By the grace of the Left,
the Italian gov’t survives

Special to the Tribune

Giulio Andreotti’s new
minority Christian Democrat
government seems, remarkably
perhaps, to have a chance of sur-
vival beyond the fall. Originally.
claimed as a summer ‘‘caretaker-’
government, it may seem that the
Andreotti cabinet (Italy’s 36th
government since the end of the
war) had inauspicious beginnings.
Itis installed thanks to the absten-
tion of the left and the small lay
parties, in the midst of general
‘lack of enthusiasm and continuing
uncertainty regarding Italy’s eco-
nomic crisis.

In addition, the comments of
West German Chancellor
Schmidt reawakened old fears of
the inherent instability of an anti-
communist Christian Democrat
minority government. Though it
now seems that Schmidt’s com-
ments concerning a financial boy-
cott of Italy should there. be a
political “‘opening’’ to the Com-
munists were prompted by his
own electoral concerns, there is
no doubt that at the Puerto Rican
June summit certain commit-
ments were made concerning the
degree of Communist involve-
ment in government acceptable to
the major capitalist powers. In
this atmosphere of international
anti-communism, the Andreotti
government’s polential weakness
seemed to increase the proba-
bility of foreign involvement in
Italian domestic affairs.

* Plan of Reform

Paradoxically, however, An-
dreotti was able to turn this
weakness to at least a temporary
source of strength. He has a de-
tailed and extensive plan of re-
form in which the left can co-
operate.

True, it does not seriously con-
front the problem of increasing
the productivity of Italian in-
dustry. At the same time, figures
from the first three months of 1976
show signs of considerable sec-
toral recovery in chemicals,
transport and textiles.

While there are long-term plans
to reduce the burden of Italy’s
debts and inefficient taxation sys-
tem, the immediate difficulty

Factories for
microbiology

VILNIUS (TASS) — The con-
struction of two new factories in
Vilnuis and Kedainiai has marked
the birth of a microbiological in-
dustry in Lithuania.

The enzymes, nutrient yeasts
and premixes produced at the fac-
tories were highly assessed by ag-
ricultural experts. Thus, one ton
of yeast added into animal ration
has provided an average increase
of 18-20 centners of fowl-fiesh and
20,000 eggs per farm. The ani-
‘mals, which received small doses
of ferments and premixes, had

their weight increased by 20°

percent.

The wide use of enzymes and
premixes will help increase the
output of animal products in the
Republic.

An institute of applied enzymo-
logy was established in Vilnius to
work on the problem of expansion
of the assortment of products and
development of new prepara-
tions.

Communist Party General Sec-
retary Enrico Berlinguer

arising from the combined effects
of revaluation and heavy inter-
national borrowing will persist for
the foreseeable future, and make
any economic recovery a slow
and hard-fought one.

Economic reform, in other
words, will bring neither disaster
nor victory. This will reassure the
government’s opponents and not
alarm its privileged friends.

In short, the Andreotti gov-
ernment has an acceptable face. It
is weak enough in parliament to
need to show its independence in
Europe — or face immediate elec-
toral consequences. It has no
answer to the crisis — but it does
have a plan of reforms which it is
committed to start enacting.

Socialists Disorganized
The Italian socialists have
been so disorganized by their
poor showing in the June 20 elec-
tions that they have been unable

to play the crucial role predicted —

in forming a majority government
with formal Communist participa-
tion. To many people’s surprise,
in other words, the new govern-
ment has a chance of postponing
new elections (which no one
wants at present), and of per-
mitting the Communists to estab-
lish themselves in positions of in-
fluence in the parliamentary ma-
chinery without promising more
than they can actually ac-
complish.

Communists now hold the
presidency of the chamber of
deputies (Pietro Ingrao) and seven
presidencies, as against eleven for
presidencies, as against eleven for
the Christian Democrats. In con-
stitutional terms, the Communist
success in the latest elections is
for the first time recognized in the
Italian parliament.

However, as well as the ac-
ceptable face of the new govern-
ment, one must remember that

many things have not changed. |

The new government has
dropped a few of the more objec-
tionable magnates of Christian
Democracy. There is even a
woman minister of labor and so-
cial insurance. In general, how-
ever, the mixture is as before, and
if there are more reformers in the
new cabinet, there are no signs
that the system of Christian
Democrat power has been modi-
fied or that the party has signifi-

cantly changed its attitude to-

wards government.

