UNITY NEWSLETTER
NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 1967
EDITORIAL
In the May I967 issue of this NEWSLETTER we commented
editorially on the importance, in our political life, of the
exercise of criticism and self-criticism.  We had hoped that the
grave realities of the struggle in Southern Africa and the urgent
need to close the ranks of the genuine anti-imperialist, anti-
colonialist and anti-apartheid forces in that area would induce
our comrades to ponder these matters in the spirit of revolutionary
realism, instead of continuing to indulge in the fruitless pursuit
of glorifying the past and present history of their respective
little camps.
But we reckoned without traditional thinking.  From their
offices abroad the South African freedom organisations have continued to churn out encomiums and panegyrics on themselves and to
claim sole existence as an organised force against oppression and
exploitation in that country - a completely unrealistic and irresponsible claim to make, particularly at this stage in the history
of bur struggle.  For this reason we have decided to republish the
editorial referred to above in the hope that if our comrades find
our standpoint unacceptable they will at least say so:
CRITICISM  AND  SELF-CRITICISM
.
nOne of the critical tests of the solidarity of mass support
for any party is its ability to conduct open self-criticism.  If it
is not afraid of its constituents, it can afford to admit its mistakes, explain what errors produced untenable positions, and suggest
how a new course can be taken.  But if the party no longer has the
confidence of the masses, it builds up a web of mystifications
about its past and seeks to show-that every new course of action is
somehow related to, or the logical result of, an old victorious
action.  Thus the party has never made a mistake and, as long as it
is guided by its present leaders, never will make a mistake.  Even
as the party abruptly changes its political direction by 180 degrees,
the leaders announce, over their shoulders as it were, that the
course of the party has never changed.M
- Bob Fitch and Mary Oppenheimer.
In the next issue of the UNITY NEWSLETTER we shall again return
to the very important subject of a united front of struggle, with
special reference to South Africa.  Meanwhile we take the opportunity
to make certain general remarks on the basis of some of the views
expressed by * some people, in one way or another, involved in the
South African Revolution.  These views have been expressed either
through discussion or publication.
We make these general remarks, not with a view to pontificate
or excite polemical discussion, which is very often fruitless, since
it invariably stems from ulterior motives, but in-order to call for
a serious, honest and non-sectarian approach to the immense problems
that are posed by the South African Revolution.  Any attempt to
peddle the old sectarian lines can only serve to betray the revolution in our country.
But this sectarianism is still the bane of the South African
Liberation Movement.  No one is prepared to look history squarely in
the face.  Everyone seeks to outshine the others by holding up to
viev; the glorious past of his party and its leaders.  No one is prepared to admit that the leaders of his party are fallible.  No one is
/.