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So there is alterative for which working class and various other
sectors of working people and a section of intellectuals of the
entire world are bitterly fighting – in almost every country, in
every capital and industrial city and even in rural areas. So
far as the question of India is concerned, may we not ask the
question why the government of India is begging from World Bank
& IMF for money when according to government’s confession over
100 thousand crores of rupees (1,000 million rupees) are lost by
the nationalized banks as dead loan and black money amounting to
more than one hundred and eighty lakh crores of rupees (1,80,000
million rupees) are operating in the country as a parallel
economy apart from other frauds of government exchequer of a
colossal dimension and why not the government take ‘hard
decisions’ to retrieve this staggering amount of money which is
legitimately due to the government and the people? Can we not
ask the government to utilize the money thus recovered to spend
to rejuvenate the sick industries and for further capital
investment instead of closing down or selling out the public
sector and maintain self-reliance of the economy? Cannot the
question be asked why the government is giving enormous tax
concessions to the capitalists, particularly the monopolists and
increasing the tax burden on the common people in both direct
and indirect ways and why then government has reduced the
existing rate of interest of the workers’ and employees’
provident fund money and bank interests to provide loan to the
monopolists at a reduced rate? Is this the way for economic
development of the country and benefiting the people? Is this
disastrous path being followed by the government inevitable?
Cannot we ask the government why they are ruining the indigenous
industries, selling the profit-making public sectors to foreign
multinationals, why they are privatizing the nationalized
banking and insurance sectors which so long served as the main
avenues of resource generation by the government and as the
instruments of helping the weaker sections why the country’s
assets are now being gifted to foreign multinationals and
indigenous monopolies? May we not ask the question why
fundamental land reforms have not been undertaken in the country
with land to the actual tillers as has been already done not
only in China or Vietnam even in South Korea, Indonesia,
Malayasia and other countries which were so long praised as
‘Asian Tigers’? Why the government has failed to introduce
compulsory free education and medicare to all which are the
essential basis of any development? Is it not a fact whichever
countries have economically and socially developed have already
accomplished these tasks? Hundreds of such questions may be
raised, but we stop here instead of elaborating.
So it is a total lie that there is no alternative. There is
alternative which the Indian capitalist rulers and their
admirers World Bank-IMF-WTO do not want, which the imperialists
are afraid of. But the suffering toiling people, the workers,
the employees, the poor peasants, the impoverished agricultural
workers, the small traders, the middle class, the unemployed
youths, people grinded with poverty cannot at all forget this
alternative or condone the government for rejecting the
alternative for the selfish interests of a small section of
super-rich people and exploiters? Starting from entire Europe,
Latin America and US itself, from Seattle riots in 1999 to
massive protest demonstrations currently show how even within
the American and European continents toiling people’s anger has
started bursting forth against the WTO and other imperialist
agencies of exploitation everywhere in the world.
Here again arises the question of ‘workers and employees’
consciousness to properly realize the danger and the alternative
to fight the danger. As mentioned earlier, experience shows that
level of consciousness lies simply at the level of sheer
economism of getting some temporary benefits for most of the
working people . This helps those who are responsible for this
disastrous situation. Therefore the supreme task before the
entire working class is to raise their level of consciousness so
as to understand the intricacies of the situation, the causes of
their misery, the remedial measures and finally the alternative.
This is a very difficult and arduous task. But the trade union
has to undertake it if it wants to be true to the interests of
the employees and the country as a whole. The immediate task of
trade union and people’s movement should therefore be to
undertake this task of educating and enlightening the toiling
people on the crucial issues. Then only it is possible to build
up a movement powerful enough to reverse this situation and
enforce the alternative. We have to protect our economic
interests, our trade union and democratic rights and we must
build a future where our children can live without misery and
social curse. We must enforce therefore the alternative – a
social and economic system which guarantees a decent life to
all. For this what is needed – a broad united fighting front of
all working people fully conscious of the objective to be
achieved.
We have now glaring and very inspiring evidences before us. To
repeat, the massive protest struggles, angry demonstrations by
tens of thousands of people in different parts of Europe,
America and Latin America, latest in the serious massive strike
and demonstration in Italy, admittedly- heroic deed of the
Venezuelian people and the Brazilian people and vast section of
working people’s anger against globaslization and the capitalist
system as such and its ugliest manifestation of aggressive
imperialism have thrown up a new situation. Disillusioned by the
intolerably repressive and exploitative character of the
capitalist system and its present manifestation – globalization,
huge section, though not yet the majority, of people have
started to seek an alternative to capitalism.
Some of these protestors while condemning capitalism are pulling
socialism as the alternative, while many are not so specific,
but all of them are vigorously aspiring for an alternative to
capitalism.
This is a very inspiring development and this process has to be
further carried forward by way of mobilizing and uniting more
and more people to the path of massive struggles and helping
them at the same time to come to a correct conclusion about the
nature of that alternative.
So, the success of these struggles and achievement of these
aspiration depend upon the correct identification of the
alternative and a vigorous push for it internationally as well
as nationally.
The great international event of angry struggles confirm that
alternative to capitalist globalization, i.e. capitalist system
itself is possible and feasible.
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