© RADIO FREE EUROPE are COMMUNIST AREA This material was prepared for the use of the ‘editors and policy stall of Radio Free Europe. 1997 @ YUGOSLAVIA? © Ide: Party 18 February 1974 Summary: Recent statements by leading party members raise serious doubts about the unity of views within the Yugoslav Party on the issue of factionalism, While Croatian leader Vladimir Bakaric recently spoke on the existence of a "centralistic" and "Stalinist" faction, Stane Dolanc stressed the pi lity of such a faction being formed within the Party. An article appearing in the latest issue of the theoretical weekly Komuni dispersing the confusion from Bakaric's speech. is aimed at has resulted Statements issued during the past few days by several to: leaders of the Yugoslav Party have strengthened the belief t a veal unity among them exists to a much lesser extent than official propaganda suggests. Recent speeches by Dr. Vladimir Bakaric and Jure Bilic -- two top Croatian leaders and members of the Yugoslav Party Presidium -- in which they strongly attack "centralistic and unitarian factions" in Croatia and elsewhere in Yugoslavia, can be seen as a new quarrel within Yugoslavia's top party bodies. On February 16, Stane Dolanc, Secretary of the Executive Bureau, hurriedly attempted to emphasize that in connection with Bakaric's and Bilic's speeches -- "the leader of the LCY and all republican and provincial party leaders are completely united following the line of development of our self- managing socialist society as conceived by Comrade Tito, the new Yugoslav Constitution and the Party Program which is val today and will also be valid in the future." (1)tay, The emphasis placed on the continued validity of the current party program indicates that some Yugoslav party Tehaers Tear dat terprogran adopted "ht tne Seventh Party Congress in April 1958 will be abandoned, “From the very beginning this program has come under heavy attack not only by Moscow butalso by other East European parties as "thoroughly revisionist." Anyone hoping to bring about a real rapprochement between Belgrade and Moscow must necessarily change the current party program which rejects any centralism and unitarianism -- two points particularly attacked by Bakaric and Bilic. "There can be no return to unitarianism, centralism or any form of-neo-Stalinism" because this would be unacceptable to WwW Yugoslavs and because "this would in fact represent a negation not only of the self-management system but also of the ability and political awareness of our working people and our working class as a whole." This was stated by Dolanc in a speech he delivered on February 16 at the Sixth Conference of Yugoslavia's Self-Managers, referred to as "The Red Flag Conference." (2) The main report was read by Mme Milka Planinc, President of the Central Committee of the League of Communists of Croatia. Another important speaker was Tihomir Vlaskalic [vlash-ka-lich], President of the Serbian Central Committee, who accused the purged Serbian leaders (Marko Nikezic and his group) of having "departed from the LCY.line;" they allegedly favored the introduction of a different line -- a line which was contrary to the policies and orientation of Yugoslav communists in general. Is There A Centralistic Faction? oe It appears likely that some top party leaders in Yugoslavia are not quite in agreement as to whether a "centralist" and "Staf@hi: faction" in the party actually exists. In his February 5 speech at the 40th plenum of the Croatian CC, Jure Bilic, a member of the Executive Bureau, said that "the creation of another faction, based on another [Serbian] nationalist line, is possible." [Emphasis supplied] (3) Bakaric, who spoke after Bilic, corrected him saying: Comrade Jure Bilic has spoken of a faction which is with us; he also spoke of the possibility of creating another faction. I do not claim that such a possibility exists since this Faction nas already been formed; Tt 46 hore Te isnot yet as strong as the previous faction, but has started marching along the same road. They are meeting, organizing themselves... (4) (Emphasis supplied] This was the first contradiction: Bilic spoke about t possibility that such a faction may have been created, whileee Bakaric maintained that the faction was already in existence. Stan Dolanc, who is also Secretary of the Executive Bureau, sided with Bilic, In his February 16 speech in Kragujevac he said: There are individuals who are trying to implement their political concepts and tendencies by forming minor or major groups which tomorrow, at a definiti moment, might really turn Into a faction whic Fight for power Tete this country. The League of Communists will fight with the greatest resoluteness against such factions. (5) [Emphasis supplied] Bakaric's February § speech in Zagreb has apparently created some confusion within the Party, This has been confirmed by Komunist which, in its latest issue, stated that Bakaric's “warnings have caused perplexity and confusion in some places and the question could even be heard: What is in fact happening in the League of Communists of Croatia?” (6) Party Claims Unity But the question posed by Konunist is misleading: True, Bakaric did speak about a centralistic faction in Croatia, but he also maintained that this was not just an isolated Croatian problem, The article in Komunist might be the reflection of dissatisfaction among the Yugoslav leaders in Belgrade with Bakaric's statement. While they may agree with him on the necessity to fight any centralistic-unitarian tendencies, they Prove of~ Bakaric's emphasizing the actual existence and strength of such a faction throughout the country. His statement may have been interpreted as giving support to the ideas spread by the editors of Praxis (particularly by the eight professors in Belgrade) who have continually warned against neo-Stalinism and "Stalinist de-Stalinization" in Yugoslavia. Incidentally, Bakaric's statement has also raised the question of whether a new power struggle is underway in the top party circles. Kom answers this question: ach It goes without saying that warnings about the danger of centralism and bureaucratism must not for an instant mean or be interpreted as directing the struggle of. the Lcy only in one direction and only against these forces. There is also no need to stress that this sort of one- sided orientation could again prompt nationalists, liberals and other exponents of bourgeois ideology to raise their heads and even, perhaps, have the courage to offer “an alliance" to the LCY in the struggle against dogmatic forces. The LCY resolutely rejects such an "alliance" in the struggle against dogmatic forces. (7)i oe In view of this, one can perhaps more clearly understand why Dolane found it necessary to attack Western journalists so strongly in connection with the Belgrade professors’ case. His attacks can be seen as a criticism of Bakaric who, by virtue of his strong attacks against the "centralistic" and "Stalinist faction," seemed to support the very cause represented by them. He received strong, although indirect, support from Slavko Sajber [shay-ber], Secretary of the Zagreb City Party Committee, who in a recent interview with Borba, confirmed the existence of a neo-Stalinist group in Zagrel I would like to mention the well-known case eo of the local party organization "Josip Kulusic." This concerned a struggle between, the city party leadership with a group of neo- Stalinists and unitarians who -- publicly, at.various meetings, something which was officially recorded demanded the overthrow of the City Party Committee and of all people who have been functionaries in the LCY until the [December 1971] session [of the Yugoslav Party Presidium]... The energetic action of the City and district party committees succeeded in resisting such phenomena. (8) € In conclusion one should stress.that Bakaric's February 5 statement was made while Tito was absent.from the country. In spite of expectations to the contrary, folowing his return, Tito sai nothing of recent developments, On the basis of past experience, one gets the impression that Tito is not satisfied with Bakaric' sy speech, and Dolanc's words only reflect Tito's negative views on the matter. Slobodan Stankovic (1) Borba, Belgrade, 17 February 1974, (2) Vjesnik, Zagreb, 16 February 1974, (3) Poa ika, Belgrade, 6 February 1974, (4) Ibid. (8) Borba, 17 February 1974. (6) Komunist, Belgrade, 18 February 1974. (7) Ibia. (8) Borba, 15 February 1974,