Many countries are now witnessing the ever-mounting spirit to build a new society independently in the spirit of self-reliance, following the trend of the era of independence.
The spirit of self-reliance which serves as powerful weapon and banner of struggle in the building of a new society in many countries is the embryo of the Juche idea, the guiding ideology of our times.
President KimIl Sung
The great leader of Democratic Peoples’ Republic of Korea, President KimIl Sung said, “The spirit of self-reliance is one of making revolution by one’s own efforts. We must arm ourselves with the indomitable revolutionary spirit which will enable us to produce what is lacking, to procure what is in short supply, to learn what we do not know through study, and to surmount all trials and difficulties bravely, never shrinking from them.”
The spirit of self-reliance is the Juche spirit clarified by the Juche idea. This carries the requirement of the Juche Idea concentrically.
The spirit of self-reliance is first of all, the spirit of independence.
The great Juche idea is the revolutionary idea which newly elucidated independent nature of man and, on this basis, showed the way to defend and realise the people’s independence.
Man is a social being with independence. Independence is an attribute of social man who wants to develop independently against all sorts of subordination and subjugation. Independence is the life and soul of man, the social being. Without independence, man is as like as animal and is no more social being.
Independent man
Man, the social being wants to live a dignified and worthwhile life, solving his own problem by himself in a responsible way. An independent man thinks it as shame to live on others, and so he denies such living.
Self-reliance is, therefore, the mode of existence of an independent man. The spirit of self-reliance is the spirit of independence which enables us to solve our problem by our own efforts independently.
Independent man means the working masses and their independence can be realised by their struggle. The imperialists and reactionaries do not ensure the independence of the people. They think oppression and exploitation as their mode of existence, so they are not willing to give the people freedom and liberation. It is also preposterous to expect the “fortune” from the Gold. The people can achieve their freedom, liberation and happiness only by their own efforts and struggle.
From the Juche principle that people’s independence can be realised by their own struggle, the people should have the spirit of self-reliance of shaping their destiny by themselves. The people should not pin hope on others’ strength but rely on their own.
History shows that the people realised their independence gradually by their creative labour and revolutionary struggle not by others’ strength.
The spirit of self-reliance is a thorough-going spirit of independence which enables to realise the people’s independence by their own efforts.
The spirit of self-reliance is also the spirit of patriotism.
The great Juche idea is the supreme form of patriotic spirit. The decisive factor for the patriotic struggle for the country and nation is the strength of the internal forces of the country and nation. Foreign assistance is secondary. A country’s sovereignty can be defended and national prosperity be achieved only by the internal forces of a country and nation no matter big or small they are. The countries in Asia achieved political independence and scored success in the building of a new society. This was possible by the internal forces of each country, not by the external forces.
It is, therefore, important to keep and develop the revolutionary spirit of self-reliance which enables us to rely on our own, to develop our country and nation. Only when each country displays the revolutionary spirit of self- reliance of believing in their own strength and solving the problem by themselves, is it possible to defend and ensure national sovereignty.
Only when the Asian countries solve all problems arising in the building of a new society by their own efforts in the spirit of self-reliance, is it possible to map out politics in the interests of their nation, build independent national economy for their country and nation and develop national culture which conforms to the demand and characteristics of the nation. Only when they counter the imperialists’ military threat and aggressive tricks by their own efforts, can they defend the national sovereignty.
On the contrary, if they rely on the imperialists’ “aid” and “cooperation” neglecting their own strength, their sovereignty will be infringed upon, not to say of bringing about national prosperity.
Historical experience eloquently tells that the imperialists’ “aid” and “cooperation” are neo-colonialist trap to subjugate and dominate the less developed and developing countries. After all, dependency on foreign forces leads to ruin.
The spirit of self-reliance is also an indomitable fighting spirit which enables us to make continuous innovation overcoming trials and difficulties by our own efforts.
The great Juche idea is a revolutionary doctrine which clarifies that social movement develops by the active role of the people.
The people push ahead with the social movement to transform nature and society in active way, not passive way.
Trials and tribulations
There can be trials and tribulations in the struggle of the people to transform nature and society. But the people should never give up or retreat from the struggle to realise their independence.
However, viciously the reactionaries of history try, the people’s struggle for independence can never be checked.
The spirit of self-reliance which should be kept by the masters of the social movement is an indomitable fighting spirit which enables to overcome difficulties in an active way. Self-reliance is more necessary when conditions are unfavourable. It is nothing to do with agitation, defeatism, pessimism and stagnation before difficulties.
When a country displays the revolutionary spirit of self-reliance, it can overcome difficulties on its own and convert disfavourable into favourable, making continuous advancement. The experience of the socialist Korea proves it. In recent years, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) had to undergo the unprecedented difficulties due to the imperialists’ trick of suffocation and sanction and successive and serious natural calamities.
But under the wise leadership of Kim Jong Ill, the great leader of the Korean people, they won victory and try to build a powerful socialist nation, overcoming all difficulties by their own efforts in the spirit of self-reliance. Some of the Asian countries try to depend on others when they face difficulties without the revolutionary spirit of self-reliance and thus fell in stagnation, eventually causing a crisis.
Sri Lanka is not immune to this critical problem. For achieving self-reliance, the teachings of great leader Comrade Kim Il Sung is a great asset for the mankind, particularly for the people of the third world countries. For the first time in the history, the Juche idea as propounded by the great leader President Kim Il Sung truly shows how to pave the path of achieving self-reliance. We earnestly believe that if we want to achieve self-reliance, then we are to make out our own path of independence in the manner as enunciated by the great Juche idea.
And for that in Sri Lanka, political parties have by taking under consideration of the specific relatives of our country formulated our own guidelines with the teaching of Juche and termed the same as “Swabhimani”. Swabhimani is the application of Juche in the context of Sri Lankan Swabhimani movements, and is a weapon for building a self-reliant Sri Lanka and securing the right of our people free from exploitation and oppression.
In the recent past, we, the Sri Lankans who commemorated the celebrations of these world leaders of yesteryear of People’s Republic of Korea such as Kim Il Sung, there was a commemoration session in Colombo under the patronage of the grandson of Sir Marshal Tito.
The spirit of self-reliance is an indomitable fighting spirit which enables to go ahead without hesitating before trials.
We, the Asian people should recognise that the spirit of self-reliance is the Juche spirit and make a new change in building a new society in the spirit of self-reliance.
