Question: Occasionally we will see a press release that a particular organisation or citizen's group will have made a donation to a body of the state. It may be a gift of buses to a transport service or a statue for a municipality etc. Can you please explain the role of donations within the DPRK? Since the workers collectively control the surplus, why don't they use their democratic power to request state planning body to execute their wishes? Why shouldn't costs of these means of production, which are owned in common, be borne by the people in common rather than a group of individuals that 'donate'?
The role of donations both in the DPRK and in the past in socialist countries was and is the same. they enrich the economy and also has an ideological dimension.
In a socialist planned economy, donations do not fulfill any specific task assigned to them by the plan. It is because it is impossible to plan the size or number of future donations. In the process of economic planning in the socialist system, only measurable and actually existing indicators are taken into account, and forecasts are also made according to them. Any economic forecast cannot be based on unpredictable donations. Donations are not an element of socialist planning not only because of their unpredictability but also because of the lack of factors on which any plan could be based.
The so - called 'surplus' in the form of a donation is a surplus that is unplanned and cannot be planned planning is not the disposal of existing economic resources, including those coming from donations. Planning is the process of adapting existing resources to the needs in the most rational way possible and ensuring the best possible satisfaction of economic needs, and not the disposition of unpredictable donations. Occasional and spontaneous nature of donations prevents it from being included in any economic plan at the local or national level. It is impossible to predict people's behavior or whether they will take the initiative to donate and this is an unpredictable factor. Donation initiatives, as well as initiatives of unplanned additional production, are the result of spontaneous behavior which, inspired by the ideological factor, by the campaign of the communist party or trade unions, is an expression of the high ideological maturity of the socialist society as well as their collectivism or patriotic attitude in above - standard work and effort.
'Since the workers collectively control the surplus, why don't they use their democratic power to request state planning body to execute their wishes?'
I do not really understand what the workers' wishes are and what is the link between production costs and their donate. In fact, workers realize their aspirations and wishes through forms of direct management through various bodies of workers' self - government in the socialist system. For example, in the Polish People's Republic old system of socialist local government and collective management of the workplace, at the level of the so - called Conferences of Workers' Self-Government - Workers' Works Councils, the entire staff of the workplace decided through democratic voting on the division of the profit earned after paying the turnover tax to the state for their social purposes. Thus, through the so - called social fund of the staff, wishes were implemented at the plant level, such as housing construction or help for the poorest, but it is not strictly a donation. it is joint workers' management of funds earned by a socialist enterprise after transferring part of the generated profit to the central budget. Thus, everyone is involved in fully democratic decision - making.
As for issue:
' ... Why shouldn't costs of these means of production, which are owned in common, be borne by the people in common rather than a group of individuals that 'donate’?'
The costs of means of production constituting collective property are borne by a given enterprise operating according to a local plan, a factory production plan - coupled with regional plans and, through them, with the central national plan. Donations do not affect any production costs and are the result of over-planned production, therefore production costs closely related to the subject of the donation are incurred as a result of exceeded production and organizational effort from generated surpluses, from an initiative separate from the planned one and belong to the economic activity in a given enterprise and this group - which took the initiative to donate and not to general economic activity in the entire specialized economy of the country.
Question: The DPRK is often misrepresented as being ultra-nationalist, 'Korean-supremacist' even. The historical record demonstrates the DPRK's commitment to internationalism but it also emphasizes pride and love for the nation. Can you please summarise the DPRK's view on Nationalism as espoused in Kim Jong Il's "On Nationalism" in plain and simple terms?
It should begin with the fact that many confuse nationalism with patriotism in regard to the social relations of the DPRK, and what is in fact patriotism and progressive nationalism uniting all social classes in the DPRK and having an internationalist meaning is called egoistic ultra - nationalism.
Nationalism is similar in its use [case} to propaganda. Nationalism and propaganda in themselves could be neutral and only the purposes for which they are used and impact of the objective factors determine whether they are good or bad. Nationalism could be not only homogeneous and only and whether is positive or negative. This is because it can take the form of chauvinistic egocentrism aimed at exposing the domination of one nation over others, which is often used to use nationalist trends to implement the political goals of bourgeois classes hostile to the working classes. we often see this in many movements and political parties with extreme right - wing and nationalist ideology.
Nationalism can be a trend that, if allowed to develop as a chauvinistic ultra - nationalism, can be dangerous and reactionary in nature. An example of nationalism that was used in this way were the nationalist tendencies of the nations of Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina from the former Yugoslavia, which, fueled by American imperialists, led to the conflict and disintegration of this state.
Nationalism skillfully used to direct social trends, which, if directed in the spirit of patriotism and internationalist values, can bring many benefits to the nation, but only if they are skillfully combined with patriotism and internationalism and do not expose the superiority of one nation over others and thus discrimination and exploitation in the name of nationalism as a goal of other nationalities. This is the correct use progressive nature of nationalism.
Pride for love and nation does not exclude involvement in internationalism. Even more, it is the right direction of love and pride for one's nation, excluding the dangerous chauvinistic trend of putting one's own nation above all others in the sense of hostility towards others and discrimination towards others, which takes place in evil bourgeois nationalism. The belief that our nation is the best is not wrong only when it does no harm, respects the differences of others and does not interfere in the affairs of other nations for its own benefits. Only then is it a healthy nationalism that is full of patriotism and has an internationalist expression
Emphasizing pride and love for the nation, as DPRK celebrate ourselves is the expressing of true patriotism.
If you like to summarize the DPRK's view on Nationalism as espoused in Kim Jong Il's 'On Nationalism' in possibly plain and simple terms, it could be:
1. Emphasizing the heterogeneity of nationalism and its division into the so - called bourgeois nationalism - reactionary and progressive and genuine nationalism.
2. Whether nationalism is progressive is determined by its character, which must include the compatibility of class and national factors.
3. Nationalism was used in various historical periods as a useful factor in the fight for the class interests of the bourgeoisie in opposition to the class interests of the working class
' ... As capitalism developed and the bourgeoisie became the
reactionary ruling class after victorious bourgeois revolution,
nationalism was used as a means of defending the interests of the
bourgeois class. Not satisfied with exploitation and oppression of the
other members of their nation, the bourgeoisie resorted to invasion,
plunder and war against other countries and nations, justifying their
act as the defence of the 'interests' of their nation ...'
3. The relationship between nationalism and communism based on based on the recognition of nationalism as a trend that is not opposed to communism but which is based on love for the nation and country, on the recognition of independence and national independence that does not threaten other nations in the way of chauvinistic domination but of patriotic emanation is consistent with communist ideas. So, genuine love for the homeland and nation is the factor that unites both communism and nationalism.
Without the concept of the nation and its independent development and respect for national traditions, which is expressed in nationalism that maintains a supra - class character, internationalism is also impossible.
Finally, nationalism should always be considered from a Marxist-Leninist position, that is, from a class position. Nationalist sentiments should always be analyzed from the point of view of what purposes they serve and whether they bring benefits to the working class and have a patriotic dimension in their love for their own nation, as well as an internationalist dimension, uniting in the fight for the liberation of the world proletariat and not only putting one nation above others in its importance and this claiming rights and privileges only for themselves for their own benefits, but while recognizing national distinctiveness and respecting the otherness and diversity of nations and their independence, it is expressed in internationalist cooperation with other nations.
I hope I have answered these two issues comprehensively. On the topic of correctly understanding nationalism, I also would like to present one of my articles 'To understanding nationalism correctly' from KFA UK Joint Meeting 12th of December 2020. I am going send here on chat a PDF file with this article.
Thank you for listening.
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