Comrade Provash Ghosh on Ensuing Presidential Election of India

Volume 45 No. 23 Organ of the SOCIALIST UNITY CENTRE OF INDIA (COMMUNIST) July 15, 2012 Founder Editor-in-Chief : COMRADE SHIBDAS GHOSH Price : Rs. 2.00 Red Salute Comrade Provash Ghosh on Frederick Engels ensuing Presidential Election of India On 12 July, 2012 Comrade Provash Ghosh, rural life stands shattered. Without land and job, General Secretary, SUCI (C), addressed a well – the multitudes of rural poor are wondering about. attended Press Conference held at the Central The term ‘migrant labour’ is now quite familiar. Party Office in Kolkata. In his address, he said: It means there is no stability; job-seekers are We think whatever might have been claimed in aimlessly moving around the entire country like campaign or coverage about the Presidential migratory birds. Whatever long accounts of election being an apolitical issue, the office of the development and planning leaders may dish out, President is really a political institution. The the situation is extremely pathetic and horrific. activities of the President are guided by the People are committing suicides in lakhs, are Constitution which itself is framed with a dying of starvation or without any medical political approach and in all previous Presidential treatment. Presently the most flourishing trade in elections held so far, it is the political parties that India is women trafficking. Hundreds of have selected the candidates, that have entered thousands of women of poor families are being into contests. If and when some independent illegally trafficked to various parts of the country candidate came into picture, some or other and even foreign lands. Even seven or eight year 28 November 1820 – 5 August 1895 political parties must have nominated him. The old girl children are being initiated into roaring cabinet which guides the President is also very flesh trade. No party in power seems to bother “It is the essence of bourgeois socialism to much a political body. So this election cannot be the least. They have no concern at all in these want to maintain the basis of all the evils viewed judged outside the domain of politics. Of issues. The country has never witnessed such a of present-day society and at the same course in our country, all the debates, discussions horrid condition. The world capitalist economy, time to want to abolish the evils and dialogues on Presidential election are of which the Indian economy is an inseparable themselves…Whoever declares that the confined to the parties in power or in opposition. part, is itself in the grip of an acute insoluble capitalist mode of production, the “iron Common people are hardly bothering about it. crisis and mounting recession. The US economy laws” of present-day bourgeois society, are They are concerned with the burning problems of is capsizing in the Pacific Ocean. European inviolable, and yet at the same time would their life. So, I am of the opinion that this economy too is sinking in the Atlantic Ocean. It like to abolish their unpleasant but election should be viewed in the backdrop of the appears that the market of the capitalist- necessary consequences, has no other prevailing political-economic-social background. imperialist economy has totally run dry with recourse but to deliver moral sermons to I won’t go into elaborations. All of you are nothing left of it. So intense is the economic the capitalists, moral sermons whose journalists, well educated and well- informed. crisis of capitalism today. When the giants are emotional effects immediately evaporate The present economic situation in the country upto the neck, how could Indian capitalism under the influence of private interest is simply horrible. Two-third of the population is survive? On the other hand, in the much- and, if necessary, of competition.” either unemployed or semi-employed. A few clamoured democracy of our country, there is no —Frederick Engels crores of workers have been retrenched. Lakhs of democratic right of the people. But, there is (The Housing Question—p.41-43) industries have been closed down. The entire Contd. on page 3 Egypt in the aftermath of Presidential Election REVELATIONS AND LESSONS Undeterred by the bullets and brutality of the that the Egyptian army hitherto considered to be Turn of events after Mubarak’s ouster autocratic regime and defying the long-continuing impervious did not dare to use force to suppress It is, therefore, clear that the people’s repressions that they have dreaded so far, lakhs the same. Rather, it feigned a sympathetic attitude movement rose to such a peak that it had all of oppressed Egyptians from all sections of the towards this people’s uprising. Even the US potential of not only replacing autocracy by society including women congregated at the imperialists who initially in collusion with the democracy