ANOTHER CHAPTER of THE GREEN BOOK by MUAMMAR GADAF
THE PARTY
The party is a contemporary form of dictatorship. It is the modern instrument of dictatorial
government. The party is the rule of a part over the whole. As a party is not an individual, it
creates a superficial democracy by establishing assemblies, committees, and propaganda
through its members. The party is not a democratic instrument because it is composed
only of those people who have common interests, a common perception or a shared
culture; or those who belong to the same region or share the same belief. They form a
party to achieve their ends, impose their will, or extend the dominion of their beliefs,
values, and interests to the society as a whole. A party's aim is to achieve power under the
pretext of carrying out its program. Democratically, none of these parties should govern a
whole people who constitute a diversity of interests, ideas, temperaments, regions and
beliefs. The party is a dictatorial instrument of government that enables those with
common outlooks or interests to rule the people as a whole. Within the community, the
party represents a minority.
The purpose of forming a party is to create an instrument to rule the people, i.e., to rule
over non-members of the party. The party is, fundamentally, based on an arbitrary
authoritarian concept - the domination of the members of the party over the rest of the
people. The party presupposes that its accession to power is the way to attain its ends,
and assumes that its objectives are also those of the people. This is the theory justifying
party dictatorship, and is the basis of any dictatorship. No matter how many parties exist,
the theory remains valid.
The existence of many parties intensifies the struggle for power, and this results in the
neglect of any achievements for the people and of any socially beneficial plans. Such
actions are presented as a justification to undermine the position of the ruling party so
that an opposing party can replace it. The parties very seldom resort to arms in their
struggle but, rather, denounce and denigrate the actions of each other. This is a battle
which is inevitably waged at the expense of the higher, vital interests of the society. Some,
if not all, of those higher interests will fall prey to the struggle for power between
instruments of government, for the destruction of those interests supports the opposition
in their argument against the ruling party or parties. In order to rule, the opposition party
has to defeat the existing instrument of government.
To do so, the opposition must minimize the government's achievements and cast doubt on
its plans, even though those plans may be beneficial to the society. Consequently, the
interests and programs of the society become the victims of the parties' struggle for
power. Such struggle is, therefore, politically, socially, and economically destructive to the
society, despite the fact that it creates political activity.
Thus, the struggle results in the victory of another instrument of government; the fall of
one party, and the rise of another. It is, in fact, a defeat for the people, i.e., a defeat for
democracy. Furthermore, parties can be bribed and corrupted either from inside or
outside.
Originally, the party is formed ostensibly to represent the people. Subsequently, the party
leadership becomes representative of the membership, and the leader represents the party
elite. It becomes clear that this partisan game is a deceitful farce based on a false form of
democracy. It has a selfish authoritarian character based on maneuvres, intrigues and
political games. This confirms the fact that the party system is a modern instrument of
dictatorship. The party system is an outright, unconvincing dictatorship, one which the
world has not yet surpassed. It is, in fact, the dictatorship of the modern age.
The parliament of the winning party is indeed a parliament of the party, for the executive
power formed by this parliament is the power of the party over the people. Party power,
which is supposedly for the good of the whole people, is actually the arch-enemy of a
fraction of the people, namely, the opposition party or parties and their supporters. The
opposition is, therefore, not a popular check on the ruling party but, rather, is itself
opportunistically seeking to replace the ruling party. According to modern democracy, the
legitimate check on the ruling party is the parliament, the majority of whose members are
from that ruling party. That is to say, control is in the hands of the ruling party, and power
is in the hands of the controlling party. Thus the deception, falseness and invalidity of the
political theories dominant in the world today become obvious. From these emerge
contemporary conventional democracy.
"The party represents a segment of the people, but the sovereignty of the people is
indivisible."
"The party allegedly governs on behalf of the people, but in reality the true principle of
democracy is based upon the notion that there can be no representation in lieu of the
people."
