(Excerpts)

Just a few hours before the end of these 3 days of our Festival, but with much Festival yet to be enjoyed, I believe that we all have a well-founded feeling of pride and joy because our Party was able to include in its rich heritage of values, characteristics and undertakings, this great and touching human meeting where convictions, emotions and affections shine and meet; where the role of work, creation, beauty, art and culture is affirmed; where tradition and modernity dialogue and mix; where youth emerges as a shining and unsubmissive force of renewal, hope and future; where pledges of life and struggle are reaffirmed and strengthen; but where, at the same time, and as a more solid lasting and promising mark of this Festival, we reaffirm the deep popular roots of the PCP, the relevance and vitality of the communist ideals, the historical projection of a unique struggle - which will burst through into the new century and the new millennium - for freedom and human dignity and for a valuable project of democracy and socialism for Portugal.

Let no one be mistaken: without any boasting of perfection and sanctity, far from any bragging or arrogance, the Portuguese Communist Party and its members will continue to talk and act so that a more solid, clear and open vision of its true identity, characteristics, project and action triumphs over the tide of caricatures and prejudiced disfigurement which we have been facing for decades.

Let no one have illusions: our joint sense of responsibility will make the Portuguese Communist Party, to whom we are proud to belong, leave this "Avante!" Festival facing life and the future, determined to carry out more and better our pledges to the workers and the people, engaged in a struggle for an alternative of the left which will take Portugal from this quagmire of alternance between the PS (Socialist Party) and the PSD (Social Democratic Party), firmly willing to face with courage the challenges and battles looming over the horizon.

Let the right explain why it changes its vote

We have said it before several times and will once again repeat it: because we are a serious and responsible party, we shall not announce our vote on a Budget which has not yet been presented, is not known and has not been read or analysed by anyone outside the government.

But the seriousness of our stance cannot be used to create confusions, feed vain hopes or abusive interpretations: a Budget along the lines of the previous ones - that is, a Budget which is an instrument and expression of the policy of the right - will be met by the PCP with the same negative vote as before.

And because not a single day goes by without a commentator saying that the PCP cannot vote for the Budget because its Congress is in sight, there are two things that must be made absolutely clear:

- the first, that it is not for the PCP to explain why it does not change its vote. It is the PSD and the PP (Popular Party) who have voted in favour of past Budgets who have to explain why they say they will vote against, at a time of discontent;
- the second, and much more important, in Budget matters, you can leave PCP's Congress in peace, because in our attitude towards the Budget and the PS government, what guides us are not supposed internal conditionings, but our deep convictions, our duties, pledges and responsibilities towards the workers and the people, our sovereign judgements, our coherence in the struggle against an unfair policy, our determination not to abandon, but rather honour, the values and objectives of a new policy, of a policy of the left for Portugal.

When we see the Prime Minister playing the role of the "poor victim", blaming others for a possible political crisis whose responsibility lies with him and the PS, constructing new versions of the unforgettable threat by former PM Cavaco Silva, that refrigerators would not be available in case of a PSD defeat, we have to say, that in politics, besides other things, you need some memory.

And if the Prime Minister had any memory, he would remember that throughout the years the PS coddled the PP (be it Monteiro, the previous leader, or Portas the present PP leader) and time and again considered it a reasonable and responsible party.

If Eng. Guterres had any memory, after five years of carrying out a policy that the right loves and which profits the interests of the class it represents (despite yelling a lot in order to conceal this), he would not ask for the PCP's support and solidarity to maintain this same policy, and precisely at a time when he announces more austerity, an even greater containment of wages and cuts in social expenditure.

If he had any memory, he would remember recent times when PS leaders did not attach any importance to notions of the left and right and, if asked whether the PS would turn to the right or the left, would quickly answer that neither, that they would carry on straight ahead. And, comrades, we can say that if they continue going straight ahead in such a way, they will surely fall off a cliff.

Great claims

Let no one expect that, imitating others and just to assure headlines in the press, we will start making threats, ultimatums and challenges to the government on the Budget for 2001.