but even ensuring materialization of Tahrir Square of Cairo and other parts of the Mubarak-led army-controlled government tried to people’s latent desire to be freed from the ongoing country in the last week of January, 2011 to pull the strings from behind to nip the movement excruciating economic exploitation materialized. demand an end to thirty long years of President in the bud also had to switch to a cunning ploy of From this very intent of emancipation, the fighting Hosni Mubarak’s most oppressive rule, fully pretending support for Mubarak’s ouster and Egyptian people had called their struggle as backed, geared and protected by the army, and pitching for a ‘peaceful and orderly transition’ to ‘revolution’, of course not being clear what restoration of democracy. This spontaneous democracy. Finally, Mubarak had to step down on exactly the term connotes and warrants for being militant people’s protest which spread like 11 February, 2011, handing over the power to the accomplished given the fact that they are pressed wildfire across the country and virtually assumed army.Sensing the mood and fervour of the under the yoke of ruthless oppression of ruling the character of a mass uprising was greeted fighting people, the army found no option but to capitalism perpetrated through the bourgeois state throughout the world as “Arab spring’. So beat a retreat, find a scapegoat in Mubarak and machine armed to the teeth. Had the necessary pre- powerful had been the impact of this spontaneous asking him to resign, dissolve the so called conditions for overthrowing the ruling capitalist uprising of undaunted people with remarkable Parliament, suspend the country’s Constitution class by revolution been fulfilled, there of course fighting zeal and uncompromising spirit, particu- and commit that it would be in power for six was every possibility of this people’s uprising larly characterized in the main by their secular months till the election, to form a new ending up in anti-capitalist revolution. But, such nature and strongest anti-US imperialist feelings government. Contd. on page 2 PAGE TWO JULY 15, 2012 PROLETARIAN ERA Egypt Change of regime does not mean change of oppressive capitalist rule Contd. from page 1 indicated inevitable infringement on elected President though announced which protects the state. In other has not been the case. Though people civil liberties and basic human rights as the head of the said Council could words, the oppressive ruling class spontaneously rose up in demand for by the army and aided by the not take any decision of his own but secures its state through the army. democracy, various bourgeois and country’s judiciary to quell a only nod to what the military Likewise, the judiciary too cannot petty-bourgeois forces including possible rebellion against the generals propose. Thus, the people but ultimately serve the aggregate fundamentalist outfits as well as SCAF’s naked intervention to found while they had fought to interest of the ruling capitalist class. camouflaged agents of the army rule disrupt, if not derail, Egypt’s terminate the autocratic military rule Egyptian bourgeois state is no sneaked into the movement and tried transition to democracy. Allegations and elect a civilian government, the exception. So if one does not to see that the movement does not flew thick and fast that an unholy real power continued to be understand the nature and escalate beyond a point and is collusion between the army and concentrated in the military characteristics of the state, one withdrawn once Mubarak was judiciary has led to a ‘military coup’ notwithstanding election of a civilian cannot understand the role of the ousted and an election agreed upon. and the high judiciary, gelled during president in the form of Morsi who army. In some of the capitalist states, Exactly that happened. Hailing the Mubarak era, had become a tool won by a slender margin (51% as there are civilian rules. But, if that Mubarak’s exit as a thumping of the military top brass to siphon off against Shafiq’s 49%). What could rule for any reason whatsoever is success and seeming to be on the power from a democratically elected be more of a mockery of democracy found to be causing any threat or cusp of a new dawn, the movement parliament. It was also alleged that than this! It is also worth noting that inconvenience to the operation of the was called off and people were made the court’s ruling was part of a larger while there was a high turnout of capitalist order, the army intervenes to believe that the Supreme Council plot hatched by SCAF to bring back voters in the parliamentary elections, and takes over the power. Even the of the Armed Forces (SCAF) which the remnants of the Mubarak regime the percentage of voting came down civilian governments led by took over the reins would roll out the to power.

Load more