<\/p>\n\n\n
The Revolutionary Intercommunal Black Panther Party began as a prison-based organization aspiring to become a mass based revolutionary party. From the outset, we understood that as long as we remained a prison group, we would be unable to fully implement collective decision-making by applying Democratic Centralism (DC) and the committee structure, serve the masses as a whole, and integrate with our mass base. In essence, we could not operate as a mass based revolutionary party.<\/p>\n
In 2012 we explained these limitations and our aspirations to become a genuine revolutionary party upon our transition to the outside, and specified and enumerated each ministry and the position of General Secretary. (1)<\/p>\n
In 2019 we formally transitioned to the outside with the release of our chairperson Zulu Sharod from prison, who immediately went to work organizing an outside cadre of Party members and developing the United Panther Movement (UPM) and its outside membership as our principal mass organization.<\/p>\n
During our first year as an outside Party we went through a period of intense struggle and work, both in our organizational development and our mass work. In developing our outside ministries during that time, we explained the roles and functions of each ministry and their forming the leading body of our committee structure. (2) Our purpose now is to explain the roles and functions of the General Secretary.<\/p>\n
THE ROLE OF GENERAL SECRETARY<\/p>\n
In revolutionary organizations, the position of the key administrator has been designated as the General Secretary, Secretary General or First Secretary. Here we will use the name General Secretary (GS).<\/p>\n
In our Party the committees at each respective level – Central, Branch and Unit – are composed of the heads of each ministry and the chairperson at those levels. The GS is vital to the committee system of a revolutionary party, because the GS leads the committee and ensures that the committee carries out its tasks. The GS, however, holds no greater power of influence in decision-making nor privileges above any other committee members outside the functions of her\/his office, and must, like all committee members, follow collective decisions.<\/p>\n
The GS guides the committee members in carrying out their tasks which have been determined by DC, and investigates and engages with them to resolve any changes or challenges that develop in carrying out their tasks. There exists a symbiotic relationship between the GS and committee members, who must respect, assist and support each other.<\/p>\n
The GS operates to unify the committee’s membership on an ongoing basis, so our work is carried out in an efficient, coordinated and unified manner. S\/he leads by example and guides and assists comrades in their work.<\/p>\n
Members alongside the GS keep track of developments and tendencies within the Party and committees. Together they schedule and announce meetings, and work together to ensure they run efficiently. They work together to resolve disputes and misunderstandings between members and take initiative in work. Members don’t merely wait on the GS to initiate things.<\/p>\n
To effectuate its links with committee members and distribute its workload, the GS will appoint Deputy Secretaries (DS). One DS is sufficient in smaller groups, but when we become a large organization it will be necessary to appoint and assign a DS to each ministry. Together the GS and Deputy Secretaries form the Secretariat, which leads the daily actions of the committee.<\/p>\n
The Secretariat helps organize and assist the operations of the Party but will not stifle the initiative and flexibility of the ministries in carrying out their work.<\/p>\n
THE GS AND COMMITTEE MEETINGS<\/p>\n
Meetings are the method by which our committees come together to discuss and decide important matters and courses of action. It is the process through which DC operates.<\/p>\n
The GS organizes committee meetings, creates agendas that are coordinated with committee members to ensure that all matters of importance are presented and addressed at the meetings, takes minutes and keeps records of the meetings, and leads summing up sessions to follow up on designated committee tasks and their completion. And although meetings are important to action, we do not want to be over-bogged with meetings so that they impair actual work. Meetings should not be long and tedious, which may occur if meetings occur too seldom, are conducted inefficiently, are not well prepared or are unorganized. Meetings addressed to special matters that arise or need immediate resolutions may be set.<\/p>\n
The secretariat will schedule meetings and arrange their place of conduct, ensure that communities have advanced notice of meetings and their purpose so members can attend and all needed information may be prepared and presented. It must provide members with lists of reports, investigations and writings they need to prepare or present.<\/p>\n
The Secretariat administrates meetings and keeps discussions on topic, encouraging each member’s full and equal participation, and discouraging monopoly of discussions by the few. Silence in meetings or in presence of leaders runs counter to DC and collective leadership. The committee structure requires full and collective participation of members in meetings and decision-making; we therefore practice openness, understanding, and unity in meetings and oppose hiding things, gossiping and talking negatively or criticizing other outside meetings.<\/p>\n
We firmly oppose all conduct such as this which may sow disunity and intrigue. But we may engage in discussions of problems and our thoughts without waiting for meetings.<\/p>\n
The committees must share work and cultivate mutual understanding and unity, to build trust and counter individualism, which will enhance our capacity for collective decision-making and collective action.<\/p>\n
Our meetings operate to reinforce our need to cooperate and comport ourselves with camaraderie and respect in our relations with each other, even if we are not comfortable with each other, and counters tendencies towards factionalism and creating small groups and cliques. We must guard against anything that might undermine our committees’ unity and collective action.<\/p>\n
The GS and the Secretariat also organizes and presides over Party congresses and formal Party meetings as key liaison with outside organizations in much the same manner as it conducts committee meetings.<\/p>\n
CONCLUSION<\/p>\n
The GS and Secretariats must remain at the cutting edge of our Party’s ideological study and development and maintain committee members at this level. Party members must hold the GS to the highest standard of commitment to and practice of revolutionary working class values, because under both capitalist and socialist systems, the GS proves to be most susceptible to corruption by bourgeois influences and authoritarian centralism, especially when DC has broken down. We must remember at all times that we are a revolutionary party whose calling and commitment is to serve the interests of the oppressed masses; we operate democratically, like a council of elders, not a corporate body of competitors and exploiters. There is no one-person dictatorship here, nor CEO-style leadership.<\/p>\n
Our leadership is collective and based upon collective ideas and work, and our characters are measured by our commitment to serve the people and the Party, to uphold truth in that service, and to maintaining the class perspective of the revolutionary proletariat.<\/p>\n
Dare to Struggle Dare to Win!<\/p>\n
All Power to The People!<\/p>\n
_______________<\/p>\n
Endnotes:<\/p>\n
1. See, Kevin “Rashid” Johnson, “The New Afrikan Black Panther Party’s Organizational Principles, Policy and Practice: The 3-P’s” (2012), in PANTHER VISION: ESSENTIAL PARTY WRITINGS AND ART OF KEVIN “RASHID” JOHNSON (Montreal, Canada: Kersplebedeb, 2015), p. 245<\/p>\n
2. See, Kevin “Rashid” Johnson, “The Political Division of Labor: What are The Roles and Functions of the Party’s Ministries?” (2020) http:\/\/rashidmod.com\/?p=2834<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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