But the Prime Minister, his government and the PS, instead of inventing new cycles for an old policy, casting blames and responsibilities and wasting time on petty cosmetics, would do well to hear and heed the profound and strong demand emerging from the national reality and the clear demand expressed by our voice, that it is time, and more than time, to change policy.

It is time, and more than time, to abandon the policy of the right which, as seen in the 10 years of Cavacoism and 5 years of PS governments, may in some periods spread illusions and anaesthetise, but is surely repeatedly incapable, incompetent and inadequate to face the great problems of the country.

It is time, and more than time, to end a policy which, in times of supposedly "fat cows", always lets the workers be among the least benefited, while punishing and hitting them in times of "lean cows".

It is time, and more than time, for a policy which, with a pressing and immediate character, promotes significant extraordinary wage increases. The Ministers don't feel it, but the workers suffer too much, and know that their wages are being voraciously eaten away by the rising prices. It is time for a policy that effectively fights against unacceptable precarious jobs, the insecurity and loss of rights affecting those who work, and with special brutality, the younger workers.

It is time, and more than time - as the PCP defended and proposed, long before all others - to carry out a true tax reform which, in its real content and not in the vague words of a Guterres' rally, puts an end to a scandalous fiscal injustice which has been sustained for 5 years by the PS, lessens the tax burden on the income of the workers who are the great tax payers, fights tax evasion and fraud and duly taxes financial speculation, big capital and the great wealth and fortunes.

It is time, and more than time, to restore the tax bonus on housing loans that the government has now announced after persisting for six months with the mistake and lack of sensitivity towards the plight of thousands of families, and which the PCP, like no one else, demanded from the beginning, with retroactive effect to April of this year.

It is time, and more than time, to put an end to the frenzied process of privatisations which, applauded by the PS, PSD and PP, has not created a single job and has destroyed many, and which meant a shameful crime and assault on public property and the national interest, in an absolutely illicit and immoral enrichment of economic groups that quickly paved the way to control by foreigners of key sectors of the national economy.

It is time, and more than time, for the PS and government to abandon and give up their projects of new electoral laws, which would be a serious step backwards for the Portuguese democracy, would annihilate the right which the Portuguese have exercised for 25 years of directly electing the Town Councils and, in legislative elections, would create anti-democratic mechanisms forcing a concentration of votes on PS and PSD.

It is time, and more than time, to face the serious problems of education, of ending the "numerus clausus" to approve the proposals by PCP so as to create better conditions for parents to accompany the school life of their children and institute free school books for compulsory schooling.

It is time, and more than time, to put an end to the growing tutelage and subordination of the policy of the Health Ministry to the great economic interests, to reorganise, modernise and humanise the National Health Service, to efficiently face the scandalous waiting lists, and reduce government's and citizens' expenses on medicines, namely by widely increasing generic medicines, regardless of whose interests this may affect.

It is time, and more than time, to, following the approval of the Basic Law on Social Security, carry out a true democratic reform in this area and mobilise resources for a significant increase of pensions and retirement pay.

It is time, and more than time, to change government policy on European integration, which does not defend national interests, ruins our agriculture and, little by little, drags Portugal towards giving the go-ahead to disastrous federalist developments in the "European construction", where the interests of finance and big business always surpass social rights and which, for several and good reasons, radically warrants a new course.

To satisfy these just and pressing claims, which, we are certain, have widespread support in the Portuguese society and among voters of other parties, the PCP will give its best effort, tenacity and capacity of intervention.

But because we know that something good is rarely handed down on a platter, we hereby leave the most important political message at this moment of our country's life: the message that, today as tomorrow, what counts more and will count and decide, is the direct intervention, the opinion and the struggle (and who knows, the vote) of all those who agree on these objectives and consider them just and necessary for the Country.