Communist Participation
Most significantly too, there is
equivocation as to the extent of

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—SEPTEMBER 10, 1976—Page 6

Italian Premier Gullio Andreotti

the “‘opening”’ toward the Com-
munist Party. The Christian
Democrats’ secretary has stated
that there is no Communist role
in government ‘‘in fact’’. Cer-
tainly the new government does
not fill any of the formulae pro-
posed by the Communist Party

during the election — it is not an .

emergency government, not a
coalition of democratic forces,
and by no means a government of
the “‘historic compromise’’, of
understanding between Com-
munists and Christian Demo-
crats to undertake a radical puri-
fication of Italian political life.

The Communists will as-
suredly play an important in-
formal role in planning policy of
the new government. On the
other hand, the new arrangement
is scarcely an experiment in
‘‘Eurocommunism’’, Rather, the
Andreotti government has been
forced to recognize the electoral
force of the Italian Communist
Party, but in a way which enables
the Christian Democrat party to
continue the fiction of its funda-
mental hostility to’ the formal
recognition of this strength. The
Communists are in a sense
neither in nor out of government.

_ This will give the Party a strong
- tactical leverage, and enable it to

strengthen its control of local
administrations, but the position
is an equivocal one. ~

Allin all, the new government
is one which few expected and
which many will tolerate. The

Christian Democrats retain the —

formal, and much of the real,
power to which they have clung
so tenaciously. The Communist
Party is in a position of indepen-
dence and of strength, but has
still not achieved the political (as
against the electoral) break-

‘through which would establish,

and put to the test, the European
significance of ‘its analysis of
bourgeois democracy.
Meanwhile, when the summer
holidays are over, the govern-
ment will face its first real trial —
that of assessing the cost of

. financial speculation against the

lira, the high price of borrowing,
and the continuing imbalance of
Italy’s productive and unproduc-
tive economic sectors. When the
material required to make an
economic prognosis is available,
it will be possible to estimate the
likely distance the Communist
Party will wish to maintain with
the Andreotti government, and
the extend of its co-operation.

et

‘MESSAGE TO THE WORKERS
FROM THE SOUTH AFRIC!

south Afric

‘isolate the racists!

This is the full text of a leaflet distributed clan
Communist Party in the heightening struggle of bl
allies for life, freedom, dignity and independence. It
end the racist apartheid regime now and for all time. |
has a fraternal obligation to fight for and demand Can
end trade with the white supremacists, to stop
Canadian workers! Put your weight into the fight again
stained South African goods! Demand that Ottawa live

WORKERS! COMRADES!
The South African Communist
Party speaks to you at this historic
moment in the history of our fight
for freedom. Your role in the
coming struggles is the key to the
future of our country. Your
muscle power has built our coun-
try’s riches. It is your combined
strength which can crush racism
and return the wealth of our land
_to all the people. It is within your
power to build a life in which man
is no longer exploited by man, a
life of real brotherhood in which
-the tyranny of racism and of eco-

nomic exploitation is ended once |

and for all.

You and your brothers on the
land are the overwhelming
majority of the people arid have
the future in your hands. Now,
more than ever, there is a chance
to go forward.

FREEDOM FORCES
GROW STRONGER
There have been big changes in
the situation. Internationally, the
socialist world and its most ad-
vanced sector, the Soviet Union,
grows in strength. In our own
country and in southern Africa,
racism, imperialism and foreign
domination have suffered impor-
tantreverses! Vorster’s friend and
ally — the fascist dictator of Por-
tugal — was smashed by the
courage and determination of our
brothers in Mozambique, Angola
and Guinea-Bissau who now rule
their own countries.

In Angola itself the attempts by ©

Vorster to prevent people’s rule

‘rogant racists were chased mi

lenge to what remains of minorityu

‘land hunger and exploitation 0

by sending in his white army
help some black collaborators
Savimbi and Roberto ended inal
full-speed retreat. Under
leadership of the MPLA, the

out of Angola.

It is clear for all to see in sou
ern Africa that — like Vietnam-
a united people can crush racism
and foreign domination. The chala

domination on our continent
grows stronger with each passingo
day. In Namibia and Zimbabwe
the enemy is under increasing al#
tack. The time cannot be far oii
when the people of these coun
tries will be free of minority did}
tatorship and foreign occupation
In South Africa Vorster knoy
that the day is fast approaching ‘
when his armed thugs will b
answered in the only la guag.
they understand — the langu
of the people’s armed force. Hy
has seen the writing on the wall
not only in the humiliating defeat”
in Angola, but also in the gro in
militancy of South Africa’s op
pressed in every comer of thy
land. Y
The workers have shown thei
strength by acting together i in the
factories and in the mines to V
their demands. The youth have
not been silenced by the tert
and continue to raise their voice’
louder against white oppression,
In the country areas anger \.
mounting against the poverty ;

the racist administration and i it
collaborators. ;

Reject fraudulent Transkei independence!
We fight for people’s power in

one united South Africa!