthering the cause of independence, Indeed the very name KIM JONG IL is associated with anti-imperialism and independence because throughout his life he opposed not only imperialism but dominationism and big power chauvinism.


    The great leader comrade KIM JONG IL always said independence has been inseparable from internationalism. This is the Juche outlook on internationalism. As he wrote in his classic treatise

"ON THE JUCHE IDEA " "Independence is not in conflict with internationalism but is the basis of its strengthening. Just as the world revolution is inconceivable without the revolution in one's own country, internationalism divorced from independence cannot exist. As a matter of principle, internationalist solidarity must be based on freedom of choice and equality.

  Only when it is founded on independence, will internationalist solidarity become based on free choice and equality and become genuine and durable."

    Right from his early days, the great leader comrade KIM JONG IL carried out activities to defend independence, not just the independence of Korea but for all countries  .  In the early 1960s when modern revisionism was causing problems in the international communist movement and the socialist camp, the big-power chauvinists who were throwing their weight around tried to put pressure on Albania to follow modern revisionism. Comrade KIM JONG IL showed solidarity with Albania by visiting some Albanian students who were studying at KIM IL SUNG University..

  The great leader comrade KIM JONG IL  strongly believed in the slogan "Let the peoples of the world advocating independence, unite !" which had first been put forward in 1975 by the great leader President KIM IL SUNG. This is a profound slogan indeed.

    Comrade KIM JONG IL himself put forward the militant slogan "Let Us Live Our Own Way ! "in December 1978 at a time when the imperialists ,dominationists and revisionists were trying to suppress the independence of many different countries and carry out the intervention in many lands. The slogan was aimed at encouraging the Korean people to forge ahead in the spirit of independence and the revolutionary spirit of self-reliance, the slogan had repercussions beyond the borders of Korea because the world revolutionary people were inspired by the example of the Korean people and fought against the imperialists ,dominationists and great power chauvinists. Juche and self-reliance became the watchwords of the world's revolutionary people. In those days many Juche Idea study groups were founded in different countries, even in the United States the metropolis of world reaction.Also many groups for the study of the Songun idea were founded and the International Central Committee for Songun Study headquartered in Bangladesh was established . The International Central Committee for Songun Study is pushing ahead with the project to create the International Songun University.

 


  In his work "Let Us Advance Under the Banner of Marxism-Leninism and the Juche Idea "  comrade KIM JONG IL pointed out that ". Capitalism and imperialism are the last exploiting systems which trample upon the aspiration of the masses for independence in human history, and are the most ferocious oppressive systems which combine class domination with national oppression. Imperialism has now turned into modern imperialism based on state monopoly capitalism,and it has become more aggressive and brutal than ever before. It is flagrantly challenging the oppressed popular masses in their cause of national liberation, independence and socialism. The imperialists are clinging to neo-colonialism and obstinately pursuing the policy of plundering and subjugating other nations by more covert and crafty methods. US-led modern imperialism, though on the decline, is making desperate efforts to save itself from ruins. Particularly, as the general crisis of capitalism deepens, the imperialists are not only repressing harshly the revolutionary advance of the working-class and the working masses in their own countries, but also intensifying the acts of aggression and subversion against socialist countries and the international communist movement under the heading of ،anti-communism،.So long as imperialism exists, domination and plunder will not cease, and as long as imperialist domination and plunder exist, there is bound to be the revolutionary  struggle of the working class and masses of people to oppose them"

  This was a totally brilliant analysis of the situation that was perceptive and lucid. What comrade KIM JONG IL said was and is very true. The imperialist and monopoly capitalists were not only blocking the revolutionary advance of the working class in their own countries but were trying to subvert and overthrow the socialist countries.At the same time, they plundered third-world countries through neo-colonialism. The teachings of the great leader comrade KIM JONG IL are a guide to action and greatly inspired the world's progressive people in their struggle against imperialism and dominationism.

  The great leader comrade KIM JONG IL in practical terms took measures to support the struggle of the world people for independence. He saw to it that the DPRK supported countries like Zimbabwe and Nicaragua when they emerged as newly independent countries from the ruins of imperialism and neo-colonialism. When socialism was frustrated in several countries owing to the nefarious moves of the modern revisionist traitors, comrade KIM JONG IL rallied the socialist forces with the Pyongyang Declaration. "Let Us Defend and Advance the Cause of Socialism" stated “Ours is an era of independence and the socialist cause is a sacred one aimed at realising the independence of the popular masses…Now that the imperialists and reactionaries are attacking socialism and people in an international collusion, the parties which are building socialism or aspiring after it should defend and advance socialism on an international scale and strengthen mutual support and solidarity in their efforts for social justice, democracy, the right to existence and peace against imperialist domination, subjugation by capital and neo-colonialism.

This is an international duty incumbent upon all parties and progressive forces for socialism and an undertaking for their own cause.

We will advance under the unfurled banner of socialism in firm unity with all progressive political parties, organisations, and peoples of the world who are striving to defend socialism against capitalism and imperialism.

Let us all fight it out to open up the future of mankind with a firm conviction in the cause of socialism.

Final victory is on the part of the people fighting in unity for socialism.

The socialist cause shall not perish.”

 The DPRK under the leadership of the great leader comrade KIM JONG IL actively opposed US imperialist intervention and warmongering. In 1999 when Yugoslavia was attacked by the US imperialists and the NATO aggressors the DPRK strongly denounced it and held a meeting in support of Yugoslavia. The DPRK opposed both the Afghan and Iraq wars of US imperialism. In 2005 the World Conference on the Anti-Imperialist Cause of Independence in the 21st Century under the sponsorship of the DPRK has held in Caracas the capital of anti-imperialist Venezuela. The conference adopted a declaration which concluded that "All the countries and nations advocating independence should firmly preserve the Juche character and national identity and settle problems arising in all fields including politics, economy, military and foreign affairs their own way, it noted, underscoring the need to boost the international unity and solidarity among the anti-imperialist independent forces and intensify the study and dissemination of the Juche idea and the Songun idea"

 Thus the life of the great leader comrade KIM JONG IL was marked by his strenuous struggle for global independence.  Lets us not only remember the great leader comrade KIM JONG IL on the day of his birth but struggle more actively for global independence , we can do so by strengthening the work of the ICCSS and creating the International Songun University .


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