[Among the following several questions of the present time which were referred -the population's security, need for a democratic legal system, the fires serious problem, etc., - Carlos Carvalhas mentioned the problems of National Defence and the Armed Forces. ]

National Defence and the Armed Forces

The negative action of the government affects different sectors and layers of society. There is real discontent among the military. National defence is increasingly constrained by compromises undertaken by the government towards NATO and the acceptance of a new strategic concept declaring the wish to prepare the Armed Forces preferably for foreign missions, something which is in violation of the constitutional text. In fact, this was the framework to which the Portuguese Presidency of the European Union viewed the construction of supranational Armed Forces.

With these aims and compromises, and without financial resources to carry them out, the government has led the Armed Forces to a serious crisis. Portugal is a country with huge needs and without great resources, and so their use should always be rational and rigourous (and look at what happened with the jeeps that were sent to Timor).

A decision, which we believe, should be taken urgently and is widely justified is the immediate withdrawal of the National Armed forces from Kosovo and the Balkans - Portugal should never have been involved in the shameful, and very costly to the public, war against Yugoslavia under American leadership. Besides, we have responsibilities and duties towards Timor and the African speaking Portuguese countries. The government should remember that it did not hesitate to use all means to support Nato's American intervention in Kosovo, even though it was quite clear then, as it is now, that the intervention would only worsen the existing problems. But this does not exhaust the problems with the military.

There are also the statutory problems and those of social, professional and associative character, which are continuously left unsold and increase the unrest and demoralisation among the military.

[Finally, the General-Secretary of the PCP referred to the questions more directly concerned with the struggle of the workers and the masses of people, the Party's intervention, the preparation of the 16th Congress to be held on December 8, 9 and 10.]

A Party of Struggle and Proposal

During the past year, since the last "Avante!" Festival, we were able to confirm the justness of our appeal, of our views and of our incitement to the workers to fight for their interests and rights, to trust this Party, in its intervention, proposals and struggle.

There were thousands of small, and great struggles, many of them successful and with positive results on issues of the right to work and employment with rights, better wages and working hours, the fight against discrimination.

So many struggles were streams of will, spirit and determination which converged into the great demonstration of March 23rd (the largest, most participated and militant demonstration of the past decade held during a normal working day), called and organised by the great trade union central of the Portuguese workers, CGTP-Intersindical Nacional, and which was ratified by the demonstration of June 19th in Porto.

Although giving all credit to CGTP, the trade union movement and the workers' committees, the decisive intervention and initiative of the PCP has to be stressed,. The PCP was the only political force which denounced, fought and resisted the offensive against the rights of the workers; which, while presenting just proposals in parliament, did not wait for electoral campaigns to contact and encourage the workers; to fight against the labour package, to defend the value of their wages, to persist in the defence of the heritage of social and labour rights.

From this rostrum we want to reaffirm our unbreakable will to show that we are a Party of struggle and proposal; that we guarantee that we guarantee that we will continue striving for our objectives of leaving no stone untunred in the attempt to avoid that, once again, the men and women workers, the young generations have to pay the tab for wrong and unfair economic policies, that we shall carry on the struggle for more dignified wages, working hours and careers and for a better social security.

And with the knowledge of being in tune with the desire of so many communists and thousands of workers who work and fight within the structure and activities of CGTP-Intersindical Nacional. From this rostrum, on behalf of the Portuguese Communist Party, we send a greeting of solidary and militancy to the leadership of the great Trade Union Central of the Portuguese workers on the year of its 30th Anniversary.

This is, in fact, the Party which took a stand and encouraged the struggle for just proposals and demands in different spheres of national life; which fought for the quality and accessible prices in public services and launched a vigorous movement of protest against the rise in the price of transport, gas, petrol and other goods and services, demanding wage increases to maintain the buying power of workers, namely those in the Public Administration.

This is the Party which put forward initiatives to defend and improve the National Health Service, education and social security and proposals that could confront and lessen the severe scourge of drug addiction.

This is the Party which with the campaign "more social justice and fewer taxes for those who work" denounced the profound injustice of the tax system, put on the agenda the need to correct it and presented an important reform of income tax.

This is the Party which intervened to materialize the rights of women and for "Zero tolerance" towards discrimination and inequalities, and which in the Assembly of the Republic and through the communist women - whom we greet - was always present in the struggle for equality, the rights and the elimination of violence against women, and has given and gives active support to the women's "World March" and the National March to be carried out on the October 7th, in Lisbon.