The party system is the modern equivalent of the tribal or sectarian system. A society
governed by one party is similar to one which is governed by one tribe or one sect. The
party, as shown, represents the perception of a certain group of people, or the interests of
one group in society, or one belief, or one region. Such a party is a minority compared
with the whole people, just as the tribe and the sect are. The minority has narrow, common
sectarian interests and beliefs, from which a common outlook is formed. Only the bloodrelationship
distinguishes a tribe from a party, and, indeed, a tribe might also be the basis
for the foundation of a party. There is no difference between party struggle and tribal or
sectarian struggles for power. Just as tribal and sectarian rule is politically unacceptable
and inappropriate, likewise the rule under a party system. Both follow the same path and
lead to the same end. The negative and destructive effects of the tribal or sectarian
struggle on society is identical to the negative and destructive effects of the party
struggle.
CLASS
The political class system is the same as a party, tribal, or sectarian system since a class
dominates society in the same way that a party, tribe or sect would. Classes, like parties,
sects or tribes, are groups of people within society who share common interests. Common
interests arise from the existence of a group of people bound together by bloodrelationship,
belief, culture, locality or standard of living. Classes, parties, sects and tribes
emerge because blood-relationship, social rank, economic interest, standard of living,
belief, culture and locality create a common outlook to achieve a common end. Thus,
social structures, in the form of classes, parties, tribes or sects, emerge. These eventually
develop into political entities directed toward the realization of the goals of that group. In
all cases, the people are neither the class, the party, the tribe, nor the sect, for these are
no more than a segment of the people and constitute a minority. If a class, a party, a tribe,
or a sect dominates a society, then the dominant system becomes a dictatorship.
However, a class or a tribal coalition is preferable to a party coalition since societies
originally consisted of tribal communities. One seldom finds a group of people who do not
belong to a tribe, and all people belong to a specific class. But no party or parties embrace
all of the people, and therefore the party or party coalition represents a minority compared
to the masses outside their membership. Under genuine democracy, there can be no
justification for any one class to subdue other classes for its interests. Similarly, no party,
tribe or sect can crush others for their own interests.
To allow such actions abandons the logic of democracy and justifies resort to the use of
force. Such policies of suppression are dictatorial because they are not in the interest of
the whole society, which consists of more than one class, tribe or sect, or the members of
one party. There is no justification for such actions, though the dictatorial argument is that
society actually consists of numerous segments, one of which must undertake the
liquidation of others in order to remain solely in power. This exercise is not, accordingly,
in the interests of the whole society but, rather, in the interests of a specific class, tribe,
sect, party, or those who claim to speak for the society. Such an act is basically aimed at
the member of the society who does not belong to the party, class, tribe or sect which
carries out the liquidation.
A society torn apart by party feud is similar to one which is torn apart by tribal or sectarian
conflicts.
A party that is formed in the name of a class inevitably becomes a substitute for that class
and continues in the process of spontaneous transformation until it becomes hostile to
the class that it replaces.
Any class which inherits a society also inherits its characteristics. If the working class, for
example, subdues all other classes of a particular society, it then becomes its only heir
and forms its material and social base. The heir acquires the traits of those from whom it
inherits, though this may not be evident all at once. With the passage of time,
characteristics of the other eliminated classes will emerge within the ranks of the working
class itself. The members of the new society will assume the attitudes and perspectives
appropriate to their newly evolved characteristics. Thus, the working class will develop a
separate society possessing all of the contradictions of the old society. In the first stage,
the material standard and importance of the members become unequal. Thereafter, groups
emerge which automatically become classes that are the same as the classes that were
eliminated. Thus, the struggle for domination of the society begins again. Each group of
people, each faction, and each new class will all vie to become the instrument of
government.
Being social in nature, the material base of any society is changeable. The instrument of
government of this material base may be sustained for some time, but it will eventual
become obsolete as new material and social standards evolve to form a new material
base. Any society which undergoes a class conflict may at one time have been a one-class
society but, through evolution, inevitably becomes a multi-class society.
The class that expropriates and acquires the possession of others to maintain power for
itself will soon find that, through evolution, it will be itself subject to change as though it
were the society as a whole.
In summary, all attempts at unifying the material base of a society in order to solve the
problem of government, or at putting an end to the struggle in favour of a party, class, sect
or tribe have failed. All endeavours aimed at appeasing the masses through the election of
representatives or through parliaments have equally failed. To continue such practices
would be a waste of time and a mockery of the people.
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