This is the Party which, together with the JCP (Portuguese Communist Youth), fought for the rights and aspirations of the youth and students and made a significant contribution to force the government, faced with the discontent and protest of students and teachers, to back off from applying the curricular "reform" during the coming academic year.

This is the Party, which sided with the small and medium farmers in their different struggles, expressed in the demonstration of March 29th in Évora, with the small and medium entrepreneurs in industry, trade and services, increasingly subject to the negative consequences of a policy at the service of the financial groups and which fought and fights for an increase in pensions and for the right of the retired and the handicapped to a dignified life.

This is the Party which does not stand still against a policy of privatisations which affects the present and jeopardises the future of our country and in coherence with this pledge sides with the workers of TAP, National Steelworks, Lisnave, Cement industry, Portugal Telecom, EDP (electricity) and other enterprises in defence of national interests.

This is the Party, the PCP, which put forward the need to guarantee that the public investment in the Alqueva Dam and the area of irrigation was not transferred to half a dozen big landowners and multinationals and proposes a new land reform for the development of the Alentejo.

This is the Party of dream and hope, of generosity and social transformation, on whom the Portuguese, the youth and the country can count upon, the Portuguese Communist Party.

For a dynamic and urgent intervention

The coming times are times of great intervention, they are demanding times.

On September 9, we will present our candidate for President of the Republic who will ensure the presence in the electoral debate "of the distinctive values, proposals and project of the PCP for the Portuguese society, thus contributing to strengthen the popular demand for a left-wing alternative for the country's policies".

We are going to intensify the Party's and CDU's activity in the battle of the regional elections in the Madeira and Azores [archipelagos]. The electoral reinforcement, which is necessary to strengthen a policy of progress and social justice, is within our reach. At the same time, we are preparing new legislative proposals and all our activity for this second semester. We are also concluding the draft documents for the third phase of our XVIth Congress. All this simultaneously with an intense political initiative. Coherently in words and deeds, faithful to values and principles. Refusing to be prisoners of a political life which is marked by fuss, by superficiality, by the ephemeral, by sound bites. Our choice has always been for political intervention and action, in close touch with the citizens's problems and concerns, mobilizing their initiative and struggle, aggregating aspirations to a new policies. All this cannot be dealt with just be the political speeches of the leaders, but is based on the intense initiative, solidarity and militant activity of many tens of thousands of communists in the factories, in different working places, in the schools, in their residential areas, in Parliament, in the European Parliament, in local government, in the trade-unions, in the collective associations and in numerous civic movements.

It is a way of doing politics where we publicly show that politics does not have to be a discredited activity of a so-called "political class" to serve someone's interests, but can be the noble, generous and necessary means of participation of all citizens in the construction of their collective
future.

The preparation and convening of our16th Congress on December 8, 9 and 10 of this year, in Lisbon, are part and parcel of our own way of doing politics and intervening in favour of the workers, the people and the country.

We neither closed during the preparatory periods, nor are we going to close now "to draw up a balance sheet". Indeed, we are going to continue working so that the preparation of our Congress - in connexion with an intense political activity geared towards solving the problems of the country and of the Portuguese people - may in itself, be an important means to widen the communists' participation in the life and activity of their Party. A way of advancing in the analysis of reality and the changes in Portugal and in the world, in exploring the ways towards the construction of the left alternative which is necessary, in the elaboration of the proposals and of the alternative policies which our country needs for the new Century which now begins.

We are going to do so asserting our communist identity, our nature of a Party of the working class and all working people, a patriotic and internationalist party. And allow me, in thanking the foreign delegations for their presence, to recall that a year ago we were here in an important act of solidarity with Timor. Mutual solidarity, cooperation and action are more necessary than ever. And we are going to do so also with our materialist and dialectic theoretical basis - marxism-leninism - an instrument of analysis and a guide for action; which as an open system is in connection with practice and must be enriched and "renewed" along with the incessant progress of knowledge, of experience, of the objective analysis of history, refusing both the opportunist revision of concepts, and the stagnation and crystallization of the theory and its dogmatization.

The reflection and debate which we need, must be based on our organic and functioning principles, which are valid for everyone, and aiming at ensuring both a profound internal democracy, and a single political line and a single central leadership. They imply guaranteeing free expression of opinions and debate and ensuring the insertion of individual contributions within the collective work, decision and action.

But they also require and call for active mobilisation and participation of all Party members in a lively and shared debate and reflection, without any constraints, labels or pique, where stated opinions are understood as a natural starting point and contribution towards a synthesis and conclusions capable of moving forward the thought, analysis, the organisation of the Party. Where in the minds of each and everyone it be clear that the opinions expressed within the Party deserve to be discussed with attention and elevation.

Where all of us may have as a point of union and attitude towards the debate, the trust, loyalty and fraternity which must rule in the relations among communists, among all those who are part of this great collective, that struggles, intervenes and builds so many remarkable projects and works, among which the "Avante!" Festival is a valuable example; which is a cross-road of so many thousands of roads, experiences and individual contributions.

Some commentators and some media, intentionally trying to transform the legitimate and natural differences of opinions among communists which face the complexity of the problems of our epoch, into divisions and fractures, hastly catalogued and listed into tendencies, our Party's leaders and other prominent cadres in an offensive, crude and simplistic way. And in order to support their theses, they usually state contradictory versions of anonymous sources about the internal debate within our Party and about our leadership's meetings. It is an old behaviour, but unacceptable.

They are mistaken! This Party, the PCP and its leadership, acts in defence of the national, the workers' and the people's interests, taking at every moment the necessary measures to confront the country's problems. We will surely not be disturbed by such operations.

Also mistaken are those that imagine that the Portuguese communists will accept to carry out the necessary preparatory debate and reflection for their Congress through the media and through the lies or distorted and contradictory versions about our internal life, whose sole purpose is to disquiet the Party, as well as to create divisions and fractures in the Party.

And we reaffirm that until the decisions of the next Congress, the assessment of the Party's life, the analysis, concerns, policies, priorities and political guidelines of the Party which are in force and which represent the common basis for our collective work, are those adopted at the 15th Congress, the decisions of the Central Committee and its executive bodies and not the interpretations, considerations and public proposals coming from this or that Party member.

The diversity of opinions is not considered by us as an evil to strike down, but a natural framework where communists try to interpret and transform the complex world we live in and where the respect and the assertion of values and principles are not understood as cutting off what is new. But this debate, with truth and respect for the opinions, must be carried out within the Party and with the Party.

This is a challenge that we need to achieve and win in the preparation of our 16th Congress.

The strengthening of the PCP is in the interests of the workers, the people and the country and not only of the communists.

Our 16th Congress is a great moment from which we must profit and that we must not miss in deepening our analysis about the paths and ways of advancing the struggle and the social movements, the political initiative and intervention; about the paths and ways of strengthening the PCP at the beginning of the new Century, of widening the attraction and mobilisation capacity of our project, of our ideals and values, which we are sure bear modernity, relevance and capability to answer the aspirations of liberation and progress of those who refuse a system based on exploitation, alienation and oppression. as future of Mankind.

Only in this way we will know how to pride our Party's heritage, which is remarkable and honourable, built by successive generations of Portuguese communists who gave to the Party the best of their lives and knew in every epoch how to find new answers and adequate ways to develop their action. It is now an imperative that the present communist generation, audaciously and with trust, also knows how to find the way and the answers to the complex social, political and ideological challenges of the epoch and the world we live in.

Only so we will be able not only to honour our Party's historic legacy but also to proceed to renew and renovate it, making it grow and become increasingly influential. A Party that the workers, the people and Portugal in the 21st Century need. A Party that is communist and that wants to continue to be communist! The Portuguese Communist Party.

Long live the Portuguese Communist Youth!
Long live the Portuguese Communist Party
Long live Portugal!